comes upon the wicked it comes upon them as a fruit of Gods everlasting wrath and therefore where it proves fatal 't is but an inlet to eternal torments But when it comes upon a child of God it comes upon him but as a fruit of Gods momentary wrath Isa 54. 7 8 9 10. Look as David gave charge to his souldiers that they should not kill Absalom his son but onely restrain his unnatural rebellion and reduce him to his former obedience so when God sends the pestilence amongst his people he layes a law of restraint upon it that it shall not hurt his people that it shall not destroy their graces nor ruin their souls The full commission that God gives to the pestilence is to restrain the sins of his people and to destroy the soul-rebellions of his people I have read of a Load-stone in Aethiopia which hath two corners with the one it draws the iron to it with the other it put the iron from it so God hath two armes the one of mercy and the other of judgement two hands the one of love the other of wrath with the one he draweth with the other he driveth the one stroaketh the other striketh and as he hath a right hand of favour wherewith to lead the saints so he wants not a left hand of fury wherewith to dash the wicked in pieces The Twelfth Divine Maxime or Conclusion is this Viz. That God knows how to distinguish his people and how to difference his people from others when the pestilence rages in the midst of them As he did between the Israelites and the Egyptians Exod. 8. 21 22 23. Exod. 9. 22 23 24 25 26. Exod. 11. 7. That of the Apostle is a great truth 2 Tim. 2. 19. The Lord knoweth them that are his The Lord knows all his people by name he doth not onely know how many he elected but he also knoweth who they are he knows the very numerical persons upon whom he hath set his electing love Though the pestilence doth not know a saint from a sinner yet the Lord knows a saint from a sinner though the pestilence doth not know the righteous from the wicked yet the Lord knows the righteous from the wicked though the pestilence doth not know him that feareth an Oath from him that sweareth yet the Lord knows him that feareth an Oath from him that sweareth though the pestilence doth not know the clean from the unclean yet the Lord knows the clean from the unclean though the pestilence doth not know him that sacrificeth from him that sacrificeth not yet the Lord knows him that sacrificeth from him that sacrificeth not though the pestilence doth not know the oppressed from the oppressor yet the Lord knows the oppressed from the oppressor though the pestilence doth not know the persecuted from the persecutor yet the Lord knows the persecuted from the persecutor c. 2 Pet. 2. 9. The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptatitions that is afflictions though the godly man do not know how to deliver himself out of temptations though others do not know how the godly man should be delivered out of temptations yet the Lord knows how to deliver the godly man out of temptations and his time is alwayes the best The Physitian turns the hour-glasse and resolves the physick shall work so long the impatient Patient cries out Oh I am in pain Oh how I am tormented Oh what would I not give for a little ease Oh me thinks every hour is a year but the wise Physitian knowing the fittest time will not suffer him to have any rest or comfort till the physick hath had its proper operation Thus many times Gods dear children when they are under sore trials they cry out How long Lord how long shall this Rod lie upon our backs how long shall thy anger smoak how long shall the judgement continue but God will turn a deaf ear and make them wait his time which is alwayes the best time And therefore though God knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations yet he will take his own time to deliver them out of temptations c. The Thirteenth and last Divine Maxime or Conclusion is this Viz. That though the godly are not delivered from the plague yet they are still delivered by the plague by it they shall be delivered from all their sins Death is not Mors hominis but Mors peccati not the death of the man but the death of his sin When Sampson died the Philistims died together with him so when a believer dies be it by the pestilence or any other disease his sin dies with him As death came in by sin so sin goes out by death As the worm kills the worm that bred it so death kills sin that bred it The Persians had a certain day in the year wherein they used to kill all serpents and venemous creatures such a day as that will the day of death be to every believer When the pestilence hath put a period to a Christians dayes then he shall never be proud more nor passionate more nor unbelieving more nor worldly more nor neglective of duty more nor grieve the spirit of God more nor wound Conscience more nor break his peace with God more nor sad the hearts of the righteous more nor open the mouth of blasphemy more the death of the body shall quite destroy the body of death so that as sin was the Midwife that brought death into the world so death shall be the grave that shall bury sin in When the pestilence takes away a godly man it doth not take him away in his sins but it takes him way from his sins And as death as the pestilence where it kills rids the believer of all his sins so 't will rid him of all his troubles Death cures all diseases the aking head and the unbelieving heart Vltimus morborum medicus mors At Stratford-Bow Acts Mon. fol. 1733. were burned in Queen Maries dayes at one stake a lame man and a blind man the lame man after he was chained casting away his crutch bad the blind man be of good comfort for death would cure them both 'T will cure thee saith he of thy blindness and me of my lameness The way to glory is by misery In this world we are all Benonies the sons of sorrow The way to heaven is by weeping crosse Christs-passion week was before his Ascention day None passes to Paradise but by burning Seraphims We cannot go out of Egypt but through the Red Sea The Children of Israel came to Jerusalem through the Valley of Tears and crossed the swift river of Jordan before they came to the sweet waters of Siloam If a godly man die of the pestilence he shall never be haunted tempted and buffetted by Satan more he shall never see a cloud a frown a wrinkle in the face of God more the Chair of pestilence shall be to him but a Chair of State by
us and quiet us how should this cool us and calm us how should this satisfie us and silence us before the Lord and cause us to lay our hands upon our mouths as David did Psal 39. 9. and as Aaron did Lev. 10. 1 2 3. and as Ely did 1 Sam. 3. 18. and as the Church did Lament 3. 26 27 28 29. Solinus writeth of Hypanis a Scythian Cap. 20. River that the water thereof is very bitter as it passeth thorow Exampius yet very sweet in the spring So the cup of trembling which is this day offered to the children of God is often very bitter at the second hand or as it appears in second causes and yet it is sweet at the first hand yea it is very sweet as it is reacht to them by a hand from heaven and therefore they may well say as their Head and Husband hath done before them Shall we not drink of the Cup that our Father hath given us to drink of c. The Second Divine Maxime or Conclusion is this Viz. The Pestilence and all other Judgements of God are limited as to places Hence it comes to pass that God shoots his arrows of Pestilence into one City and not into another into one Town and not into another into one Family and not into another into one Kingdome and Countrey and not into another Exod. 8. 20 21 22 23. and Exod. 9. 22 23 24 25 26. 2 Sam. 24. 15. Turn to all these Scriptures and ponder upon them The Third Divine Maxime or Conclusion is this Viz. All the Judgements of God are limited not onely to places but also to persons And therefore such and such must fall when such and such must escape and such and such must be infected when such and such are preserved Hence 't is that one is taken in the Bed and the other left one smitten at the Table or in the House and all the rest preserved in perfect health c. God hath numbred so many to the sword and so many to the famine and so many to the pestilence so many to this disease and so many to that 2 Sam. 24. 15 16. Ezek. 11. 5 6 7. Ezek. 5. 12. Ezek. 6. 11 12. Exod. 12. 13. Psal 91. from vers 3. to v. 9. Isa 65. 12. Jer. 15. 2. Ezek. 33. 27. Turn to all these Scriptures and ponder upon them God marks out those persons that he intends to shoot the arrow of pestilence amongst God never shoots at rovers he never draws his bow at a venture but he singles out the persons that he purposes to hit and his arrows flie swiftly and suddenly yet they hit none but those that God hath set up as a mark to shoot at as Job speaks The Fourth Divine Maxime or Conclusion is this Viz. No man knows divine love or hatred by outward dispensations Eccl. 9. 1 2. Luke 13. 4 16. Lam. 4. 6. Dan. 9. 12. Psal 73. 12 13 14 15 21 22. In time of great judgements God sometimes spares those whom his soul hates and abhors Isa 1. 5. Hos 4. 14 17. God sometimes preserves wicked men from great judgements that they may fall by greater judgements as you may see in Sodom and her sisters which were preserved from the slaughter of the four Kings that God might rain down Hell out of Heaven upon them And so Sennacherib escapes the stroke of the destroying Angel that he might fall by the sword of his own sons Isa 37. 37 38. And as in times of great judgements God sometimes spares those sinners that his soul hates so in times of great judgements God takes away those whom his soul dearly loves 2 Cor. 34. 27 28. Turn to it In all the considerable plagues that have been in this Nation how many precious Christians have fallen by the sword and by the hand of the destroying Angel when many thousands of Balaks and Balaams I mean the worst of men have escaped the sword the plague c. And is there any thing more obvious and notorious this day than this surely not The Fifth Divine Maxime or Conclusion is this Viz. The Lord sometimes takes away his dearest people by some one judgement that so he may by that means deliver them from many judgements and sometimes he takes away his people by one great judgement that so they may escape many other greater judgements that he intends to bring upon the Earth And thus good Josiah was slain in battel yet because he lived not to see the woful miseries of succeeding times he is said to go to his grave in peace 2 Chron. 34. 27 28. Turn to it Henoch lived long in a little time and God took him to heaven before he brought a sweeping Flood upon the world but he fore seeing the Flood named his son Methuselah that is to say He dyeth and the dart or flood cometh and so it fell out for no sooner was his head laid but in came the Flood And so Augustine was taken out of the world before Hyppo was taken by the Vandals And so Paraus was gotten to his better Countrey before Heidelbergh and the Palatinate was delivered into the power of the enemies Ambrose is said to have been the Walls of Italy and when he died the Earl Stilico said That his death did threaten destruction to that Countrey And when Luther was laid in his grave then troubles wars desolations and confusions came in upon Germany like a flood The righteous are taken away Isa 57. 1. from the evil to come and their death is a sad presage of sore and signal calamities that are hastening upon the world Of late many precious servants of Christ are fallen asleep but who knows what a day of wrath is coming When a man cuts down his chiefest timber-trees it is an argument that he intends to part with his land and how many tall Cedars in this our Lebanon hath God lately cut down in the midst of us Therefore we have eminent cause to be importunate with God that he would neither part with this Nation nor depart from this Nation When some fatal judgement hovers like a flying fiery scrole over a Nation God many times gathers many of his choice servants unto himself that he may preserve them from the evil to come The Sixth Divine Maxime or Conclusion is this Viz. None of Gods judgements upon his people ever make any change or alteration of Gods affections towards his people However his hand may be against them yet his love his heart his favour his affections in Jesus is still one and the same to them Isa 54. 7 8 9 10. Isa 49. 14 15 16. Psal 89. 31 32 33 34. Jer. 31. 3â— 35 36 37. compared Malach. 3. 6. John 13. 3. James 1. 17. Ponder seriously upon all these Scriptures So when God sent the plague upon Davids people and that for Davids sin too yet how sweetly how lovingly how tenderly how compassionately how indulgently doth the Lord carry it towards David himself 2
all the counsels and combinations of wicked men against his Son and Psal 2. against his Saints and when they have done their worst the Counsel Prov. 19. 21. of the Lord shall stand and Christ shall reign in the midst of his enemies and that the stone cut out of the mountains without hands shall bring down the golden Image with a vengeance and make it Dan. 2. 35. like the chaffe of the Summer floor Some write of Lions that as they are mindful of courtesies received witness the Story of Androdus that fugitive servant of Rome so they will be sure to revenge injuries done to them they will prey on them that would make a prey of them When Juba King of the Moors march'd through the Desert of Africa a young man of his Company wounded a Lion but the year following when Juba returned the Lion again meets the Army and from among them all singles out the man that hurt him and tears him in pieces suffering the rest to pass by in peace and safety And thus the Lord Jesus who is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah is alwayes ready to revenge Rev. 5. 5. the cause of his people and to take vengeance on all that have wounded his people or made a prey of his people as you may clearly and fully see in Ezekiel chap. 25. and 35. Now by this argument as well as by all the rest 't is evident that the people of God stand upon the advantage ground as to their outward preservation and protection above all other people in the world Quest But if this be so How comes it to pass that in this time of great mortality many of the precious people of the Lord have been taken away as well as others the raging pestilence having carried many pious souls out of this world of whom the world was Heb. 11. 38. not worthy The Saint as well as the sinner hath fallen by the hand of the destroying Angel in this day we have seen that word made good viz. That all things come alike Eccl. 9. 2. to all there is one event to the righteous and to the wicked to the good and to the clean and to the unclean to him that sacrificeth and to him that sacrificeth not as is the good so is the sinner and he that sweareth as he that feareth an oath To this Question I shall give these eight short Answers First God hath smitten some good men of all perswasions that none might be proud secure or censorious and that all might take the alarme and prepare to meet Amos 4. 10 11 12. their God and that all may keep humble and tremble because of his righteous judgements Psal 119. 120. My flesh trembleth for fear of thee and I am afraid of thy judgements Secondly The number of those that feared the Lord that have been taken away by the pestilence are but few very few if compared with the many thousands of others that never knew what 't was to set up God as the main object of their fear and that never knew experimentally what a changed nature a sanctified frame of heart an interest in Christ or a title to heaven meant Oh that we had not cause to fear that hell hath had a very large harvest within these few last moneths Thirdly Sometimes Gods own people sin with others and therefore they smart with others when God takes the Rod into his own hand Thus Moses and Aaron sinned Numb 20. with others and therefore their Carkases fell in the Wilderness as well as others This may sometimes be the reason why some good men fall in a common calamity but I dare not say that 't is alwayes the reason why some good men fall in a common calamity I believe there are several choice Christians that have been swept away in this day of the Lords wrath who have not sinned with the wicked though they have fallen with the wicked Many have fallen by this dispensation who yet have kept their garments pure Revel 3. 4. and clean and are now walking with Christ in white I do not think that those Saints that have died by the plague were greater sinners than those that have escaped the plague yea I have several reasons to perswade me that several of those precious servants of the Lord that have died of the plague had more grace in their hearts and less sin in their lives than many other Saints that have been pitied and spared in this day of the Lords anger c. Fourthly No godly man dies in any common calamity till his Job 5. 26. Rev. 11. 6 7. Acts 13. 25 36. glass be run and his work done and he prepared and fitted for another world Job 14. 5. Seeing his dayes are determined the number of his moneths are with thee thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass God hath set every man both his time and his task In this Scripture as in a glasse you may see the true reason why some likely to live long die soon even whilest their bones are full of marrow and their breasts are full of milk and others that are more weak and infirm live long yea very long the reason is because God hath set bounds to every mans life to a very day I to a very hour vers 14. All the dayes of my appointed time or warfare will I wait till my change come i. e. till my death Job calls death a change Death is not an annihilation or extinction but a mutation 1. 'T is the last change that we shall meet with till the resurrection 2. 'T is a lasting yea an everlasting change it puts every man into an eternal condition of happiness or misery 3. 'T is an universal change and that 1. In respect of persons all must meet with it 't is appointed for all men once to die 2. In Heb. 9. 27. respect of the whole man body and soul Death lodges the body in the grave and puts the soul into heaven or hell 4. 'T is a different change according to the quality of the person changed 'T is terrible to a sinner For First It will put a full period to all his outward mercies comforts contentments and enjoyments Saladine Job 1. 21. a Turkish Emperour the first of that Nation that conquered Jerusalem lying at the point of death after many glorious victories commanded that a white sheet should be born before him to his grave upon the point of a spear with this proclamation These are the rich spoils which Saladine carrieth away with him of all his triumphs and victories of all the riches and realms that he had now nothing at all is left him but this sheet Secondly It will put a full period to all his hopes Now he shall never hope for mercy more nor never hope for pardon more nor never hope for heaven more Thirdly It will put a full period to all the means of grace Now he shall never
hear Sermon more nor never read the Word more nor never enjoy the prayers of the people of God more nor never taste any of the dainties of Gods House more c. Fourthly It will put a full period to the patience forbearance and long-suffering of God Rom. 2. 4 5. Fifthly It will put a full period to all the pleasures of sin Now the sinner shall never have one merry day more In Hell there is no singing but howling no musick but madness no sporting but sighing no dancing but wringing or hands and gnashing of teeth for evermore c. Sixthly It will put a full period to all gracious reprieves The sinner in his life time hath had many a reprieve from many executions of wrath and judgement Oh but now he shall never have one reprieve more Seventhly It will put a full period to all the strivings of the Holy Spirit Now the Spirit shall Gen. 6. 3. Rev. 3. 20. never strive with the sinner more now Christ will never knock at the sinners door at the sinners heart more c. Eighthly and lastly It will put a full period to all gracious examples Now the sinner shall never cast his eye upon one gracious example more The sinner in his life time hath had many gracious examples before his eyes which it may be at times have had an awakening convincing silenceing and restraining power in them Oh but now he shall never have his eye upon one pious example more All hell will not afford one good example In a word now the sinner shall find by woful experience that death will be an inlet to three dreadful things 1. To judgement Heb. 9. 27. 2. To an irreversible sentence of condemnation Matth. 25. 41. 3. To endless easeless and remediless sufferings Not many years since in the Town of Yarmouth there was a young man who being very weak and nigh to the grave and under the apprehensions of the wrath of God and supposing that he was presently going down to the Pit to Hell he cried out O that God would spare me but two dayes O that God would spare me but two dayes O that God would spare me but two dayes This poor creature trembled at the very thoughts of wrath to come O who can dwell with everlasting burning who can dwell with a devouring fire Isa 33. 14. And as death is terrible to the sinner so it is desirable comfortable and joyful to a Child of God Cant. 8. ult Luke 2. 27 28 29 30 31 32. 2 Cor. 5. 1 2 4 8. Phil. 1. 23. Rev. 22. 20 I desire death saith Melancthon that I may enjoy the desirable sight of Christ And When will that blessed hour come when shall I be dissolved when shall I be with Christ said holy Mr. Bolton when he lay on his dying bed Jewel was offended at one that in his sickness prayed for his life One whom I knew well a little before his death after a sharp conflict cryed out three times Victory Much more to this purpose you may find in my Saints Portion and in my String of Pearls Victory Victory he breathed out his soul his Doxology together Thanks be to God for Jesus Christ and so conquered Satan in his last encounter The dying words of my young Lord Harrington were these O my God when shall I be with thee Shall I die ever saith Austin yes or shall I die at all yes sayes he Lord if ever why not now When Modestus the Emperours Lieutenant threatned to kill Basil he answered If that be all I fear not yea your Master cannot more pleasure me than in sending of me unto my heavenly Father to whom I now live and to whom I desire to basten Mr. Deering a little before his death being raised up in his bed and seeing the Sun shine was desired to speak his mind upon which he said There is but one Sun that giveth light to the whole world but one righteousness one communion of saints as concerning death I see such joy of spirit that if I should have pardon of life on the one side and sentence of death on the other I had rather chuse a thousand times to die than to live So Mr. John Holland lying at the point of death said What brightness do I see and being told it was the sun-shine No saith he My Saviour shines now farewel world welcome heaven the day-star from on high hath visited me Preach at my funeral God dealeth comfortably and familiarly with man I feel his mercy I see his majesty whether in the body or out of the body I cannot tell God he knoweth but I see things that are unutterable Mr. Knox found so much comfort from the Scriptures upon his death-bed that he would have risen and have gone into the Pulpit to tell others what he had felt in his soul And by that information that I have had from some good hands several precious Christians that have lately died of the plague have gone to heaven under as high a spirit of joy of comfort of assurance and of a holy triumph as any of the last mentioned worthies or as any other that ever I heard of or read of the remembrance of which hath been and still is a singular Cordial to all their relations and friends that yet survive them But as I was saying No godly man falls in any Common Calamity till his glasse be run and his work done so I say of all those dear servants of the Lord that have fallen by the pestilence in the midst of us their hour was come and John 7. 30. chap. 8. 19 20. 2 Tim. 4. 6 7. their course was finished Had God had any further doing work or suffering work or bearing work or witnessing work for them in this world 't was not all the Angels in heaven nor all the malignant diseases in the world that could ever have cut them off from the land of the living When Lazarus was dead his two sisters John 11. 21 32. Martha and Mary came to Christ with tears in their eyes and sad complaints in their mouths Lord if thou hadst been here my brother had not died said Martha and Lord if thou hadst been here my brother had not died said Mary And is not this the common language of many this day when such and such precious Christians have fallen by the pestilence Oh if such a Physitian had been here they had not died or if they had been let blood they had not died or if they had taken such a potion they had not died or if they had eat but of such or such meats they had not died or if they had not lived in such a foggy air they had not died or if they had not been shut up in such close narrow nasty rooms and places they had not died or had they been but so wise and happy as to have applyed such or such a remedy they might have been alive to this day Not
considering with Job that the dayes of man are determined and his bounds appointed which he cannot pass The time and place and every circumstance of his dissolution is decreed from all eternity That one man dies in the field another in his bed one at sea another on the shore one of an Apoplexy in the head another of a Struma in the neck one of a Squinacy in the throat another of a Cough and Consumption of the Lungs that so many thousands dies of Obstructions Inflamations Dropsies Gouts Pestilence it is fore-ordained in heaven The hand of the Lord is in all and he it is that having brought us into the world at his pleasure will take us hence at his appointment The Jewes have a saying That God hath four Keyes under his own Girdle 1. The Key of the Clouds 2. The Key of the Womb. 3. The Key of the Heart And 4. The Key of Death the Key of the Grave Fifthly God sometimes takes away his dearest children in the Common Calamity in judgement to wicked men Because the hand of the Lord hath touch'd some of his dearest servants in this sore Visitation how do the wicked insult rejoyce and triumph they say Ahah so would we have it As the Fire-flie leaps and dances in the fire so do wicked men rejoyce in the sufferings and death of the people of God How do many wicked men bless themselves because they have escaped the hand of the destroying Angel when such and such have fallen by it Oh how proud how obdurate Eccl. 8. 11. how impudent are many grown because they have escaped the present judgement when many others that have been a thousand times better than themselves have been sent to their graves The Alcorán saith God created the Angels of light and the Devils of the flame Certainly Gods children are of the light but Satans children are furious wrathful children they are children of the flame Oh in what a flame now The scales of the Leviathan as Luther makes the comparison stick close together and so do wicked men in their counsels plots and projects against the people of God are many wicked men against the people of God since the hand of the destroying Angel hath not yet reacht them over what they were in when the destroying Angel first drew his sword in the midst of us as if they were spared on purpose to oppress persecute and scatter the people of God more than ever Oh that all such would be but so favourable to their own souls as seriously to ponder upon Ezekiel chap. 25. and 35. and Obediah vers 8. to vers 19. and Nahum 1. from vers 9. to v. 15. Felix Earl of Wertenbergh one of the Captains of Charles the Fifth burning in rage and anger against the people of God he swore in the presence of divers at supper That before he died he would ride up to the spurs in the blood of the Lutherans but God soon cool'd his courage for that very night he was choakt and strangled in his own blood Paul prayeth that he might be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 absurd men 2 Thess 3. 2. such as put themselves upon wayes of opposition against all reason and common sense yea such who in their rage and bitterness of spirit make no bones of breaking all the Laws both of God and men so they may but have their wills and lusts satisfied in afflicting scattering and tormenting of the people of God Absurd men with Judas kiss Christ and betray him they kisse the head and stab the body or as one wittily expresseth it they kisse the mouth and tread upon the toes Reader remember this when the people of the Jewes made use of Philo to apologize for them unto Caius the Emperour Caius used him very ruggedly but when he was come out of his presence the Jewes came round about him Well saith he to encourage them surely Caius will arm God against himself for us Let the Reader apply it as he pleaseth Sixthly God sometimes takes away some of his dearest children in the Common Calamity that he may deliver them from greater Calamities that are coming upon the world The Jewes have a saying When good men die that it is an ill sign to the world When the Luminaries of heaven are eclipsed Deus avertat omen Paulinus reports of Ambrose that he would weep bitterly when he heard of any godly ministers death Whilest Calvin lives Beza's life is sweet but when Calvin dies death is the more acceptable unto Beza 'T is dark night when the lights are put out and when the curtains are drawn and the windows close shut Ah England England if this is not thy present case I know nothing The Clouds gather more and more and every day they look blacker and blacker and bloodier and bloodier happy are those souls that are now in heaven and blessed are those souls that are now waiting for the redemption of Israel Seventhly Notwithstanding any outward promises that the Lord hath made concerning the protection and preservation of his children yet he still reserves a liberty to himself to chastise his Psal 89. 30 31 32 33 34. Heb. 12. 6 7 8 9. Rev. 3. 19. children with what rod he pleaseth Notwithstanding all the gracious engagements that are upon the Lord to his people yet he reserves a freedome to himself to make use of the very lives of his people in such wayes as may make best for the bringing about of his own ends and as may make most for the advance of his own glory and hence it comes to pass that God delights so to carry it towards his dearest people as that sinners and saints shall be forced to say That his judgements are unsearchable and that his wayes are past finding out Rom. 11. 33. And that his way is in the sea and that his paths are in the great waters and that his footsteps are not known Psal 77. 19. If you take a strait stick and put it into the water it will seem crooked why because we look upon it thorow two mediums Air and Water there lies the deceptio visus thence it is that we cannot discern aright Thus all the proceedings of God in his righteous judgements which in themselves are just righteous and strait without the least obliquity seem to us strange and crooked That the wicked should prosper and the righteous be afflicted that good men should be in bonds when bad men walk at large that the Israelites should make the bricks and the Egyptians dwell in the houses that some of the best of Christians should fall by the pestilence when many of the worst of sinners have their lives for a prey these are some of those mysterious providences that many times make some of the best of Christians to stagger in their judgements and why so but because they look upon Gods proceedings through a double medium of flesh and spirit and hence it
to these Crowns The goods things of heaven are so many that they exceed number and so great that they exceed measure and so precious that they are above all estimation What will that life be or rather what will not that life be since all good either is not at all or is in such a life Here is light which place cannot comprehend voices and musick which time cannot ravish away odours which are never dissipated a feast which is never consumed a blessing which eternity bestoweth but eternity shall never see at an end and who would not wade through a red Sea to come to this heavenly Canaan What are all the silks of Persia and all the spices of Egypt and all the gold of Ophyr and all the treasures of both Indies yea what is the glory of ten thousand worlds to that glory that those saints are now enjoying who have died by the pestilence in the midst of us When Cyneas the Embassadour of Pyrrhus after his return from Rome was asked by his Master what he thought of the City and State he answered That it seemed to him to be Respublica Regnum a State of none but great States-men and a Common-wealth of Kings Such is Heaven no other than a Parliament of Emperours a Common-wealth of Kings every saint in that Kingdom is Co-heir with Christ and hath a Robe of Honour and a Rom. 8. 17. Scepter of Power and a Throne of Majesty and a Crown of Glory Now what doth that Christian lose who dies of the pestilence and by that means is brought to the fruition of all this glory Death saith M. Brightman that was before the Devils Serjeant to dragg us to hell is now the Lords Gentleman-Vsher to conduct us to heaven In the Ceremonial Law there was Levit. 25. an year they accounted the year of Jubile and this was with the poor Jewes a very delightful and acceptable year because that every man that had lost or sold his lands upon the blowing of a Trumpet rerurned and had possession of his estate again and so he was recovered out of all those miseries and extremities in which he lived before Now our whole life in this world is made up of troubles and trials of calamities and miseries of crosses and losses of reproaches and disgraces but death is the Christians Jubile it wipes away all tears from his eyes it turns his miseries into mercies his crosses into crowns and his earthly hell into a glorious heaven Though death though the pestilence be to the wicked as the Rod in Moses hand that was turned into a Serpent yet to the godly death the pestilence is like to the wand in Elijahs hand a means to waft them over into a better life The Heathen Gods held death to be mans summum bonum his chiefest good Solomon upon his Throne extol'd his Coffin above his Crown Death is a fall that came in by a fall For a saint to die is for a saint to be no more unhappy By death the saints come to a fixed and invariable eternity Death is but an entrance into life That is not death but life which joyns the dying man to Christ and that is not life but death which separates the living man from Christ Death will blow the bud of grace into the flower of glory Death is a saints Quietus est All fearful disasters saith Gregory which rob the saints of life do but serve as a rough wind to blow them suddenly into their desired haven I mean heaven It matters not saith Austin whether a burning feaver or flash of lightning or whether a stone in the bladder or a thunder-stone in thy head sends thee out of this miserable world for God minds not saith he the immediate occasion of thy coming to him but the condition and posture that thy soul is in when it cometh before him The great thing that God will look at is whether thou art a sheep or a goat a sinner or a saint a friend or an enemy a son or a slave a believer or an infidel whether thou art growing on the Crab-stock of old Adam or art engrafted into Christ whether thou art cloathed with the righteousness of his Son or whether thou standest before him in the ragged righteousness of thine own duties The Eleventh Divine Maxime or Conclusion is this Viz. Though a godly man should die of the plague yet he shall be certainly delivered from the evil of the plague The smartest rod that God layes upon his own people is from a principle Rev. 3. 19. Prov. 3. 11 12. Heb. 12. 5 6 7 8 9. of love though he be angry with his peoples sins yet he loves their persons Though the pestilence comes as a judgement upon wicked men yet it comes onely as a chastisement upon the people of God When the plague comes upon wicked men it comes upon them by vertue of the first Covenant and as a fruit of the Curse but when it comes upon the godly it comes upon them by vertue of the second Covenant I mean the Covenant Psal 89. 30 31 32 33 34. of Grace and as a fruit of his love Hence God is call'd the great and terrible God that keepeth Covenant Neh. 1. 5. But why is he called the terrible God that keepeth Covenant but because as he hath covenanted to keep them from the evil of the world and to purge away their Psal 119. 75. John 17. 2 Tim. 4. 17 18. sins and to save their souls and to preserve them to his heavenly kingdom so he stands bound by his Covenant to make use of any terrible judgements or terrible dispensations to effect these great and glorious things As we sometimes preserve those things in salt that we cannot preserve in sugar so sometimes God preserves his poor people in the salt of afflictions in the salt of terrible dispensations when they would not when they could not be preserved in the sugar of mercies c. Though the plague should come into a godly family yet God will deliver that family from the evil of the plague Psal 91. 10. There shall no evil befall thee neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling Beloved Though the plague should come into a godly mans house yet there shall not be any evil in it to the godly man When the plague comes into a wicked mans family it alwayes comes in the quality of a Levit. 26. curse but it never comes into a godly mans family in the quality of a curse for Christ was made a curse for Gal. 3. 13. them It never enters into a godly mans family as a fruit of Gods revenging justice or wrath Rom. 8. 8. Jer. 24. 5. Isa 54. 7 8 9 10. Jer. 31. 3 33 34 35 36 37. When the plague comes upon the wicked it comes upon them as a fruit of Gods judicial wrath but when it comes upon the godly it onely comes upon them as fruit of Gods fatherly anger When it