other then a rebellious presumption and a contemptuous laughing to scorn and a deriding of God his Laws and Precepts Unquestionably such will be grosly mistaken at last in falling from their heights into Hell As the Daughter of Polycrates dreamed that her Father was lifted up that Iupiter washed him and the Sun annointed him but it proved to him but a sad prosperity for after a long life and large prosperity he was surprised by his enemies and hanged up till the dew of Heaven wet his cheeks and the Sun melted his grease Reader Let me bespeak thee as Iotham did the men of Sechem Hearken unto me that God may hearken unto you Hearken unto me in this day of thy health and life that God may hearken unto thee in the day of thy sickness and death Make thy peace with God now give a Bill of divorce to sin strike an hearty Covenant with Christ keep thy conscience clean every day allow not thy self in any known sin if thou wouldst leave this world in favour with God in the love of good men and to thy eternal gain Nihil est in morte quod metuamus si nihil timendum vita commisit saith the Antient Death hath nothing frightful but what a prophane life makes so They who flie from the holiness of God in life may well fear the justice of God at death A sinner indeed is every day carrying more Faggots to that pile in which he must burn for ever and always twisting those cords with which Devils will eternally scourge him and therefore the guilt of his wicked life and fear of his dreadful wages may well represent death to him in a frightful vizard But he who makes it his constant business to please his Maker to mortifie his earthly members to crucifie the flesh to serve the Wills of God in his generation and to dress his soul against the coming of the Bridegroom shall finde his latter end comfortable and the day of his death better then the day of his birth O Friend if thou wouldst dye comfortably live conscienciously An happy death is the conclusion of an holy life God hath joyned them together and none can part them asunder It s reported of the Dardani that they never Wash but three times when they are Born when they Marry and when they Dye The true Christian must be daily washing his soul by faith in the blood of his Saviour and bathing himself in the tears of repentance and hereby his soul will be fit to be commended into the Hands of God by well dying 2. Clear up thine evidences for Heaven Be not contented to leave thy salvation at uncertainty They who walk in the dark are full of frights and fears The comfort of thy death will depend much upon the clearness of thy deeds and evidences for eternal life The want of diligence about this hath caused many of the Children of God to go crying to Bed and wrangling to their eternal rest They dye and know not how they shall speed in the other world they fall into the hands of their enemy Death as the Lepers into the hands of the Syrians expecting nothing but cruelty and misery trembling every step of the way though they find good chear and all sorts of comforts 3. Dwell much in the thoughts of Deaths Cicero said of Fencing Fortissima adversus mortem dolorem disciplina It was the strongest fence against the fear of death So I may say of entertaining death frequently in our meditations it s a good guard against the terror of death Custom diminisheth the dread of things which to nature are so frightful Marius before he would bring out his Souldiers to fight with the Cimbres caused them to stand upon the trenches to acquaint themselves with the terrible aspect of those Savages and so brought them to contemn them which at first sight they so amazedly feared When we are on a sudden surprized by an unexpected adversary we want time to unite our strength to resist the assault but what we expect we provide for and so are the better able to encounter with it The old people that lived near the Riphaean Mountains were taught to discourse much of Death and to converse with it and to speak of it as of a thing that will certainly come and ought so to do hence their resolutions were strengthned to undergo it with patience and courage As Cordials lose their vertue so even Poisons their venome by frequent use Mithridates by constant use of it made it so far from being mortal that it was nourishing to him Though Death in its own nature be venemous the Christian by frequent meditation of it and application of the blood of Christ to his soul may make it profitable to him 4. Wean thy heart from the earth They who love the earth as their Heaven will be unwilling to leave it though for Heaven Canst thou bear the loss of some worldly comforts when God takes them from thee if not how wilt thou be able to bear the loss of all worldly comforts in a dying hour If running with Footmen weary thee how wilt thou be able to run with Horsemen If a little loss a little load be ready to break thy back what wilt thou do under the weight of a great one Paul was martyred in his affections before he was martyred in his body and dead to the world before he was slain by the world hence he came to dare even death it self and to bid it do its worst I protest by your rejoycing which I have in Christ Iesus I dye daily Should a Messenger have come to Paul and told him you must dye to morrow and leave all the good things of this life He might have said That is not now to do for I died yesterday and this day and every day and I have already taken my leave of this world and all its vanities Those that like Eeles lye in the mud of worldly pleasures are unfit to be sacrificed to God as being unclean creatures and unwilling to part with their present delights though for those that are more excellent The immoderate love of sublunary vanities makes men say as Peter at Christs transfiguration It is good to be here albeit like him they know not what they say 5. Set thy house in order After the heart is set in order the next work is to set the house in order according to Gods counsel Isa. 38. 1. Abraham was careful before his death to settle the affairs of his houshold as appeareth by his providing a fit spouse for Isaac and his giving gifts to the Children of his second Wife and sending them away Gen. 24. 1 2. and 25. 6. This ought to be done in the time of our health and strength partly because we are uncertain whether we shall have time and ability in sickness to do it or no. How many have died suddenly and why not thou and I as well as others Some who had a
God much more eligible then the pleasures of sin Symphorianus a Christian young man after he was almost scourged to death being draged to Execution at Augustodunum met his Mother not crying or tearing her hair but like an Holy Lady thus comforting him Son my Son I say Remember life eternal look up to Heaven Life is not taken from thee but exchanged for a better At which words of his Mother he went on willingly to the Block and exposed his Throat to the fatal Ax One of the Dutch Martyrs feeling the flame coming to him said O what a small pain is this to Heaven Our blessed Saviour had an eye to the joy set before him and thereby was encouraged to endure the Cross and despise the shame Indeed if Faith spring a leak then the waters break in and the Christian sinks apace as we see in Peters denial of his Master As Faith in the Promises so also Faith in the Threatnings makes the Christian a Conquerour over the worlds affrightments where the World threatens Bonds and Whips and Dungeoâ—s and Death if the Christian will not sin against God and begins to stagger the soul. Take heed what thou dost saith Faith for God threateneth Fire and Brimstone and Chains and Blackness of Darkness for ever as the wages of all sin Is the Wrath of an Infinite God not more to be feared then of weak dying Men Is the pains of a violent death which will quickly be over and the most the World can do against thee comparable to the pains of eternal death And thus Faith by the terror of this great Ordinance drowns the noise of those small peices that the soul is deaf to their report 2. Faith enableth the soul to overcome the allurements of the world If the world cannot terrifie the Saint with its fiery Furnace to disown and deny his Saviour it will seek to inchant him with its Musick and thereby to make him deaf to the Call and Commands of Christ. Thus it served Ioseph When it could not prevail on the left hand by selling him for a slave it tryeth him on the right hand by setting a Dalilah to tickle him with pleasure but by Faith he saw the Hook under the Bait and durst not nibble at it much less swallow it Though the world like Iezabel painteth her face and tireth her hair to render her amiable and lovely and as a Srumpet sheweth her naked Breasts of pleasure and profit to entice the beleiver to go a Whoring after her yet he vieweth by Faith the deformity of her person under all her dawbery and the dregginess and deceitfulness of her pleasures notwithstanding their shew of clearness and so rejects them with scorn and disdain Pliny saith of Cato that he took as much pleasure in the Honours he denied as in those that he enjoyed The beleiver can glory more in his refusal of glory for Christ then unbeleivers in all their preferments Indeed if the Christian did consult with sense or carnal reason he would take the worlds present money but the beleiver doth not consult with flesh and blood like wise Abigal knowing how much it will conduce to his advantage he can part with his estaâ—e for God and never make those Nabals privy to the design lest they should hinder it Besides Faith discovers pure Rivers of pleasures more noble and excellent delights to be the portion of those that refuse to grate their teeth with such kennel water As man is a rational creature he would sell his wares to them that will give most Now Faith sheweth how infinitely God out-bids the world Sense saith The world offereth fair it offereth comforts sutable to thy flesh such as they desire and it offereth ready money present possession But saith Faith God offereth thee better The comforts he offereth are more excellent being sutable not as the Worlds to a carnal brutish nature but to an heavenly divine soul and more durable being eternal when the pleasures of sin are but for a season He that hopes for no better market will take the present money offered him But he that is assured of greater gains will refuse the lesser An unbeleiver who expects no better bargain then what this life affords him may well take up with present pay what ever it be but the Beleiver who seeth the glory to be revealed and fulness of joy in Heaven and is assured that if he be faithful unto death he shall receive that eternal crown of life turns his eyes off the honours and comforts of this beggarly world Those stars of creature joys do all disappear in the presence of this Sun Gold bears little sway with the soul that knoweth his title to the new Ierusalem that is paved with Gold in which gold is trampled under foot Those birds that flie aloft in the Firmament are not so easily snared by the Fowlers Gins Though the things of this world were glorious in his eyes during his estate of unbeleif yet now he hath discerned a world beyond the Moon and sent Faith as a spie to search and coast that Country which hath brought word back that its a good land flowing with Milk and Honey and in it there is want of nothing they have no glory by reason of that glory that doth so infinitely exceed When a man is below things above seem small the great Stars that are bigger then the Earth seem not so big as a bushel and things below seem great but when a man is above as upon the top of a Steeple then things below seem little he beholdeth men like Grashoppers Were he conveyed to the highest hill in the World men would not be discerned great Kingdoms would be but small Cottages Unbeleif sets a man below here on earth and so the things of Heaven are little in his eye but Faith soars aloft it carrieth the Christian up to Heaven and then the whole earth is but a small spot in his eye Ioseph bids the Patriarchs Regard not your stuff for the good of all the Land of Egypt is yours So saith Faith to the Christian Regard not the lumber and rubbish of this world for all the great and good things of the other world are thine Faith gives the soul a taste the first fruits of Heaven And as no man having drunk old wine desireth new for he saith the old is better So no man having tasted the wine of Heavens pleasures desires carnal delights A Pilgrim travelling to Ierusalem saith one came to a City where he saw a goodly Training and Mustering there he had a mind to stay but that he remembred that was not Ierusalem He came to another City where he saw gallant sports and pastimes there he had some good will to abide but that he remembred it was not Ierusalem He came to a third where were goodly buildings Fair Ladies curious Musick c. where also he had some thoughts of setling but still he remembred it was not Ierusalem So the beleiver when the
To Conclude Reader Be not thou envious against evil men neither desire to be with them Charity forbids the former and Christianity the latter Love to them must preserve thee from envy but love to thy self must keep thee from keeping them company When ever providence calleth thee amongst them make them thy fear not thy familiars For their heart studieth destruction and their lips talk of mischief Prov. 24. 1 2. 1. Society in evil we may not hold no not with the best men Ephes. 5. 7 11. Si cum malis non tamen in malis Psa. 141.4 2. Society in good i. e. in sacris in the Worship of God we may hold with the worst men Math. 23. 1 2. and 21. 12 13. 3. Society in things indifferent we may have with all men as in civil commerce and Offices of humanity Gen. 23. 1 Cor. 10. 27. A Good Wish of a Christian about the Choice of his Companions wherein the former particulars are Applied THe blessed and glorious God the Father of mercies and fountain of all communion of whom the whole Family in Heaven and Earth is named who hath sufficiently evidenced the good of Companions in saying It is not good for man to be alone and who hath sanctified society by his own example in creating Angels and Men not onely for mutual comfort in the fruition of each other but also that his sacred Majesty and those Heaven-born spirits might have fellowship together as intimate friends and especially in that infinite complacency which he had in his beloved Son and his Son in him from all eternity who was dayly his delight rejoycing always before him Having made me rational and thereby meet for converse with men Religious and thereby capable of communion with Christians I Wish that I may never abuse his kindness by shutting up my self as Monks and Nuns in Cells or Cloisters or as some melancholy persons in a Closet or Chamber but may know both how to be alone and how to be in company and be so sensible of his love in affording me fellow-travailers that my journey to my Fathers house may be the more pleasant that I may accept it thankefully and improve it faithfully to his own praise My God suffereth my spiritual wants that I may look for help under him from others wealth and he affords me spiritual riches that I might be able to supply others poverty It s his pleasure that none of his Children though to some he gives liberal estates to all a competency should be able to live without being beholding to their Neighbours Though privacy hath fewer incitations to evil company hath more provocations to good by so much â—s doing good is better then not doing evil Let me prefer society before solitariness Yet Lord let me never be a good-fellow in the Worlds sense to joyn with all sorts but let my fellowship be with them that have fellowship with thee Though I may have bad acquaintance let me not have a bad Companion whatsoever commerce I may have with sinners let my communion be onely with thy Majesty and thy Saints O let them that fear thee turn unto me and such as keep thy righteous judgements Psal. 119. 79. I Wish that the consideration of the great influence which Companions will have upon me to hinder or help me in the way of holiness may make me the more prudent in my choice Though there be some quicksets of grace in the soyl of my heart yet these evil weeds may endanger their death at least will prejudice their growth How often hath ill company as an East-wind nipt and destroyed those buds which gave hopes of becoming in time good and wholsom fruit If the fire of my godliness be not extinguished no thanks for that to my self yet it s sure to be abated by these waters My spiritual life is maintained onely by that provision which my God is pleased daily to send me in and can I expect that he should send supplies into his enemies quaâ—ters What man will send goodly Furniture into his house untill the dust and rubbish be cast out With what reason can I look for succour from Heaven when I run my self into the jaws of Hell Though others that are found out by their grand foe may receive help from God and come off with conquest yet if I go to seek out the temper for where can I sooner find him then in his house amongst his own Children I shall have little pity and may well expect to be foiled in the fight Again How doth Familiarity with what is evil make it less frightful Children are much startled at some creatures which when they are accustomed to they are not at all afraid of Possibly my anger against sin at present is very hot but evil company is a drugge that will much allay the heat of that Simple The filthiest disease is not so loathsom in a Wife or Child as in a Stranger nor in an intimate friend as in another If there be not a due distance betwixt the â—isive faculty and the object there can be no true sight If the sin be too near me in a friend that lyeth in my bosome I cannot behold its ugliness and deformity its hainous hateful nature I doubt not but that poysonous Apple which had eternal death at its core would have been far more loathsom and detestable in Adams eyes much less would it have been so lovely and acceptable had he seen it in any other hands then of his dearest and onely Companion on earth O that since he was wounded by the hand of his nearest and most intimate friend who had the breastplate of compleat righteousness and perfection of grace for his shield I might never dare to thrust my self amongst such enemies who am compared with him wholly naked and unarmed I am apt to think that I can secure my self against their shot but alas the long and often playing of the Cannon will batter the strongest wall A continual dropping will pierce a stone Doth not experience tell me that it s no hard matter to give such a weakling as I am a fall And is it likely that I should stand fast in so slippery a place My God asketh me Can a man take fire in his bosome and his cloaths not be burnt Can one go upon coals and his feet not be burnt My cloaths notwithstanding all my care to the contrary will smell of the Coals and my feet will blister with the fire My God tells me that sin is a Canker a Gangreen and experience teacheth how spreading and infectious sinners are 2 Tim. 2. 17. I may think to make them better but they are more likely to make me worse Sickness is catching but not health the rotten sheep infect the sound but the sound sheep do not cure the rotten Solomons bosome Companions drew his heart from his God but I read not of any one of them whose heart he drew to his God If Pitch be but
for the least of their offences how he hath manifested his justice in the deluge brought on the old world in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in his carriage towards Apostate Angels rebellious Israelites his own chosen people and the Medâ—atour his own Son when he took upon him mans sin in the instruments of eternal death which he hath prepared in Hell for sinners and the solemn triumph which justice shall have at the great day and to all eternity in the other world 5. His holiness how he loaths sin with the greatest abhorrency cannot behold the least iniquity shoots the arrows of his vengeance against its actours and authors will be sanctified in or upon all that approach him is terrible in his holy places forbiddeth the least complyance with sin though but in a sudden thought and makes it his end in his providences ordinances the gift of his Son his Spirit to make men holy I might shew how it exalteth him in all his properties but I pass on It glorifieth him in every part of it Its precepts and commands speak his purity and dominion its promises and covenant speak his boundless mercy and compassion its threatnings and comminations speak his justice and jealousie its prophesies and predictions speak his wisdom and omniscience The Scripture tendeth also to the eternal good of men It is helpful to beget a soul to Christ Of his own will begat he us again by the Word of truth The Word of grace is instrumental for the conveyance of grace Act. 2.37 Rom. 10. 14. It is helpful to build the soul up in Christ as new born babes desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby 1 Pet. 2. 2. Grace is increased by the same means by which it is generated as the same Sun that begets some living creatures is helpful for their growth The Word of God of stones raiseth up children to Abraham and of Children maketh Young men and Fathers It is so penned that all sorts of persons all ranks of Christians may be directed into the way of truth and guided by it in the way of life It is able to make us wise to salvation To shew the path of life 2 Tim. 3. 15. Psa. 16. 11. As Ioshua it leads the Israelites into Canaan All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable 1. For Doctrine Where Scripture hath not a tongue to speak I must not have an ear to hear Scriptura est regula fidei Scripture is the rule of faith Hence the Doctrine of the Apostles and Prophets is called a foundation Ephes. 2. 20. 2. For reproof It is the hammer of Heresies Ignorance of Scripture is one main cause of error Ye err not knowing the Scripture By this sword of the Spirit Christ vanquished Satan Mat. 4. 4. and the Jews Ioh. 5.45 and Sadduces Mat. 22.29 Lapidandi sunt haeretici sacrarum literarum argumentis Hereticks are to be stoned with Scripture arguments saith Athanasius The Word of God hiâ—s that unclean bird in the eye and wounds it mortally 3. For correction of manners The sword of the Word pierceth the sinners conscience like Christ to the woman of Samaria It tells him all that ever he did and makes him smite upon his thigh and say What have I done Scripture is a glass which sheweth him the spots that are in the face of his heart and life 4. For instruction in righteousness It is the way in which we should walk the rule of our spiritual race What is written on some Psalms may be written on every Psalm and Chapter in the whole Bible Maschil or Psalm for instruction Its precepts teach us what to follow its prohibitions tell us what to forsake Its promises are to allure us to sanctity its threatnings to affright us from sin the good example of the Saints speaketh as Christ to Peter Follow thou me the wicked actions and ends of sinners cry aloud as Abner to Ioab Knowest thou not that it will be bitterness in the end 5. For comfort There is no such cordial for a fainting spirit as a promise in the Word The Gospel in the Greek is glad tidings and not without cause This is my comfort in my affliction for thy word hath quickned me When souls have been ready to despair under the sense of their wickedness and to sink in deep waters the Word of God hath held them up by the chin and preserved them from drowning Vnless thy law had been my delight I had perished in mine affliction 6. For salvation the Word is called the Kingdom of heaven partly because it revealeth Gods thoughts of such an inestimable happiness to the children of men The celestial Canaan was terra incognita till that discovered it He hath brought life and immortality to light by the Gospel partly because it prepares the soul for heaven the Word sanctifieth and so saveth precious souls By filling us with grace it fitteth us for glory Rom. 1.16 Ioh. 17.17 Partly because it is the seed of heaven As the Harvest is potentially in the seed and a tall Oke potentially in an acorn so heaven and eternal life is potentially in the Word of life It is called The grace of God that bringeth salvation It bringeth salvation to men and it bringeth men to salvation Secondly Consider it O my soul in its properties they will also speak its preciousness 1. It is pure and holy there are some dregs that will appear in the exactest writings of the best men when they have been shaken by a critical hand but none could ever justly fasten the least filth upon the holy Scriptures The Word of Christ is like the Spouse of Christ There is no spot in it The Alcoran of Mahomet alloweth Polygamy promiseth sensual pleasures as the reward of his servants but the Scripture winketh not at the least sin no not so much as in a motion of the heart or a glance of the eye and its promises are also pure and spiritual The Doctrine of the wisest Heathen and Philosophers were a mixture of good and bad Theft was no fault amongst Lycurgus Laws but if done slily commended highly Aristotle permitted revenge and obscene jesting which Scripture expresly forbids Thy word is very pure The words of the Lord are pure words as silver tried in a furnace of earth purified seven times There is not the least dross of evil or error in it 1. It s principal Author is the original and exemplar of all holiness his nature is the pattern and his will the rule of purity Exod. 15. 4. Isa. 6. 3. 2. The Scribes of it were holy men moved and actuated by the Holy Ghost 3. It s effect is to sanctifie and make holy Ye are clean through the word that I have given you 4. The matter of it is holy Its commanding part is holy The Law is holy just and good Rom. 7. 12. It s assertory part is holy what it affirmes to be is what it denyeth to
for vengeance what will the blood of a murdered soul do Why should I to humour any mans lust injure his soul hinder my own peace and incur the anger of the Lord. O that no foolish pretences whatsoever may keep me off from acquainting sinners with thâ—â—â—â—il and end the nature and danger of their sins It s Gods order first to cast the soul down and then to lift it up The ground must feel the Plow before it receive the Seed Sorrow must precede comfort and they must sow in tears who would reap in joy God must shake all Nations before the desired of all Nations will come to him We come to Sinai the Mount that burneth with fire and to blackness and darkness and a tempest which makes even a Moses to fear and quake exceedingly before we come to Mount Sion the City of the living God the Heavenly Ierusalem and to Jesus the Mediatour of the new Covenant and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things then the blood of Abel The Law is a School-Master to drive us to Christ. Austere Iohn with his Ax laid to the root of the Tree threatning the fire to those that bring not forth fruit prepareth the way for the sweet alluring Iesus Mourning and Grief is the Midwife of true mirth Penitential tears are the streams that lead to the Rivers of Pleasures Even the doleful sound of the Trumpet attendeth the Iudge when he is going to acquit a Prisoner by publique Proclamation Violence must be offered to corruption or there will be no acceptance of the Lord Christ. The building of holiness is the more strong for having its foundation of humiliation laid deep The safety of the soul doth depend like Jonahs upon his being cast over-boord and utterly lost in his own apprehension The blessed Iesus himself is brought into a desolate Wilderness before Angels are sent from Heaven to comfort him O that I might follow my God in his usual way and never prophesie smooth things to rugged and â—â—â—â—ed men but endeavour to break their hearts on â—â—th who have persisted in the breach of his holy Laws that their backs may not be broken in Hell Yet I would not instead of beating down the rotten Paper walls of presumption drive any into the Dungeon of desperation but as the good Nurse have the breast of consolation as well as the rod of correction in readiness for such Children Moses and Christ met together upon Mount Tabor The Gospel must be Preached to heal those wounds which are opened and discovered by the Law The Lord sendeth me to proclaim liberty to the Captives and the opening of the Prison to them that are bound Lord thou killest and makest alive bringest down to the grave and bringest up It s easie and ordinary with thee to break those bones which thou intendest to rejoyce and to perplex those Rams in Briars and Thorns which thou intendest to accept of as a sacrifice Teach thy Servant to know how to speak a word in season both to the wicked and to the godly how to divide thy word aright both in its minatory and consolatory parts that as occasion shall â—e I may awaken the wicked out of their deadly slumbers and quicken the godly to their spiritual watchfulness and help to sweeten that bitter cup which thou hast put into their hands O that thy blessing might water my labours for both their welfares Alas poor sick unregenerate ones are dropping into boundless and endless sorrows and yet are without sense Though they are dying they know not what they are doing nor whither they are going Their eyes are shut by the god of this World that they see not that unspeakable misery to which they are liable every moment their hearts are hardened through custom in sin that neithâ—â—â—â—reatnings nor promises prevail with them to feel their wounds and sores O thou great Physitian thou Lord of life thou God of health open their eyes send some Ananias to them that they may receive their sight and be filled with the Holy Ghost enable them so to mourn now that they may be comforted when the time of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord and help thy servant to deal so faithfully with those whom thou callest me to visit that I may never give thy Majesty cause to say of me as once of the Prophets of Israel They have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly saying Peace Peace when there is no peace I Wish that I may be close and home in my Applications to sick persons and speak what is proper to their estates with ardency and affection to their very hearts It s ill dallying with edged tools O how sad is it to toy and trifle to be formal or customary in counsel or reproof or comfort to immortal souls that are launching into the Ocean of eternity Death is a serious thing and that which they never did before nor shall ever do again Sin is a serious thing as the damned find in Hell by woful experience Though there they are in blackness of darkness yet they have light enough to see sin to be the evil of evils and altogether sinful Christ was serious when he took upon him my nature and therein did offer up himselfâ— a sacrifice for sin God is serious in commanding faith and repentance and in promising Heaven to the faithful and holy and Hell to unbeleivers and atheists And shall not I be serious and in earnest when I am dealing about matters of eternal life and death and about the concernments of God and Christ and souls and eternity O with what earnestness should I perswade the wicked to turn from their wickedness and live If ever their souls would draw near to the Lord of life it concerns them to do it when their bodies are drawing nigh to the Chambers of death It is but a very few hours and their condition will be past all amendment all alteration In this poor pittance of time all must be done upon which the Scales must turn for their salvation or damnation They are going to make that change which will admit them into endless joy or torment and render their estates unchangeable Their time is hastening that they must struggle with dreadful pains and strong distempers and death the King of terrors and must review that life which is ending and look back upon all that they have done and judge their persons and actions impartially whether they will or no that they must take their leave of all their friends and food and sleep and lands and houses and honours and pleasures and riches and step into eternity and appear before God without their Relations or Possessions or any worldly comforts to help or encourage them that they must be tried by an holy Law and an holy Judge for their everlasting lives or deaths and can my expressions be too full of weight and reason or my affections too full of bowels and pity
militant Calvin was heard before his death often to sigh out How long Lord How long will it be ere thou avenge the blood of thy Servantsâ— The people of God are the purchase of Christ and of the same family and body with the dying Christian and therefore must needs be dear to him 4. For his Benefactours and those that have done good to him and his Paul had received some kindness from Onesimus he refreshed him in his bonds and in the 2 Tim. 1. 8. which was the last of his Epistles and thought to be written but a little before his death for he tells us in it I am ready to be offered and the time of my departure is at hand how pathetically doth he pray for him The Lord grant that he may finde mercy at that day 5. For our enemies This is to follow Gods pattern who doth good for evil and to obey his Precept who commandeth us to pray for them that despitefully use us Stephen when departing out of the World intreats mercy for them who were cruel to him Lord lay not this sin to their charge Act. 7. 60. Our blessed Saviour dying begs hard for their eternal lives who were the instruments and authors of his bloody death Father forgive them they know not what they do Luk. 23. 34. Thirdly In an holy exercise of Faith Courage Repentance Charity and Patience 1. Faith It s the Character of Gods Children that they live by Faith and they dye in the Faith Hab. 2. 6. Heb. 11. 31. The waters say some of the Pool of Bethesda wherein the Priest washed the sacrifices before he offered them was of a reddish colour to note that men must be washed by faith in the blood of Christ before they are ready to be offered a Peace-offering to God by death The dying Christian must expect strong assaults against the bulwark of his faith but what-ever he let go he must keep his hold on Christ. I know no grace that the Devil is such a sworn enemy to as Faith and I know no season that he is more diligent in to overthrow their faith then when they are under some dangerous sickness therefore it s the observation of a good man that he seldom seeth a sick Saint followed close with temptations to recover of that sickness for Satan knowing he hath but a little time useth all his craft and strength to separate the soul from the Rock of his salvation Upon a dying bed reflect upon former experienes of Gods love to thy soul and recollect the former evidences of of thy title to Christ and thereby to Heaven I must tell thee though the certainty of thy salvation depend upon the truth of thy Faith the comfort of thy dissolution will depend on the strength of thy Faith Faith is the shield of the soul and therefore above all in thy encounter with thy great enemy Satan and thy last enemy death take the Shield of Faith Eph. 6. 14. Epaminondas after his victory at Loâ—ctrum wherein he was mortally wounded understanding that his Buckler was safe bid his Chirurgion boldly to pluck out the Dart that stuck in his side and died cheerfully The Saint the Souldier of Christ who is wounded even to death and keepeth his Shield of Faith safe may leave the world with courage The Apostle Paul who knew whom he had beleived 2 Tim. 1. 12. rings a challenge in the ears of death O death where is thy sting and sings a triumphant ditty at the approach of death The time of my departure is at hand I have fought a good fight I have finished my course I have kept the Faith Henceforth is laid up for me a crown of righteousness 2 Tim. 4. 7 8. When Iacob had beleived the report of Iosephs life his heart was revived Is Joseph yet alive saith he I will go down and see him before I dye When the true Israelite can firmely credit the testimony which God hath given of Iesus the Son of Ioseph how he being an enemy was reconciled to God by the death of his Son and shall much more being reconciled be saved by his life and by faith can cling on him his heart though dying is then enlivened O with what comfort can he take his journey into the other world When Philip viewed his young Son Alexander Now saith he I am content to dye Old Simeon springs young again at a sight of Christ and having embraced his Saviour in the armes of faith as well as in the armes of his body he begs a dismission out of this valley of tears being assured thereby of an admission into fulness of joy Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace according to thy word for mine eyes have seen thy salvation Having with an eye of faith beheld Christ he counts his life but a bondage and desires to depart or be loosed from fetters as the word signifieth and is taken Mat. 27. 17. We read of the Lords worthies that by faith they stopped the mouths of Lions Death is a fierce and cruel Lion but faith will pull out its teeth that it cannot hurt us or stop its mouth that it shall not devour us This grace like the Angel sent from Heaven when Daniel was cast into the Lions Den will save the Christian from being torn in peices O Friend The Robes of Christs righteousness is the onely Coat of Male which can defend thy soul against the shot of death If thou canst with Moses go up to Pisgah and take a view by faith of the Land of promise thou wilt comfortably with him lay down thine earthly Tabernacle Iob desired death as eagerly as the Labourer in an hot summers day desires the shadow Paul longed for it as vehemently as the Apprentice for the expiration of his Indentures and all because they had first beheld Christ by faith It s no wonder that many of Gods Children have called earnestly to be laid to bed knowing that it would prove their everlasting happy rest and when their bodies are carried by mortal men to their Mother Earth their souls should be conveyed by glorious Angels to their Father in Heaven 2. Courage A Christian should be a Voluntier in death Many of the Martyrs were as willing to dye as to dine went to the sire as chearfully as to a Feast and courted its pale and gastly countenance as if it had bee a beautiful Bride When King Lysimachus threatned Cyrenaeus Theodorus with Hanging Istis quaeso inquit ista horribilia minitare purpuratis tuis Thedori quidem nihil interest humine an sublime putrescat Threaten these terrible things to thy brave Courtiers Theodorus cares not whether he rot in the Air or on the Earth Cyprian said Amen to his own Sentence of Martyrdom Hierom reports of Nepotianus that he gave up his life so chearfully that one would have thought he rather walked forth then died When Ignatius was led from Syria to Rome to be torn in peices of wild
of the rich Glutton can prevail to avoid it No time no place no company no houses no lands no relations no youth no strength no power no preferments can priviledge me against the arrest of death God hath decreed it Sin hath deserved it and I must expect it It is so searching that it will discover all the Children of men both to themselves and Angels Though ships are usually distinguished by their Flags yet that is no sure sign for Mariners when in sight and fear of their enemies will ordinarily hang out the colours of other Nations and say they belong to them but when they come to their Haven to unload their vessels it appears to what Country they belong Though men are usually distinguished by their outward behaviours yet many for their own ends put on Christs livery who are of Satans family but when they come to be searched and unladen at the end of their lives t will be known to whom they belong When I come to dye then the great controversie between Christ and Satan concerning my soul will be determined whose it shall be for ever O my soul that thou couldst but conceive what it will be to be sent by death into an unchangeable estate either of bliss or misery If thou diest in thy sins thou art killed with death Shouldst thou now live without conscience thou wilt dye without comfort and remain comfortless for ever Ponder a little with thy self the fearful death of a sinner that thou mayst flie his wicked acts as thou wouldst his woful end In the midst of his jollity and mirth when he is in an eager pursuit of carnal pleasures and posting in the way of worldly delights and running to all excess of riot he is on a sudden by deaths harbinger sickness commanded to stand and proceed no further This cuts him to the very heart His former prosperity like Oyl hath suppled his body and makes him more sensible of his present pain And his immoderate love to those fleshly delights doth abundantly greaten his grief and increase his loss Now the man is thrown whether he will or no upon his sick bed that must be his death bed In this his extremity his Companions and Friends and Wife and Children and Honour and Places and Preferments and Silver and Gold and Houses and Lands and costly attire and dainty fare are all dry things and unsavoury to him no creature can afford him the least comfort If he look into his Chamber his Wife is weeping and wringing her hands his Children are sighing his friends are lamenting and wailing but all this doth increase not mitigate his vexation and misery If he look into his Conscience he finds that taking courage and telling him to his face that though formerly he would not suffer it to speak yet now it must tell him the truth that death and hell and wrath are the wages of his ungodly works It will bring to his mind the time he hath mis-spent the talents that he hath mis-improved the day of grace that he hath despised the great salvation that he hath neglected his secret and private and publick sins the sins of his Childhood of his youth of his riper age those sins which he had forgotten and thought should never have been remembred are all set in order before his eyes His heart which was before harder then the neather Milstone is now pierced though not with an evangelical contrition yet with legal terrors and torments His sickness will allow no rest to his body and his sins will afford no ease to his soul. In the evening he cryeth Would God it were morning in the morning Would God it were evening because of the anguish of his spirit His bones are filled with a painful disease and his body with unquietness The Arrows of the Almighty are within him the poison thereof drinks up his spirit and the terrors of God do set themselves in array against him His review of his past actions his remembring of his slighting Christ for a brutish pleasure or a little fading treasure or a base lust and provoking God and continuance in sin against mercies judgements warnings the light of conscience the motions of the spirit are as so many envenomed Arrows sticking in his side and piercing him through with many sorrows but the thoughts of his necessity of dying and his fore-thoughts of the consequent of death how hell rides upon its back and eternal torments attend it how he must fry in unquenchable flames and take up his everlasting lodging amongst roaring Lyons frightful Dragons and the hellish crew sink him quite down To add some more Gall and Wormwood to his cup of bitterness the Devil now steps in and sheweth him his sins in their black hew in their bloody colour and countenance to make him hopeless and desperate The poor creature in this miserable plight and plunge knoweth not what to do whether to go for releif Dye he would not but must live he would but cannoâ— Now he wisheth that he had prayed and served God and minded his soul and salvation more and gratified his flesh and embraced the pleasures and honours of the World less Now he desireth that he might live a little longer and thinks O how would I redeem time and follow after holiness and walk with God what would I not do and suffer to lay up some comfort some cordial against such an hour But whilst he is thus in the midst of his vain wishes Death tells him by the violence of his distemper that the time of his departure is at hand His eyes now begin to sink his speech to faulter his breath to shorten and his heart to fail him and a cold sweat to seise on his whole body He strives and struggleth with all his might to continue here but Death like a Cruel Serjeant drags him to the bar of God whence he is immediately with frowns and fury dismist and haled to the dreadful and eternal Dungeon of Hell O the howlings the screeching the groans the grief which possesseth this poor soul when he is attached by Devils those merciless Officers and carried by them to the lake that burns with fire and brimstone for ever The Spirit being now gone the Body remains a cold lump of Clay forsaken of its dearest friends loathsom to its nearest relations sit for no company but the wormeaten congregation amongst which it must abide till the last day when it shall be joyned to the soul and partake with it in unconceiveable and endless torments Ah who can read such a souls estate with dry eyes or think of such a condition without sorrow O my soul what are thy thoughts of such a death Wouldst thou for the most prosperous Worldlings life dye such a death Doth not thine heart ake whilst thou art musing on it If thou wouldst not meet with the end of such men avoid their ways Lord I confess my self a great sinner and thou mightest justly leave me to walk
in the counsel of the ungodly and to go in the paths of the destroyer that my feet should tend to death and my steps take hold of hell yet for thy sons sake teach me thy way and lead me in thy righteousness that my soul may never be gathered with sinners nor my life with bloody men that I may die the death of the righteous and my latter end may be like his I wish that I may look upon a dying Bed as a Fit Pulpit in which I may preach my Makers and Redeemers praise The speeches of dying persons are often highly prized as savouring of most sincerity and least suspected of selfish ends They who scorned my counsel and rejected my advice in my health and strength as fearing it proceeded rather from interest then simplicity of heart will if they have the least grain of charity believe me in earnest and my words to be the language of my soul when I am dying and entering into my eternal estate The worst of men have some reverence and respect for dying Christians What thrusting and crowding even to the prejudice of their bodies hath there often been to hear the speeches and last words of dying men The vilest Malefactour who is cut off by the Sword of justice is permitted with patience to speak and attended to with diligence at the Gallows If enemies have some respect for dying Felons and will hearken to them with meekness what hopes may a dying Saint have of advantaging the souls of his friends O that I might greedily embrace such an opportunity of advantaging the interest and honour of my God the service and good of my neighbours and by my pious language and gracious carriage at my latter end make others in love with holiness holy men and the holy one of Israel Sinners catch hold of every season to propagate their ungodly seed and commend Satans rotten wares to the men of the world Why should not Saints be as vigilant as diligent for their God and Saviour Lord I know not in what manner by what distemper it will please thee to call me to thy self I beg if it may seem good in thy sight that nothing may befal me on my dying bed which may render me uncapable of commending thee and thy ways and worship to others My chearfulness in bearing thy will and activeness to extol thy work and reward may through thy blessing perswade Satans drudges to forsake his slavery and admit themselves thy servants O that I might allure others to prepare for such a day by lifting up my head with joy when that day of redemption draweth nigh The Apprentice makes merry when his time is expired and he enjoyeth his freedom The Bride hath a feast and musick when her Marriage-day is come This life is my time of service death sets me at liberty In this World I am contracted to my dearest Saviour my solemn marriage is in the other world into which I pass through death Why should I fear that Messenger which brings such good news and be troubled at that friend who will do me so great a courtesie O enable me to live every day according to thy Gospel that keeping my conscience clean and my evidences clear I may in the day of my death rejoyce and be exceeding glad Give me to savour the sweetness of thy love the pleasantness of thy paths to feel the powerful influences of thy spirit the vertue and efficacy of thy word so to rellish communion with thy self and thy dear Son all the days of my life that when I am going out of the world and comming to thee O Father I may from my own experience quicken and encourage others to forsake earthly vanities before earthly vanities forsake them and to take thee for their chiefest good and choicest happiness who will never leave them nor forsake them I Wish that the nearer I draw to my reward the more zealous and industrious I may be about my work and that when my body droppeth and faileth most my soul may be most vigorous and active in the exercise of grace I am infinitely indebted to the blessed God for his unspeakable grace to my precious soul my engagements to the dearest Redeemer for loving me and washing me in his own blood are far beyond my apprehension This is the last opportunity that I shall ever enjoy to testifie my thankefulness and to do my God my Saviour my soul any service O how diligent should I be to promote their interest and improve this season Nature in its last conflict with a disease puts forth it self to the utmost it draweth in those spirits which before were scattered in the outward parts to guard and arm the heart it rallieth all those forces which are left if possible to win the day O why should not grace in its last encounter muster up all its strength and put forth it self to the utmost Lust is strong to the last when nature is weak and spent and the sinner disabled from his unclean or intemperate acts even then he can hug them in his heart and roul them under his tongue as a sweet morsel and commit them over and over again in his thoughts and fancy and affections The dying Theif on the Cross when his hands and feet were nailed and by force kept in order could yet find his tongue at liberty before his death to rail at and revile the Lord of life Ah is it not a thousand pities that grace should be outvied by lust and that those that are paid with such lamentable wages as everlasting burnings should dye serving their cruel Master and enter into Hell belching out their blasphemies and spitting their poison in the face of Heaven and that the Children of God should do their father so little service when they are going to their blissful mansions and can do him no more love to my self as well as to my God may quicken me to labour with all my might when I draw near my last hour As I fall now I lie for ever My eternal estate dependeth more upon my death then my life It s possible though rare that a prophane life may be corrected by a penitent death but a wicked death can never be amended He that shoots off a piece if he be not steady just at its going off loseth his Charge and misseth his Mark He that dieth ill dieth ever he is killed with death He that goeth awry when he goeth out of the world shall never come back to recal or amend his steps If I am a conqueror now I am a conqueror for ever if I am foiled now I am foiled for ever Cowards will sight desperately when they are in extremity and must either kill or be killed The Historian saith of Cn. Piso a confederate of Catalines that though he had an heart like an Hare yet he could sight like a Lyon when he apprehended a necessity of fighting for his life O that my pains my diligence may be
Law But thanks be to God who hath given us the victory through our Lord Iesus Christ 1 Cor. 15. 57 58. The Naturalists tell us of a precious stone called Ceraunias that glisters most when the Skie is Cloudy and over-cast with darkness Godliness friend will cast the greatest lustre on thee and put the greatest comfort in thee when thy time of trouble and day of death is come This this is the friend that is born for the day of adversity Therefore the sweet singer of Israel having this with him promiseth Though he walk in the valley of the shadow of death he will fear none ill Psal. 23. 9. Is not that worthy to be made thy business which will help thee to comfort and confidence at a dreadful day of judgement and cause thee to lift up thy head with joy when thousands and millions shall weep and wail The day of judgement will be a terrible day indeed the judge will come in flaming sire a fire devouring before him and behind him a flame burning His tribunal will be a tribunal of fire Out of his mouth did proceed a fiery Law and by that law of fire he will try men for their eternal lives and deaths The earth at that day will be consumed with fire and the elements melt with fervent heat If the cry of fire firè in the night now be so dreadfull and doth so afright and amaze us though it be but in one house and possible not very near us how dreadful will that day be when we shall see the whole world in a flame and the Judge coming in flaming fire to pronounce our eternal dooms Who can abide the day of his coming or who can stand when he appeareth Then the Kings and Captains and Nobles and Mighty Men will call to the rocks to fall on them and to the hills to hide them from the face that sitteth in the Throne and from the wrath of the Lamb Rev. 6. 15. O Reader of what worth is that which will help thee as the three Children to sing in the midst of so many flaming fiery furnaces and preserve thee from being hurt or so much as toucht therewith Truely Godliness will do this for thee it will turn this day of the perdition of ungodly men into a day of redemption to thee As true Gold is not consumed by the hottest fire and the Salamander can live in the greatest flames so the godly man in the midst of all those fires and flames will live and flourish though millions of ungodly ones are scorched and tortured As he is a King now reigning over his stubborn lusts and unruly passions that will be his Coronation day wherein he will appear before the whole world in all his glory and royalty As he is a Husbandman now sowing to the Spirit that will be his Harvest-day wherein he shall reap the fruit of all his prayers and tears and watchings and fastings and labour and sufferings As he is compared to a Virgin betrothed to Christ now keeping his garments white and clean and devoting himself to the service and honour and commands of his Lord that will be his Marriage day wherein he shall be arrayed in fine linnen the righteousness of the Saints adorned with the jewels of perfect graces and solemnly espoused to the King of Saints the heir of all things and the fairest of ten thousands the Lord Jesus Christ. As he is a servant now doing not his own but the will of his Master in Heaven and finishing his work that will be the day wherein his Indentures will expire and he shall enjoy the glorious liberty of the Sons of God As he is a Son now yielding reverence and obedience to the Father of Spirits that will be the day wherein he shall be declared to be of full age and enjoy his portion and inheritance As he is a Souldier now fighting the good fight of faith warring a good warfare enduring much hardship as a good souldier of Iesus Christ that will be the day wherein he shall be called off the guard discharged of those tiresome toylsome duties incumbent on him in this life and receive his garland a Crown of everlasting life Little dost thou conceive Reader the worth of Godliness at that day Godliness will then be honoured and admired not onely by them that have it and rejoyce in it but also by the most prophane and carnal wretches and those who now despise and deride it Then the blind world who now shut their eyes and will not see and the atheistical world who harden their hearts and will not believe shall return and discern and see and believe a difference between the godly and ungodly between them that fear the Lord and them that fear him not O friend what wouldst thou give at that day that godliness had been thy business at this day Godliness will make the judge the Lord Jesus Christ thy friend the Father by whose authority he fits the King of all Nations thy friend the Iustices who will be upon the bench for he shall come with thousands of his Saints thy friends Godliness would make the law by which thou art to be tryed thy friend Godliness would make thy conscience which is to be brought in as the evidâ—nce thy friend Godliness would strike dumb all thy accusers Satan thy corruptions and suffer none of them to hurt thee as thy foes And is not Godliness worthy to be made thy business which will do all this for thee 10. Is not that worthy to be made thy business which will do thee good to eternity The fool is for good for many years but a wise man is for goods that will last to eternity In worldly matters we value those houses and goods highest which will last longest We will give much more for the fee-simple or inheritance for ever of a dwelling or lands then for a term of few years or for a lease for life though we can enjoy them but during life O why should it not be thus in spirituals Why should we not set the greatest price and take the most pains for that which is not for years or ages but for ever for that which we may enjoy and have full solid comfort in to eternity No good that is eternal can be little if it be but an humane friend whom thou lovest to enjoy him for ever or a bodily health to enjoy it for ever or near relations to enjoy them for ever will infinitely advance the price and raise the value of them but to enjoy a God for ever the blessed Saviour for ever the comforting Spirit for ever fullness of joy for ever rivers of pleasures for ever and exceeding weight of glory for ever a crown a kingdom an inheritance for ever which is the fruit of Godliness what tongue can declare what mind can apprehend the worth of these Alas frailty is such a flaw in all earthly tenures that it doâ—h exceedingly abate their value and should our
all wicked men after death when they come into the other world will wish in earnest with all their hearts and souls that they had minded nothing but the service of God and exercising themselves unto godliness There there it is that the whole world that now lyeth in wickedness and will not believe the word and wisdom of their Maker will all set their hands and seals to the truth of that which I am now endeavouring to evince When God sends his Officer death to arrest sinners for the vaste summs which they owe to his justice for their breach of his laws and this Serjeant according to command from the King of Kings executes his writ and delivers his prisoner to the Divels Gods Iaylors and they seize as so many roaring Lions on the poor trembling prey and hale them to their own den hell that dungeon of eternal darkness where sinners see and are assured that all their meat must be flakes of fire and brimstone and all their drink a cup of pure wrath without mixture and all their Musick howling and weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth and all their rest torments day and night for ever and ever and all their Companions frightful Devils and a cursed crew of damned wretches and all this to come upon them for not making religion their business whilst they were on earth Then O then they will wish with all their souls and strengths again and again that they had minded the Christian mans calling and made religion their business whilst they were in this world though they had been slaves or beggars or vagabonds and had lived in poverty and disgrace and prisons and fetters during their whole pilgrimage Now Reader if the witness of one enemy be a double testimony what is the witness of all the enemies of God and Godliness on the behalf of the Lord and his ways against themselves Shall it not prevail with thee to set speedily and diligently about the work of Christianity Ah how dumb wilt thou be struck another day if thou wilt not believe either God or good men or thy conscience or thy companions or all the world 12. and Lastly Is not that worthy to be made thy business upon which thine eternal life or death salvation or damnation doth depend Consider it friend here is salvation and damnation before thee eternal salvation and eternal damnation and they depend upon thy making religion thy business or neglect of it O what weight is there in these few words Make religion thy business and thou art eternally blessed be formal and careless about it and thou art cursed for ever upon the one and the other turneth thine eternal estate The Almighty God hath under his own hand set down this making religion thy business to be the onely terms upon which heaven shall be had and it is impossible to alter or abate his price Ioh. 6. 27. Mat. 6. 33. Philp. 2. 12. Canst thou be so foolish as to think that Christ and happiness and eternal life can be obtained upon easier conditions whea he must make God a liar and the Gospel a lie which the Divel himself is not so wicked as to think possible who arriveth at the port of bliss without exercising himself to Godliness The promises ever since the world was had the same conditions and ever will whilst the world shall endure The Gospel is therefore called the everlasting Gospel because it will continue without the least change or alteration the same for ever Thou mayst be confident that God doth not as some indiscret Citizens ask much more for his eternal glory and life men then he intendeth to take I say again ponder it for this argument hath more in it then thine understanding can possibly conceive or imagine Is not that worthy to become thy business and main work in this world upon which thine everlasting weal or wo thine endless estate in the other world doth depend Reader if that doth not deserve all thy time and pains and soul and heart and infinitely more upon which unchangable joy or eternal torments hang then I am sure nothing doth Alas all the things of this world whether about food or raiment or houses or lands or wives or children nay and life it self are but toys and trifles and shadows and nothings to an everlasting condition in the other world O that thou wert but able to conceive what it is to be eternally in fullness of pleasure or eternally in extremity of pain to be frying in flames for ever or bathing in rivers of delight for ever To enjoy God in his ordinances though it be but imperfectly and in a low degree one hour one day how sweet is it His tabernacles are highly amiable upon that account One day in thy Courts is better then a thousand elswhere But to enjoy God fully immediately and for ever too O how superlatively how infinitely pleasant and delightful will it be To be in Gods lower house though but a little time under some pious powerful Minister how reviving and refreshing is it But to dwell in his upper house for ever O blessed are they that dwell in that house they always praise thee The eternal presence of God will cause an eternal absence of all evil and an eternal confluence of all good O Reader who will not work hard labour much exercise himself to Godliness night and day do any thing that God commandeth suffer any thing that God inflicteth forbear any thing that God forbiddeth to be saved eternally to be infinitely blessed in the fruition of God for ever Surely its worth the while to obey the counsel of God in order to eteâ—nal salvation On the other side eternal damnatian how dreadful is it if it be but the scratch of a pin for ever or a little ach of the head for ever it woâ—ld be very doleful but a violent head-ach or tooth-ach or fits of the collick or stone for ever oh how intolerable would they be But ah how terrible is the wrath of God for ever darkness of darkness for ever the fire of hell for ever to which all the wracks and torments in this life are next to nothing Ah who can dwell in everlasting burnings I suppose thou woulst avoid thy wicked companions and forbear thy sinful courses do any thing thou couldst rather then to boyl in a furnace of scalding water for a thousand years nay one year and wilt thou not make religion thy business when otherwise God himself hath told thee thou shalt boil in a furnace of scalding wrath infinitely worse then scalding lead for ever ever ever Consider what thou hast read and the Lord give thee understanding that thou mayst be wise to eternal salvation Reader these twelve Questions being proposed I desire thee to answer them to him before whom thou shalt answer ere long for all the motions of thy heart and passages of thy whole life and I shall not detain thee longer in the passage though it be much
thrust my self into danger yet never betray my cause or break through any Command to avoid the cruelest death It s common with the Hypocrite as the Snail to look what weather is abroad and if that be stormy to pull in his horns and hide his head The Hedghog alters his hole according to the wind The swallow changeth his nest according to the season The Bird Piralis takes the colour of any cloth on which she sits There is a Tree say some Naturalists which opens and spreads its leaves when any come to it and shuts them at their departure from it The flies will abound in a sunshiny day but if once it be cloudy they vanish When Christ rides to Jerusalem in triumph many cry Hosanna who when he is taken and tryed for his life cry Crucifie Crucifie The Jacinct is changed with the Air in a clear season its bright but if the air be overcast its darksom The unsound Christian is often sutable to his Company if they own godliness it shall have his good word if they disrelish it he can spit in the face of it But pure Coral keeps its native lustre and will receive no colouring The upright soul is constant in his profession and changeth not his behaviour according to his Companions Oh that I might never through shame or fear disown him who hath already acknowledged me Alas I have that in me which he might well count a disgrace to him I am his creature and so infinitely his Inferiour The vilest beggar is not near so much below the most potent Emperour as I am in this respect to the Great God and my Saviour The whole Creation is to him as nothing yea less then nothing and vanity what then am I poor silly worm that lie groveling in this earth I am a sinner and thereby his disparagement and dishonour If a sober Master be ashamed of a deboice drunken servant much more may the holy Jesus be ashamed of me an unholy wretch and trayterous rebel against his Crown and Dignity yet for all this distance for all his difference he is graciously pleased to acknowledge me and shall not I own him If I be ashamed of him I am a shame to him But why should I be ashamed of Christ The object of shame is some evil which hath guilt or filth in it but he knew no sin though he was made sin for me that I might become the righteousness of God in him He was a Lamb without spot and blemish None of his malicious enemies could convince him of sin He is so far from being the object of shame that he is infinitely worthy to be my boast and glory He is the Prince of life the Lord of glory the King of Kings the Fountain of all excellency and perfection The highest Emperors have gloried in being his Vassals Angels count it their honour to serve the meanest of his Servants and shall I think it a disgrace to be one of his Attendants O that I might be ashamed of my sins loath my self for all my abominations be often confounded because I bear the reproach of my youth but in no company be it never so great or prophane be ashamed of him who is the blessed and onely Potentate and the glory of his people Israel Again Why should I out of fear disown my Saviour Is there any safety but in sanctity Whilst I travail in the Kings High-way I have a promise of protection but if I leave that upon any pretence I run my self into peril and perdition Those that when called to fight flie from their colours die without mercy What can I expect if I leave the Captain of my Salvation but Marshal Law even eternal death I may possibly by my cowardise keep my skin whole but I wound my conscience I sink my soul to save my body as Lot prostitute my Daughter my dearest off-spring that will abide with me for ever to save my guests which lodge with me for a night and will be gone from me in the morning What is it I fear that I should be guilty of so hainous a fault Is it the worlds frowns and fury Why Its kindness is killing and therefore its cruelty is healing If my God see it good he can and will defend me from the worlds cruelty without my denying Christ and in direct courses and if it be his will that I suffer for well-doing I may commit the keeping of my soul to him as to a faithful Creator Certainly there is nothing to be gotten by the Worlds love and nothing worth ought to be lost by its hatred Why then should I seek that love which cannot help me or fear that hate which cannot hurt me If I should be so foolish as to love it for loving me my God would hate me for loving it Do not I know that the friendship of the World is enmity against God If I loath it for hating me it cannot injure me for loathing it Let it then hate me I will forgive it but if it love me I will not requite it for since its love is hurtful and its hate harmless I may well contemn its fury and hate its favour Lord thou hast commanded me neither to love the worlds smiles nor to fear its frowns I acknowledge that its allurements have been too prevalent in gaining my love and its affrightments too powerful in causing my fear O that thy exceeding rich and precious promises might make me despise all its glorious proffers and faith in thy threatnings stablish my heart against all its childish bug-beares The fear of man bringeth a snare but he that trusteth in thee is sure Let the dread of thy Majesty swallow up as Moses rod the Egyptians all fear of men And since thy truth hath no need of my lye thy power hath no need of my sin to preserve me safe let me never break over the hedge of any of thy precepts to avoid an afflicting providence but in a way of well-doing commit my ways unto the Lord and my thoughts shall be established Suffer me never to say a confederacy to them to whom thine enemies say a confederacy neither to fear their fear but to sanctifie thee the Lord of Hosts and to make thee my fear continually I Wish that since my God intends in all his providences my spiritual and eternal good I may gain something by those that are most graceless and though Satan purposeth my defilement in my converses with them yet they may prove my profit and advantage That blowing which seems to disperse the flames and trouble the fire doth make it burn the more clear The waters of others opposition may increase my spiritual heat A dull Whet-stone may set an edge upon a Knife A mean vile Porter may bring me a considerable present Black coals may scour and make Iron Vessels bright Ashes cast upon fire put it not out but are helpful to preserve it all night against the morning which would otherwise
was the debtor God-man the surety who made satisfaction to God the Creditour How he was born of a mean woman that we might be born of the most high God he was tempted that he might conquer Satan for us and succour us when tempted by him what a life he led filled with miracles and miseries what a death he died embittered with shame and pain and all that we might be exalted to eternal honour and pleasure How he triumphed over Death the Grave the Curse of the Law Satan and Hell in his Resurrection and ascended into Heaven leading Captivity Captive appears in his Fathers presence pleading his death as the prise of his Chosens fafety and life sitteth at his right hand and ever liveth to make intercession for us Its precepts excel all the commands and Statutes and Laws that ever were in the World in purity and justice and goodness much more then the Firmament of Stars doth a Wisp of Straws Its promises are exceeding great and precious of special efficacy superlative excellency and unquestionable certainty In a word the Scripture hath all in it requisite either for counsel or comfort for necessity or delight for knowledge or action for direction in life or consolation in death 3. The form of the Scripture renders it worthy my highest esteem and hottest affection 1. It s inward form is That perfect correspondence and agreement between the commands and promises laid down in the word and that infallible and certain truth of Gods own understanding The books of men are sutable to their minds and their minds being but in part sanctified their works must be answerably imperfect but the Lords understanding being infinitely pure and true his word must bear some proportion to it God is truth without the least shadow of error holy without the least tittle of mixture hence his word is certain without the smallest colour for doubts Thy law is the truth pure not admitting of the least sin or darkness Thy word is very pure therefore doth thy servant love it Because of its exact conformity to the eternal will of God it s called his word As a man maketh known his mind by his words so doth God hence it s called the mind of God Pro. 1. 23. The Word of God 1 Pet. 1. 15. The counsel of God Act. 20. 27. The Oracles of God Rom. 3. 2. The Law of God Psalm 1. 2. Not onely in regard of its Author which is the divine wisdom but also in regard of its matter which is the divine will 2. It s outward form is both plain and difficult according to Gregory so shallow that lambs may wade in it and so deep that Elephants may swim in it It s stile is so plain as to encourage the most unlearned and yet so difficult as to exercise the greatest Scholars and most profound Rabbies To those that are babes in understanding the Scripture is milk to them that are men in knowledge the word is strong meat It s therefore called light the nature of which is both to discover it self and other things also Thy word is a light to my feet and a lanthorn to my paths It s a light that shineth in a dark place until the day dawn and the day-star arise in our hearts Psa. 119. 105. 1 Pet. 1. 19. It is plain in regard of fundamentals and things necessary to be known and done What we are to believe concerning God the mediatour our own estate of innocency apostacy recovery what we are to practise in order to salvation are all perspicuous and clear to ordinary capacities Though there be some whose eyes the god of this world hath blinded lest the light of the glorious Gospel should shine upon them yet all wisdomes ways are plain to him that understandeth 2 Cor. 4.4 Pro. 8. 9. The Scripture sheweth the greatest simplicity both in words and phrases and figures that the weakest need not be afraid of searching into it There is such obscurity also in things not absolutely necessary to salvation that the deepest understandings need not be ashamed of reading and studying it Peter affirmes that in the Epistles of Paul there are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 some things hard to be understood There are such abstruse texts in the word of God that no man can make a certain comment on them The Jews themselves confessed that in the latter end of Ezekiel there are many things mentioned which are beyond all their apprehensions against which and all other difficulties in the Old Testament they comfort themselves according to the expression of the woman of Samaria Messias venturus est qui nobis annunciabit omnia The Messias will come and tell us all things Now the wise God seeth fit to let some truths in Scripture be dark 1. To shame us for our ignorance which is the fruit of our fall from him The pride and height of man is laid low by the profound and hard places in the Word of God 2. To quicken us to diligence in reading and meditating and comparing Scripture with Scripture The deeper a mine of gold lyeth in the earth the harder we must labour to dig it out 3. To raise our price of the Word of God We are apt to slight things that are easie and ordinary and to value things at the highest that cost us dearest 4. To provoke us to pray to God that he would give us his key whereby we may unlock this cabinet of precious Jewels He onely that made the Scripture can best acquaint us with his mind in the Scripture therefore David intreated divine light that he might understand the divine Law Psa. 119. 18. Open mine eyes that I may see the wonderâ—ful things of thy Law 4. The final cause of the word will speak it full of value and worth Namely the glory of the great God and the salvation of lost man The honour of God shines more brightly then the Meridian Sun through the whole Heaven of the Scripture The Scripture exalteth God in regard of his infinite nature and being his transcendent excellencies and perfections his eternal decree his works of creation and providence It advanceth God in all his attributes declaring to us 1. His wisdom how he is the onely wise God the foolishness of God is wiser then the wisdom of men yea that Angels themselves are fools to him His understanding is infinite 2. His Power how he is mighty in strength the Almighty God to him nothing is impossible doth what ever he pleaseth can do more then he will do 3. His mercy how he is full of mercy rich in mercy the Father of mercys hath multitudes of tender mercies his mercy endureth for ever hath an heighth and depth and length and breadth in it which none can reach 4. His Iustice how he fails not the least in the performance of his promises and accomplishment of his threatnings how he will by no means clear the guilty not the greatest of his favourites not
would not reverence the issue for the Authors sake Surely that coin deserves esteem which hath that Kings Image and Superscription on it The matter in thee merits respect Thou art a Love-letter from God to his creature revealing his eternal thoughts of good will publishing his acts of grace and oblivion to all traytors and rebels in arms against his Majesty upon condition they will throw down their weapons and become Loyal Subjects for the future Thou art the Churches Charter containing all the priviledges which the blessed Jesus purchased for her What wise man would not value the deeds and evidences which speak and give a right to pardon love grace joy peace and the undefiled inheritance for ever When thou comest to a soul salvation comes to that soul Thou art always attended with a rich train of all sorts of comforts The good tidings thou bringest and great blessings thou conveyest where ever thou comest may well make thee welcome I may well say unâ—o thee beholding the bracelets and ear-rings wherewith thou adornest the Spouse of the true Isaac as Laban to Abrahams servant Come in thou blessed of the Lord why standest thou without I have prepared lodging for thee If I am bound to bless my God for the natural lights which he hath made the greater to rule the day and the lesser to rule the night because thereby it appears that his mercy endureth for ever Psa. 136. 7 8 9. How much am I bound to bless him for the spiritual light of his word that true that marvellous light which shineth in a dark place till the eternal day dawn O what mercy what mercy enduring for ever is there in every leaf in every verse in every line of that sacred Book If Regeneration be a mercy to be partaker of the divine nature the stamping the lovely Image of the glorious God upon thee then the word is a mercy for that is the seal in the hand of the Spirit which imprinteâ—h it on thee Iames 1. 18. Is faith a mercy that shield of the soul whereby it quencheth the fiery darts of the Devil that Ladder by which the soul mounteth to Heaven and converseth daily with its Lord and Master then the word is a mercy for faith comes by hearing the word is the door of faith Rom. 10. 14. Act. 14. 27. If repentance be a mercy those second and best thoughts of the soul that recovery of the man to his wits and right mind then the word is a mercy for t is the voice of Christ in the word that casteth the Devil of impenitency and sensuality out of the heart where it raigned and raged sending out fire and flames like AEtna for many years and makes the man like him in the Gospel out of whom the Devil was cast to sit at Iesus his feet in his right mind bitterly weeping and mourning for his former folly and madness T is the hot beams of love that shine in the Gospel that thaw the frozen spirits Is hope a mercy â—hat Helmet of salvation which defendeth the head of Christians from Swords and Musquets the souls of Saints from the darts and dangers of temptations those Bladders of the soul which keep it from sinking in deep waters then the word is a mercy for we through patience and comfort of the Scripture have hope Rom. 15. 4. Hope had never lookt out at the window longing for the coming of its beloved if the word had not come before as a faithful Messenger and brought certain news that he was upon the way Are pardon reconciliation with God adoption growth in grace yea Heaven it self a mercy then the word is a mercy All those Jewels are lockt up in that Cabinet Man durst not have presumed he could not have conceived that the glorious jealous God should ever have such infinite respect for such wretches and rebels if he had not found it written with his own hand in the word T is on the waters of the sanctuary that the Saint saileth safely through the Sea of this world to the Port of salvation There was no visible bridge laid over the Gulf of Gods wrath for sinners to pass into the Kingdom of grace here and glory hereafter till the Gospel erected one O my soul what honour can be high enough what love hot enough for the holy Scriptures 1. Consider the preciousness of them in the eyes of good men and the love they had for them Iob preferred them before food before his necessary food Solomon before ornaments of gold crowns of glory Paul before all other Doctrines though Preached by Angels David before the honey and the honey comb great spoils thousands of gold and silver all riches And when he ceaseth to compare beginneth to admire iâ—s worth Wonderful are thy testimonies And his own fervent affection to it O how love I thy law it is my meditation all the day 2. The price paid for it It cost the blood of thy beloved well may the Scriptures be called Testaments they were both sprinkled with blood and made valid by the death of the Testatour Heb. 9. 15 16 17. And for this cause he is the mediatour of the New Testament that by means of death for the redemption of transgressions that were under the first Testament they which were called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance For where a Testament is there must of necessity also be the death of the Testator For a Testament is of force after men are dead otherwise it is of no strength at all whilst the testator liveth 3. The pearl hid in it The Lord Jesus Christ is the matter as well as the Author of it Well may it be called the Word of Christ. Search the Scripture for they are they that testifie of me He was the substance of the Law and he is the sum of the Gospel Thou hadst not known sin but for the Law nor the Saviour but for the Gospel When David considered the kindness he had receâ—ved from Ionathan he said to his servants Is there none left of the house of Saul that I may shew kindness to for Jonathans sake He could not but in gratitude study some return suitable to that good will of his dear friend Great is the kindness I have received from the Scripture What wilt thou say what wilt thou do O my soul for this Word of thy God! O swear unto the Lord and vow unto the mighty God of Jacob surely I will not come into the tabernacle of my house I will not go up into my bed I will not give sleep to mine eyes nor slumber to mine eyeâ—lids until I â—inde out a place for the law of the Lord and an habitation for the Gospel of the God of Jacob. Wilt thou not willingly O my soul rather then this worthy guest should lie without doors take it into thy heart O that thou wert the ark wherein the two Tables the two Testaments might be laid up for ever Lord I will
him All men are naked and open to him He knoweth every thought word and action of every man as exactly as if he had none but him to mind His knowledge is infinite he knoweth all the sins of all men clearly they are as visible to his eye as if they were written with the brightest sun-beam on the clearest chrystal He knoweth all the sins of men distinctly not in a confused heap or lump but one by one knoweth all the sins of all men every moment All the sins that are that ever were or that ever shall be are continually in his eye and view 5. How he is able to revenge himself every moment David did bear with Joab because the sons of Zerviah were too hard for him He was a tender plant that was scarce rooted and feared to be overturned by their fury but God beareth with sinners though he be Almighty and can do all things He can as easily turn the sinner into hell as tell him of hell he can blow the sinner with his breath into the bottomless pit By the blast of God they perish by the breath of his nostrils they are consumed The most secret sin is within the sight of his countenance and the strongest sinner within the reach of his vengeance This is wonderful indeed he is infinite in patience who is infinite in power The Lord is slow to anger and great in power saith the Prophet Nahum 1. He that can in a moment speak the whole Creation into nothing beareth many years with his rebellious provoking Creatures The Lord looked upon the Egyptians and troubled them It s an easie matter to look especially for him that made the eye A glance of his eye will overthrow the proudest stoutest sinner Men are great in anger who are little in power their hearts are good I should say bad enough speedily to ruine such as offend them but their hands are weak and straitned that we may thank their want of power not their patience for our preservation But God who is all power is all patience he that can spurn the whole world into endless wo more easily then all the men of the world can spurn a foot-ball into the water forbeareth them year after year 6. He doth not onely forbear but also do men good His goodness towards them is positive as well as privative he upholds them in their beings protects them in their goings supports them by his power supplieth them by his providence as well as forbear them by his patience His enemies are hungry he feeds them they are thirsty he gives them drink He gives them that corn and wine and oyl which they bestow on Baal he bestows on them those mercies with which they fight against him he blesseth them with life health strength food raiment sleep reason friends peace liberty riches honours the Gospel Sermons Sabbaths offers of pardon and life whilst they persist in their provocations against him He is at infinite cost and charge night and day in sending provision into the camp of his enemies 7. He woeth us to be reconciled He doth not onely command and enjoyn rebellious man to throw down his weapons of unrighteousness but even prayeth and entreateth him with much importunity to accept of peace and pardon As though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christs stead be ye reconciled to God He is earnest and instant by his Ministers by the motions of his spirit by the calls and convictions of conscience that he might perswade miserable men to be happy 2 Cor. 5. 15 20. 2 Chron. 36. 15 Isaiah 65. 2. and 42. 14. I have stretched out my hand all the day long to a rebellious house that have walked in a way that is not good 8. He doth all this without any expectation of advantage to himself He gains not by our holiness neither is he a loser by our wickedness The arrows of sin are always too short to reach him and he is so high that he is far above our highest service our blessings and praises infinite perfection admits of no addition Can a man be profitable to God as he that is wise may be profitable to himself Is it any pleasure to the Almighty that thou art righteous or is it gain to him that thou makest thy ways perfect He begs as hard as if it were for his own life but it is wholly for ours He loseth not the least if we be lost he saves nothing by our salvation It s all one to the Sun whether men open their eyes and are refreshed with its light or shut their eyes and behold nothing of its glorious splendour 9. He forbeareth us who is infinitely our Superior It were much for a King to bear with a affronts from a vile Beggar but it s infinitely more for the King of Kings to bear with indignities and treasons and malice and hatred from his vile creatures O the patience of a God! man cannot suffer a disrespect from his fellow but God doth from them that are infinitely his inferiours The Apostles were good men yet upon a little disrespect from some of the same make and mold with themselves they presently call for fire from heaven what patience and goodness is then in God who beareth with such innumerable and notorious affronts from his Slaves and Vassals from them that in comparison of him are much lesse then nothing 10. He warneth before he striketh He threatens that he might not punish and thundereth with his voice that he might not overthrow us with his hand He shoots off his warning peices that he might spare his murthering peices Men that are set upon revenge are silent When Absolon resolved on the destruction of Ammon he spake not a word to him either good or bad but God tells men fully what is intended against them by his justice that it might be prevented by their fitness for mercy That bitterest cup of threatnings hath the sweet of love at the bottom 11. He punisheth temporally that he might spare eternally When he is forced to strike he â—seth the rod that he might not use the ax We are chastened of the Lord that we might not be condemned with the world He forceth tears in this world to prevent eternal weeping how many a mans way doth he hedge up with thorns that he might not find the path to eternal death 12. He is thus patient towards men who did not wait at all on Angels The Angels were more noble creatures and able to have done him more and better service then man yet when they sinned he did not wait a moment for their repentance but he stretcheth out his hand all the day long to man He that would not wait upon disloyal Courtiers waits upon rebellious Beggers Consider the causes of it The moving cause is his own gracious nature Men forbear punishing Malefectours sometimes because they are related to them sometimes from hope of advantage by them sometimes because they are afraid of them
but God forbears none upon any such grounds His goodness is the onely string that tieth his hand from striking Yea many years didst thou forbear them for thou art a gracious and a merciful God Neh. 9. 30 31. The Final Cause is manifold 1. That he might exalt his great name It s light straw that upon the least spark takes fire The discretion of a man deferreth his anger and it s his glory to pass by infirmities Mean and low spirits are most peevish and passionate Sickly and weak persons are observed to be the most impatient God makes his power known when he endureth with much long suffering the vessels of wrath fitted for destruction He intendeth the advancement of his praise in the lengthening of his patience For my names sake will I defer mine anger for my praise will I refrain for thee that I out thee not off Isa. 48. 2. That sinners might amend He is patient that men might not perish The Lord is not slack as some men count slackness but is long suffering to us-ward not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance He defers their execution that they might sue out their pardons The Lord waiteth not that he might be blessed in himself but that he may be gracious to sinners 3. That impenitent sinners might be left without excuse If sinners that are turned out of the womb into hell will justifie God surely those upâ—on whom he waited twenty or thirty or forty or fifty years for their conversion will condemn themselves if all mouths shall be stopped then they that tasted so largely of forbearing mercy may well be silent O how little will they have to say for themselves upon whom grace waited so many years knocking hard at the door of their hearts for acceptance and they refused to open to it or bid it come in How justly will they suffer long in the other world to whom God was so long-suffering to no purpose in this world Rom. 4. 2. How fully O my soul doth the Scripture mention this patience of thy God! The Lord passed by and proclaimed his name the Lord the Lord God gracious long suffering Though sinners trie his patience by their heaven-daring provocations yet the Lord is gratious slow to anger and of great kindness Oftentimes they do their utmost to kindle the fire of his anger but many a time turned he away his anger and did not stir up all his wrath What monuments of his patience hath he reared up in his word It is also written in broad letters in his works He bore with the Iews after their unparalleld murder of his own Son above forty years The old world had larger experiences of his â—orbearance My Spirit shall not always strive with man yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years The Egyptians though cruel persecutors of his own people that were as dear to him as the apple of his eye yet were suffered four hundered years He beareth with men till he can no longer forbear The woman with child is forced though she hold out long to fall in labour at last I have long time holden my peace I have been still and refrained my self now will I cry like a travailing woman Isa. 42. 14. O thou dear friend of mankind that thou wert imprinted in my thoughts engraven in my heart and always before mine eyes O my soul Consider this long suffering of thy God till thou tastest some rellish of its sweetness This name of thy God is as oyntment poured out which yeildeth a refreshing fragrancy Hath it been all thy days so near thee and done so much for thee and wilt thou not give it some warm entertainment within thee Hast thou not infinite cause to cry out God! As soon as thou wast conceived thou wast corrupted before thou wast born sin wâ—â— brought forth in thee thy God might have turned thee out of thy mothers belly into the belly of hell divels might have been the Midwife to deliver thy mother of such a monster and their dungeon of darkness the first place in which thou didst breath yet he who might have caused eternal death to have trodden upon the heels of thy natural birth spared thee Had he then suffered the roaring lions his executioners to have dragged thee to their own den he had got himself glory and prevented much dishonour which thou hast since brought to his name As thou didst grow up sin grew up in thee and patience grew up with thee Numberless haâ—â— thine iniquities been and his advantages for thy destruction yet he hath forborn thee What hath he got by all his long-suffering towards thee He might have ruined thee to his eternal honour but his forbearance hath seemed to impair the revenues of heaven Wicked men question his power and good men quarrel with his providence and all because of his patience When some sinners are hanged on Gibbets as spectacles of his justice others are kept in the more awe but if judgement be not speedily executed the hearts of the Sons of men are set in them to do mischief The thanks that are usually paid him for his patience are indignities and affronts The sleeping of vengeance occasioneth the awakening of sin Besides their thoughts of him are the more prophane as well as their actions If he be patient towards the sinner he is judged a party in the sin These things thou didst and I kept silence thou thoughtst that I was altogether such a one as thy self Because he is silent they judge him consenting O my soul may not thy God be well called the God of all patience when he aboundeth so much in it though he be so great a loser by it Was not the patience of thy Redeemer on earth wonderful in bearing such mockings smitings on the cheek spittings in his face scourgings on his back But thy Redeemer in Heaven endureth more affronts every moment against his divine nature then he did all his time of abode in this world against his humane nature O why art thou no more warmed with it and wondering at it Even a Saul was so affected with the forbearance of David that he should spare his enemy when he had him in his hands and might as easily have cut his throat as the skirt of his garment that he lift up his voice and wept And art not thou affected with the patience of thy God in whose hand is thy life and breath and all thy comforts who can with a glance of his eye turn thee into the fiery furnace against whom thou art an open traytour and profest rebel that he should spare thee so many years and instead of heaping up judgements on thee lade thee with his benefits Consider 1. He is not patient towards all men as he hath been towards thee Some have found justice arresting them immediatly upon their contracting of new debts and haling them presently to hell upon the
with fear Didst thou receive thy meat as in Gods presence and hadst thou an eye therein at his praise How didst thou behave thy self in thy Particular calling Did it no way incroach upon thy general Was thy conversation in heaven whilst thy dealings were about earth Wast thou diligent in the exercise of it righteous in thy dealings in it depending on God for a blessing on it What was thy carriage in company was thy life holy spotless exemplary profitable to others Mightest thou not in such a place have done thy God more service and thy Brothers soul more good May I not say to thee as God to Jonah Didst thou well to be angry at such a time upon no cause what were thy thoughts in solitude how wast thou imployed Had God any true share in thy thoughts hast thou watched thy self this day and kept thy heart with all diligence Hath none of thy precious time been lavisht away on unnecessary things Answer me faithfully to all these particulars that I may be able to return an answer to him that sent me O that I could but imploy one half hour every day with seriousness and uprightness in such soliloquies Lord thou didst create the world in six days and thou wast pleased to loâ—k back on every days work and behold it was very good and then ensued thy Sabbath Cause thy â—ervant to be a follower of thee as a dear child in minding every day the work thou hast given me to do that I may every night review it with comfort finding it good in thy Christ at the end of all my days looking back upon all my works I may see them very good through the acceptation of thy grace and with joy enter into my eternal Sabbath I Wish that I may end every day with him who is the beginning and first born from the dead That I may every night go to bed as if I were going to my grave knowing that sleep is the shadow of death and when the shadow is so near the substance cannot be far off Though lovers cannot meet all day yet they will make hard shift but they will find an opportunity to meet at night Should my devotion set with the natural Sun I may fear a dreadful night of darkness to follow That bed may well be as uneasie as one stuft with thorns that is not made by prayer If the soul lye down under an heavy load of sin the body can have no true rest Jacob could sleep sweetly upon an hard stone having made his peace with God when Ahashuerus could not though on a bed of down I cannot sleep unless God wake for me and I cannot rationally expect his watchfulness over me unless I request it My corruptions in the day call for contrition in the night How many omissions commissions personal relative sins heart life wickedness am I daily guilty of and â—hould I lye down under their weight for ought I know they may sink me before morning into endless wo. Whilst blood is in my veins sin will be in my soul. The weed of sin may be cut broken pulled up yet it will spring again I shall as soon cease to live as cease to sin Though I should be free all the day long from presumptuous enormities and onely defiled with ordinary humane infirmities yet these if not bewailed are damning The smallest letters are most hurtful to the eyes and far worse then a large Character Those sins which are comparatively little if not lamented are far more dangerous then Davids Murther and Adultery which were repented of When the soul like Thamar hath notwithstanding its utmost endeavours to preserve its chastity been ravished and by force defiled it must with her lift up the voice and weep If the Sun may not go down upon my wrath against man much-less may I presume to lye down under the wrath of God Besides how can sin be mortified if it be not confessed and bewailed Arraignment and Conviction must go before Execution The favours of the day past are not to be forgotten but to be acknowledged with thankefulness I receive every day more considerable mercies then there are moments in the day and when I borrow such large sums the principal of which I am unable ever to satisfie shall I be so unworthy as to deny the payment of this small interest which is all my Creditour requireth Whatsoever gain I have got in my calling whatsoever strength I have received by my food whatsoever comfort I have had in my Relations or Friends whatsoever peace liberty protection I have enjoyed all the day long I must say of all 〈◊〉 Jacob of his Venison The Lord hath brought it to me Surely the hearer of my morning prayers may well be the object of my evening prayses Aâ— how unreasonable is it that I like a whirl-pool should suck in every good thing that comes near me and not so much as acknowledge it Should any one be the thousandth part so much indebted to me as I am to God how ill should I take it if he should not confess it If a Beggar at my door receive a small almes from God by my hands I look for his thanks How often have I complained of the baseness and unworthiness of some that are engaged to me O what tongue can express what heart can conceive how much I am indebted to my God every moment though I am less then the least of all his mercies and doth not all his goodness merit sincere thankefulness Lord I confess there is not a day of my life wherein I do not break thy Laws in thought word and deed Sin is too much the element in which I live and the trade that I drive I find continually a law in my members warring against the Law of my mind and captivating me to the Law of sin and death Ah wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death Since I am no day innocent make me every night penitent As my sins abound let my sorrow abound and thy grace much more abound Though I can never requite thy favours help me to admire and bless the fountain of them Suffer me never to go to bed till I have first asked thee my heavenly Father blessing Let the eyes of my soul be always open to thee in prayer and prayse before the eyes of my body be shut And O be thou always pleased so to accept my confessions petitions thanksgivings my person and performances in thy dear son that I may lay me down in peace and sleep because thou Lord makest me to dwell in safety Finally I Wish that every day of my life may be spent as if it were the day of my death and all my time employed in adorning my soul in trimming my lamp and in a serious preparation for eternity Whilst I am living I am dying every moment my sand is running and my Sun is declining I am as Stubble before the Wind and as
Chaff that the Storm carrieth away I flie away as a dream and shall not be found my life is chased away as a vision of the night The eyes which have seen me shall see me no more neither shall my place any more behold me I must live now or never If I die I shall not live again O that all the days of my appointed time I could wait till my change cometh Were I to take my leave of the world this night and were my life to end with the day how then would I spend every hour every moment of it Should I lavish away my time about this or that vanity Would I play it away in vain company Would I neglect my spiritual watch or waste my talents upon trifles should I dally about secret or private duties or be careless of my carriage in my calling would I starve my immortal soul or cast off all care of eternity No but I should all the day long act by the square and rule of the word How serious should I be in praying in reading in working for my soul for my salvation how diligent to do all the good I could to receive all the good I might how watchful to catch at and embrace all opportunities of honouring and serving my Maker and Redeemer because my time is short and I must pray and read and work for eternity now or no more no more for ever And why should I not be as holy though I do not know that I shall die this night when I know not but I may die this night How foolish is he who neglects doing his work till his work is past doing Besides Other creatures are constant and unwearied in serving their maker they are every day all the day long in their stations obedient to his commands If I look to Heaven to Earth to inanimate to irrational creatures I behold them all as so many Souldiers in their several ranks exactly and continually subject to the orders which they receive from the Lord of hosts and shall I be shamed by them I am at present more indebted more intrusted by God I have a reward hereafter of joy to encourage me of pain to provoke me to unweariedness in well doing which they neither hope nor fear Lord I live every moment upon thee why should I not live every moment to thee My life is by thy providence O that it were according to thy precepts I would not be thine hireling to serve thee meerly for wages thou thy self art my exceeding great reward but I would be thy days-man to work for thee by the day every day all the day long O help me to live well in time that I may live well eternally Let every day be so devoted to thy praise and every part of it so imployed in thy service that I may be the more fitted to please and woâ—â—â—ip thee in that place where there is no night yet all rest no Sun yet all day all light all joy where I shall have no meat or drink or sleep or shop or flocks or family and which is best of all no unbeleiving selfish carnal heart to call me from or hinder me in thy work but I shall worship and enjoy thee without diversion without distraction without interruption without intermission both perfectly and perpetually Amen CHAP. VII How a Christian may exercise himself to Godliness in visiting the Sick FIfthly Thy duty is to exercise thy self in visiting the sick The Visitation of the sick is a work of as great weight as any injoyned us relating to others and as much neglected and slighted in its management as almost any duty commanded Sickness is so common and Death so ordinary that with most their frequency takes away the sense of them and charity in many sickens and dieth as fast as others bodies The generality of pretended Christians like the Priest and the Levite if they see a man wounded both in his body and soul though it be to death pass on the other side of the way not caring to meddle with any that are in misery They tell us they are true members of Christ but like a bag of suppurated blood they feel nothing neither have any communion with the body Many on their dying beds whose souls are worse and more dangerously sick then their bodies may speak to their Minister or Neighbour for the duty belongs to the People as well as the Pastor almost in the words of Martha to Christ Sir If thou hadst been here my soul had not dyed Some visite the sick but rather out of a complement then out of conscience or to profit themselves more then their Neighbours The Ingenuous Heathen Seneca will tell such If a man visit his sick friend and watch at his Pillow for charity sake and out of his old affection we approve it but if for a Legacy he is a Vulture and watcheth onely for the carcass The discourse of these is chiefly about worldly affairs and nothing about the great concernments of eternity Others sometimes go about the work but perform it so ill administring Cordials when there is need of Corrosives sowing Pillows under their sick friends heads that they may die easily or if they tell them of their danger they do it so coldly and carelesly and by halves that as he said there is diseaseâ— their soul-sickness is curable but the unsutable medicines they take make it incurable It may be said of many a soul as Adrians Counsellers said of him Multitudo medicorum c. Many Physitians have killed the Emperour Ah! How dreadful is it when unskilful and unfaithful Mountebanks undertake to tamper and trifle with immortal souls that are just entring into their eternal estates Father forgive them they know not what they do Galen saith in respect of bodily Medicines In medicina nihil exiguum There is nothing small in Physick Every thing in it is of great consequence A little mistake may cause death I may upon greater reason say There is nothing little in spiritual Physick A small error in our prescriptions to sick souls may cause dreadful mischief Instead of curing we may kill the patient Hazaels wet cloth was not more deadly to his Masters body then the discourse of most is to their sick neighbours souls Fear of displeasing and a natural propensity to flatter prevail with too many to sooth their dying friends into unquenchable flames But surely there is more love as well as more faithfulness in frighting a sick person out of his spiritual Lethargy then in fawning him into the eternal lake that burneth with Fire and Brimstone Some venemous creatures tickle a man till he laughs even when they sting him to death so doth the flattering Minister or Neighbour he raiseth a sick man void of grace to the Pinnacle of joy and highest hopes of Heaven and thereby throweth him down into the Culph of irrecoverable sorrows and leaves him to undeceive himself in hell I shall first lay down two or three
over and commodities be sold. The Adulterer makes use of the dark night for his deeds of darkness Satan watcheth every opportunity to insnare and destroy me if I give him the least advantage by idleness or carnal security or running into occasions of sin he doth presently lay hold on it to pollute me All men indeed may shameâ—me The Mariner doth spread his Sails when the Winds blow The Merchant observes his Exchange hours when he may meet with many friends and dispatch much business in a little time The Lawyer minds his Terms There is a time when Kings go out to Battel 2 Sam. 11. 1. which Souldiers will not neglect The Husbandman makes Hay whilst the Sun shines Yet Ah how foolish am I to let slip those golden seasons which my God giveth me for working out my own salvation Lord thou hast made every thing beautiful in its season But poor silly man knoweth not his time Grant me so much prudence that is the men of Issacar I may have understanding of the times and so much piety as to serve the times not as Worldlings in altering my course according to the fashions and customes of men but in embracing what is tendered in due time for my own and others good always adhering to the Commands of thee my God I Wish that the uncertainty of my sick Neighbours outward recovery may make me the more careful and solicitous about his spiritual health If he die he is stated and fixed for ever and ever and I am for ever deprived of all opportunities of profiting or advantaging his soul. Now he is sick he is nigh death but one step from it The sick stand upon the borders of the grave upon the brink of the pit nay of eternity Those that are in most perfect health are inclining towards death but they that are sick are approaching the Chambers of darkness Such a man may speak in the language of Haman My life draweth nigh unto the grave Psa. 88. 3. Should he depart this life in a natural estate he falleth into the jaws of eternal death All prayers for him will then be fruitless and there is no giving counsel to him after death I must now advise exhort perswade beseech him to mind faith and repentance or never do it I must now put up hearty cries and groans to God on his behalf or never do it The loving kindness of God cannot be declared in the grave nor his faithfulness in destruction When he is wailing in Hell for the ungodliness of his heart and life I may be weeping on earth for my neglect of him or unfaithfulness to him but both our tears will be ineffectual and our cries comfortless O that the love of my Saviour the command of my God the worth of a soul the weight of an eternal estate the fear of losing such a season and the impossibility of recalling or recovering it may all provoke me to be instant with the sick to turn to God and abhor and bewail their sins and to be fervent with God that he would crown my endeavours with success Lord I may speak thy Mind and Will to Men but thou alone who didst make the ear canst enable them to hear let it please thy Majesty so to affect my heart with a due sense of others misery so to direct my tongue what to speak in order to their recovery and so to prosper the undertakings of thy servant that as often as I visit any unconverted person in his sickness I may turn a sinner from the error of his ways save a soul alive and hide a multitude of sins I Wish that I may be solicitous to understand the spiritual conditions of the sick that my prescriptions may be profitable being sutable to their several sores The knowledge of the disease must necessarily precede directions for its cure It s folly to undertake their recovery whose estates I am ignorant of He works at the labour-in-vain who goeth about to heal a wounded Patient when he knoweth not the place or nature of his pain The mistake of the Physitian may be as mortal and dangerous as the disease it self It will be no wonder if a blind man shoot awry and miss the mark This was the cause that Jobs friends though holy men and designing a good end wandred exceedingly and instead of administring comfort by their visitation wounded him to the quick and proved his greatest cross The Sabeans and Chaldeans robbed him of his Cattel Satan wronged him in his body but his three friends vexed his soul and did break him in peices with words Their ignorance was the ground of the hurt they offered instead of the help they intended Job 19. 2. A Friend may do that mischief upon a false supposition which an Enemy doth out of malice Though the Doctrine be true and right if the Application of it be wrong I may kill sooner then cure the person to whom I apply it The Husbandman must know the nature of his ground before he casteth in his seed or otherwise he will miss of his expected crop Lord thou knowest the conditions and dispositions of all men by immediate intuition and needest not that any should testifie of man thou knowest how needful it is for me to understand by rational discourse who and what those sick persons are how things stand betwixt thy Majesty and their souls whose recovery I go about O help me to find out their sickness and to give such advice out of thy word that thou mayst work their cure I Wish that when the condition of the sick person is found out neither fear nor flattery may make me unfaithful to his soul. Those prescriptions cannot be profitable that are not answerable to his estate I am unfaithful to God my Neighbour and my self if my Application be not sutable to his condition My God commandeth me to proclaim War against the presumptuous to preach Peace to the penitent and if I act otherwise out of fear or affection I act contrary to my commission I am false to my trust if I keep not close to the will of my Lord. He that takes not his Masters Precepts for his rule will at last be counted and punished as an unfaithful servant I hinder also my Neighbours good whilst I give him counsel unsutable to his case I may pretend love and respect but its real hatred to flatter him who is hastening to the unquenchable fire How dreadful will his fall be from the high Turret of presumption into the infernal pit of perdition and how little thanks will he give me in the other world for cozening his soul by telling him all was well till he came to see his own and my mistake in hell Again the guilt of such a crime would make a deep gash in my own conscience It s ill slighting or tampering with inestimable souls His blood will be required at my hands and if the blood of a slain body cry so loud
in my dealing and discourse with such men Lord thou knowest the poor silly children of men are unable to judge of eternal affairs according to their weight they are quickly lost when in their thoughts they begin to launch into that boundless Sea The ponderousness of the subject is ready to affright and press them down being so much beyond and above their shallow understandings But wouldst thou please to enable them though it were but to peep into the other world and to behold through some Crevice what is doing and enjoyed there both by thy friends and thine enemies they would soon have other thoughts of thee and thy service and other carriages when they are about thy work the greatest seriousness would then be too little the greatest ardour would not be thought enough for thy worship they would then indeed be fervent in spirit when they are serving the Lord. O teach thy servant though he cannot see into the other world with the eye of sense yet so to look into it with an eye of faith that he may transact the concerns thereof with that diligence faithfulness and fervency which thou acceptest and whilst he liveth be zealous of good works I Wish that my heart may be so affected with pity towards sick and afflicted persons that I may often and earnestly remember them in my prayers A little Captive considering the Leprosie of her Master was instrumental for his cure by crying out Would God my Lord were with the Prophet that is in Samaria for he would recover him of his Leprosie I have more reason when I behold a Leprous soul near its last gasp to look up to Heaven with Would to God that poor creature were with Jesus Christ that great prophet of his Church who is able and willing to enliven and pardon and sanctifie and save Would to God he would be perswaded to come to Christ to cling to Christ to close with Christ for he would recover him And what do I know but my prayers may be prevalent on his behalf Christ when dying prayed for his enemies for them that imbrued their hands in his blood and shall not I pray for my friends when they are dying and possibly ignorant whether they are going My Prayers are a cheap courtesie and diminish nothing of my estate either spiritual or temporal Their misery is an awakening motive to the duty Never did they stand in such need of help from others and wrastling with God on their behalves as now that they are taking their journey into a far Country and entring upon an unchangeable condition They may say to me as Nehemiah to Geshem I am doing a great work c. I am going to die to bid adieu to all the folly and vanity and comforts of this world to take possession of my long home of the place wherein I must abide for ever O pray for us that we may be pardoned and saved that we may repent and believe that we may die in the faith and obtain the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto life eternal They have many distractions upon their own spirits by reason of pains and bodily distempers and the loss and lamentation of their Kindred and Relations that they cannot poure out their hearts to God with that freeness and seriousness and earnestness which probably they desire Their enemies and assaults and temptations at such a time are more quick and strong and violent and full of rage having but a short time I must now pray for them or never pray for them Now beg mercy for them or never beg mercy for them When their life is gone all tears and cries and groans for them are in vain Davids greatest passions for dead Absolon were to no purpose They are then gone the way they shall not return and fixed in that place whence they shall never remove Lord I confess that my narrow heart hath not pity enough for afflicted and sick and dying souls and my weak hands have not power enough to supply or support them in their sad estates but thou hast both O be pleased to look down from Heaven the habitation where thine holiness dwelleth Behold their miseries hide thy face from all their iniquities out of thine infinite fulness releive their necessities Let the eyes of their souls be opened to see their sins and their Saviour before the eyes of their bodies be closed Give them patience and strength answerable to the burden thou layest on their backs Enable them to do their last works well and let them be better then their first Open thou their lips and let their mouths shew forth thy praise before they go to the place of silence Stand by them in their last conflict with their enemies Death and Devils that they may over come both be more then conquerours through him that loves them and pass through the jaws of death to the joys of a blessed eternal life I Wish that my soul may be the more sound for every visit I bestow on sick bodies There is not so much danger of catching their outward diseases as there is hope of increasing my spiritual health if I am not wanting to my self The sick and dying bed is a Pulpit out of which I may be instructed more fully in many serious truths though the sick or dying man be speechless King Joash obtained three famous victories over the Syrians by visiting sick Elisha and might have gotten a compleat conquest over them if it had not been his own fault The sight of sick and dying men may assist me in my conflicts with the three great enemies of my present purity and future comfort and bliss It teacheth â—e how vain it is to make provision for that flesh which will it self ere long be provision for wormes Ah how foolish am I to pamper and please that which instead of releiving or refreshing will in my extremity pierce and pain me It teacheth me that the world it self is the greatest Cheat and Impostour in the world That though it laughs and smiles on men dandling them on her knees and hugging them in her armes whilst they are in health and promising all sorts of comforts and pleasures yet in their sickness and misery she turns them off and leaves them as Absolons Mule did him to be â—hot through with the heart-cutting arrows of eternal death By discovering the emptiness and falseness of these two seeming ends the flesh and the world it helpeth me to overcome my third enemy and to repel the fiery darts of the Devil The cup of temptation which hath so often bewitched me to drink down his deadly poison had its prevalency from the worldly profit with which the out-side was guilded or the fleshly pleasure with which the in-side was sweetned Ah! could I but bid an hearty defiance to the World and the Flesh and conquer them I need not fear the wicked one They are the powerful Advocates by which Satan pleads and too often prevails with
that in the other world I may stand among thy Sheep on thy right hand and hear that blessed heart-chearing voice Come thou blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for thee before the foundation of the World For I was hungry and thou gavest me meat I was thirsty and thou gavest me drink I was a stranger and thou didst take me in I was sick and thou visitedst me when my soul shall be above all sin and my body above all sickness and both blessed in thy favour and fruition for ever and ever Amen CHAP. VIII How a Christian may exercise himself to Godliness on a Dying Bed SIxthly and Lastly Thy duty is to exercise thy self to Godliness if God give thee opportunity on a Dying Bed The work of a Saint is to glorifie God not onely in his life but also in his death The Silk-worm stretcheth out her self before she spin and ends her life in her long wrought clew The Christian must stretch out himself on his dying Bed and end his life in the work of his Lord. Every Man by his death payeth his debt to nature He is earth in regard of his Original creation and must be earth in regard of his ultimate resolution Dust thou art and to dust thou shalt return Gen. 3. 19. The Sinner when he dyeth payeth his debt to Sin Satan and the Law To sin as he is the servant of unrighteousness and so must receive its wages which is death To Satan as he hath sold himself to work wickedness at his will and so must have his tempter to be his eternal tormentor To the Law as he hath violated its precepts and commands and therefore must undergo its punishment and curse The Saint when he dieth payeth his debt to God for he oweth him honour as well by his death as by his life Hence we read not onely of their living in the Lord and to the Lord but also of their dying in the Lord and to the Lord Rom. 14. 8. Rev. 14. 13. Which though some expound in that place of the Revelations to the cause for which they died they did not dye out of humour or obstinacy or any carnal selfish interest but purely as Martyrs at Gods call and for Gods cause They loved not their lives to the death for the testimony of Iesus Yet the words may as clearly speak 1. The state in whiâ—â— they died They died in the favour of God reconciled to him through the death of the Mediatour The Castle of their souls was not taken by storm or in a state of emnity and opposition but by a quiet voluntary sâ—rrender or in a state of peace and amity 2. The manner of their deaths They died in the fear of God they exercised grace as well in sickness as in health and when dying as when living their spiritual motions were quick when their natural motions were slow Plutarch reports of Lucius Metellus high Priest of Rome that though he lived to a great old age his voice did not fail him nor his hand shake in his sacrificing to the Gods It s said of Moses when he was a hundred and twenty years old and dyed that his natural sight did not fail him neither was his heat abated So it may be said of the Christian that though he die old his spiritual sight doth not fail him nor his divine heat abate As Caleb he is as strong in regard of grace his inward strength when he is entering into the promised Canaan as he was when he first went forth as a spie by faith to search the land flowing with milk and honey The Heathen counted him happy that dyed either in the midst of the goods of fortune hence they say if Priamus had died a little before the loss of his Town he had died the greatest Prince in all Asia or in the exercise of their moral vertues Hence they so highly extol Seneca and Socrates who seemed to dare even death it self out of resolution and fortitude Though those seeming vertues were but as Austin terms them Splendida Flagitia Famous Vices and their confidence arose not from any grounded knowledge of their good estates but from their blindness and ignorance of their depraved wicked and woful estates He is the happy man indeed that dieth in the faith that sleepeth in Iesus that goeth to his grave in the exercise of grace The Master of Moral Philosophy commendeth that Pilot whom a Ship-wrack swalloweth up at the Stern with the Rudder in his hand The most high God commendeth that person whom death seiseth doing the work for which he was sent into the world Even the blind Mole if Naturalists may be credited opens his eyes when he comes to dye and the crooked Serpent stretcheth out her self straight when she is going to fetch her last breath and shall not the Saint be best at last Reader Observe how careful the Saints have been to do their last work well and to go out of the world like some sweet spices perfuming the room in which they fetch their last breath with holiness and leaving a sweet savour behind them Jacob when dying worshipped leaning on his staff Heb. 11. 21. What a Character doth he give of the Angel of the Covenant and what blessings doth he pray for and prophesie to come on his children when he was going from them How was his heart enlarged in pantings after the Lord Christ Gen. 48. 16. and 49. per tot The living waters of his graces ran with the greater strength when they were emptying themselves into the Ocean of glory Moses like the dying Swan sings most sweetly being to go up to Mount Nebo to dye there What excellent doctrines reproofs instructions doth he deliver to the Israelites How pathetically rhetorically divinely doth he dictate his last legacies to his Political children who can read and not be ravished with wonder and delight Deut. 32. 33. Ioshua like the morning star shines brightest at last He gives his people so strict a charge to serve the Lord such gracious counsel when he was going the way of all the earth that it could not but be remembred many days after Dying Ioseph will lay his bones at stake for Gods faithfulness and that he will visit Israel and deliver them out of Egypt Sampson did the Church of God much service in slaying more of her enemies at his death then in his life Iulius Caesar among the Romans and Olympia the Mother of Alexander among the Grecians were famous for their care to die handsomely and not to commit at last any ill beseeming action whereby their memories should have been rendred inglorious But the Christians care hath always been to die holily and to do their God most service when they are going to that place where they shall do him no more in a proper sense Philosophers tell us that the soul upon deaths approach is more divine and supernaturally inclined certain it is the soul of a Saint onely doth then more
lay a dying he lift up his head from his Pillow to hear the discourses of his friends that sat by him saying I shall dye with the more comfort if I can dye learning something The Christian both by his painful sickness and approaching death may learn something of the evil of sin and certainly he may dye with the more comfort for godly sorrow and joy may be contemporaries as the Heavens shine and showr at the same time if he dye in a flood of tears for his unkindness to Christ. 4. Charity in a double respect 1. In forgiving them that have wronged thee If the natural Sun should not go down upon our wrath muchless should the Sun of our Lives It s bad to bear anger or malice one hour in our hearts against any but it s worst of all to carry it with us into the other world How can he expect to dye in peace with God who dyeth in war with men when God himself hath said Except ye forgive others their trespasses against you neither will your heavenly Father forgive you your trespasses Amilcar the Father of Hannibal when he was dying made his Son take a solemn Oath to maintain a perpetual War with the Romans Edward the first adjured his Son and Nobles that if he dyed in his expedition against Bruce King of Scotland they should not inter his Corps but carry it about with them till they had avenged him on that Usurper But certainly its a desperate thing to leave Children Heirs to the Parents wrath and rage as well as to his riches O how dreadful is his estate who takes his enemy by the throat when God by death is taking him by the throat and ready to thrattle him for ever If thou hast wronged others either in name or goods or body seek reconciliation and make satisfaction for this is righteous and just If thy brother hath ought against thee thou hast never more need of reconciling thy self to him then when thou art approaching the Altar of death there to offer up the last sacrifice to God in this world If thy Brother have wronged thee in any sort remit it this is charity to do otherwise is to give place to the Devil Eph. 4. 16 17. and thou hast least cause to give him ground when his rage is greatest and his barteries strongest in thy last conflict with him O! imitate that blessed Martyr Stephen and the incomparable Saviour in begging Gods love for them who hate thee Act. 7. 60. Luke 23. 34. 2. In remembring the poor and afflicted if God hath made thee able its best to be merciful in our life-time to make our own hand our Executors and our own eyes our Overseers for the payment of our Gifts and Legacies to our spiritual Kindred for such have a particular promise that God will make all their bed in their sickness but its good to be charitable when we are dying True friends show most love at parting Though justice must be blind not to see persons yet charity must be quick-sighted to pick out the fittest objects viz. the poor and the pious poor in the first place Our Goods will not extend to God therefore they must to the Saints When Ionathan was beyond the reach of Davids charity he doth for his sake manifest it to his Son God is beyond all our gifts therefore for his sake we must bestow them on the Godly that are his Children Make you friends of the Mammon of unrighteousness that when that faileth ye may be received into the everlasting habitations Hereby men lay up a good foundation against the time of need Godly Parents are ignorant how their Children may imploy the estate they leave whether as fuel for corruption or as oyl to keep the Lamps in Gods sanctuary burning its good therefore for themselves with prudence to dispose of what they may to Gods Servants and Service Some men have estates dropping on them out of the clouds as it were large inheritances fair patrimonies like Canaan both in regard of their fruitfulness and abounding with all sorts of comforts and in regard of their easiness of obtaining them without sweat or labour they inherit aâ— the Israelites Houses which they built not Wells which they digged not and Vineyards which they planted not upon both these accounts such persons are engaged to do good and distribute and to be rich in good works God expects a return of his Talents with advantage How liberal nay lavish have many Papists been upon their death-beds to Friars and Monks even to the wronging their Wives and Children that some States as Venice have been forced to make Laws to restrain men lest the Church should in time swallow up all the revenues of the Common-wealth and all this upon a foolish vain conceit that they should the sooner pass through Purgatory It is certainly a great disgrace to the Disciples of Christ and no mean dishonour to Christ himself that so many and such large gifts have proceeded from the false faith of Merit-mongers when the faith of his most glorious Gospel doth not work the like in true beleivers How will Christians answer it that an idle Dream and fancied Fear of an imaginary Purgaâ—ory should do more them the sure perswasion of the love of God and the certain hope of eternal life 4. Patience and Submission to the will of God both as to our death or life and also as to our pain or ease in sickness As to our life and death we must know God is wise and will never gather his fruit but in the best season None ununless a fool but will be willing God should chuse for him It s excellent for a sickâ—person to be wholly at Gods disposal as knowing that whilst he is here God will refresh him with the first fruits and when he goeth hence receive him into that place where he shall enjoy the whole harvest It was the speech of dying Iulian he that would not dye when he must and â—e that would dye when he must not are both of them Cowards alike To desire to live when one is called to dye is a sign of Cowardise for such a one is afraid to enter the list with the King of terrors To desire to dye when one is called to live speaks a faint-hearted creature for such a man dares not look an affliction or disaster in the face therefore would take shelter in deathâ— Cato Cleombrotus Lucretia shewed more cowardise then courage in being their own Executioners The Romans commended Terentius for his resolution to live after his Army was routed by Hannibal He is the most valiant person that can dye willingly when God would have him dye and live as willingly when God would have him live He that is weary of his work before the evening is an unprofitable servant and is either infected with idleness or with diseases When Dr. Whitaker was told death was approaching he answered Life or Death is welcom to me which God pleaseth Mr.
Robert Bolton being told that it would be better for the Church of God if God pleased to spare his life said If I shall find favour in the eyes of God he will bring me again and shew me both it and his habitation if not Lo here I am let him do with me what he pleaseth Another pious soul in his sickness cryed out Domine si tibi sim necessarius non recuso vivere Lord if I may be further serviceable to thee I am willing to live Lucius Cornelius Lieutenant in Portugal under Fabius the Consul was infamous to following ages for his impatience in complaining of his Physitian and railing at Esculapius for not accepting his vow and passionate desire of having his life spun out to a longer thread We cannot blame them who have their portion in this life for their unwillingness to leave it and to become beggers in Hell for ever Mori timeat qui ad secundam mortem de hac morte transibit saith Ciprian de Moral Let him fear death who must pass from this death to the second death To such a one indeed death is a Murderer like Iehorams messenger comes to take away the life of his soul and all his happiness and therefore he may well call as Elisha did shut the door and keep him out Many Saints who died violent and cruel deaths yet gave their very enemies cause to admire their patience They wearied out their bloody Persecutors by their meekness and patience Bonner said of the Martyrs in Queen Marys days A vengeance on them I think they love to burn When that old Disciple Policarp came to the stake at which he was burnt to death he desired to stand untied saying Let me alone for he that gave me strength to come to the fire will give me patience to endure the flame without your tying Cassianus with admirable meekness suffered a cruel Martyrdom from his own Scholars who at the command of the barbarous Tyrant became his Executioners some with their Pen Knives pricking and lancing his flesh others casting stones at him till they had killed him Eulaliae a chast virgin of a noble Family in Portugal being for a time kept close by her Parents for fear her bold Profession should cause her death one night getting from them and appearing before the Tribunal of Maximnus she was for refusing to sacrifice to his Idols Executed in this manner first two Hangmen with all their might rent her joynts in sunder then her flesh was scratched from her sides with the Talons of Wild Beasts and hot burning Torches were set to her sides which ended her life A Christian should also exercise patience and submission to Gods will under his pain It is the rule of Hippocrates that that sickness is most dangerous in which the sick man alters his countenance Undoubtedly its ill and unbecomming Christianity when men who in health are mild and meek in sickness are altered to be peevish and passionate that their relations and attendants who pity their pain and pray for their ease and watch and work night and day to serve them are requited with harsh words and fretful returns Cajus Marius suffered the veins of his legs to be cut out for the cure of his Gout and never shrunk for it The Grecians were cowardly in their encounters with men but valiant and patient in their conflicts with diseases Master Ieremiah Whitaker who on his death-bed had dreadful fits of the stone bore them with maâ—vellous patience often turning up his eyes to Heaven and saying Blessed be God this is not Hell The Saint who is in covenant with God and hath engaged himself to God to submit to all his providences and hath God engaged to him to lay no more upon him then he will enable him to bear may well with patience endure the divine pleasure Vincentius a Spaniard who was Martyred at Valence under Dacianus the President of the cruel Tyrant Dioclestan was used in this manner first he was laid upon the wrack and all the joynts of his body distended till they crackt again then all the members of his body were pierced and indented with deadly wounds then they vexed and tore his flesh with Iron Combs sharply filed then they laid his body on an Iron grate and when they had opened his flesh with Iron Hooks they seared it with fiery Plates sprinkling the same with hot burning Salt last of all they cast him into a vile Dungeon the floor whereof was first thick spread with the sharpest shells that might be gotten his feet then being fast locked in the stocks there he was left alone till he died all which he endured without murmuring or complaining and according to his name Vincentius was over all a Conquerour And shall not Christians who dye in their Beds in peace with much less pain be patient Many who knew not God did look on death as a favour and one of the greatest which their Gods could bestow on them Agamedes and Trophonius having built the Temple of Apollo asked of that God a reward for their service They were answered that within seven days they should be bountifully paid for their pains at the end of which time they dyed in a sleep One of Caesars crazed Souldiers desired the favour of the Emperor to have leave to kill himself Especially the thoughts of the happy issue of the most painful sickness and death to a Child of God may as the wood thrown into the bitter waters of Marah make them sweet unto him Some chuse to be cut rather then to be daily tortured with the stone though they know that cutting will put them to much pain because they hope that cutting will cure them of their distemper When a Gaoler knocks off a Prisoners Fetters and Bolts though it puts him to much more pain then the constant wearing them though every blow goeth to his heart yet he flincheth not he complaineth not because he knoweth his future ease will make amends for his present pain Christians are here fettered with sin and misery which constantly grate upon their spirits Death is the Gaoler to knock of their shackles and let them into the glorious liberty of the Sons of God what though it put them to much pain they may bear it with much patience knowing that it will end in eternal pleasures Though an Hypocrite like a piece of Brass when stricken with the Hammer of Sickness or Death maketh a sharp and irksome noise with impatience and breaketh in peices is undone for ever yet the sincere soul as a piece of Gold when so smitten may sound sweetly and be pliable True Gold may be stretcht out in length and breadth in thin and fine leaves as you please Now Reader that thou mayst thus glorifie thy God credit thy profession further thine account and advantage others by thy death it is requisite that thou be always ready for it The Qâ—arter-day never comes amiss to him that hath always his Rent
of Christ do all give thee daily occasion to mingle thy bread with ashes and thy drink with weeping What is this world that thou art so fond of it Thy God calls it a Sea of glass mingled with fire Rev. 15. 2. A Sea for its turbulency it s never at rest but ebbs and flows continually though sometimes more sometimes less Its work is to bubble up mire and dirt especially on them who are chosen out of the world A Sea of glass for its fragility All its pomp and pride on a sudden vanisheth Glass is both easily and irrecoverably broken in peices A Sea of glass mingled with fire for the fiery and dreadful miseries that befal men in it All its apparent comforts are mingled with real crosses In Heaven there is solace without the least grain of sorrow In Hell there is mourning without the smallest dram of mirth but on Earth there is no estate without mixture The Saints have joy in God but if need be they are in heaviness through manifold tribulations 1 Pet. 1. 6. The merry sinners in the midst of their pleasures have their hearts heavy Some of the wiser Heathen were so sensible of humane miseries that one of them when Ancient told his Scholar that if it were offered him to be young again he would not accept if Saints of all men must expect a large draught of sufferings The world is their enemy and raiseth all its forces against them If I be a Disciple I must look to follow my Master in bearing his Cross O my soul why shouldst thou hug that which hates thee and doat on this world which is neither a fit match for thee as being unsutable to thy nature nor if she were can be faithful to thee being made up of wavering and inconstancy Or secondly Is it the pain of death that thou art so frighted at Surely the fear of it is the greatest torment How many have felt greater pain in divers diseases as in the Stone or Strangury or Collick then in a dying hour Some of Gods Children have felt very little pain in the judgement of those that have seen them dying The waters of Jordan though rough to others have stood still when the Ark was to pass over But though I were sure my pain should be sharp yet I am as sure it shall be short In a moment in the twinckling of an eye I shall be transported over the gulp of misery into endless glory My pangs will be almost as soon gone as come Sorrow will endure but for a short night joy will come in the morning If I were assured of a great purchase made for me in Spain or Turky which upon my first comming over I should enjoy would I not adventure a passage through the boistrous Ocean to take possession My Saviour hath made a larger a better purchase for me in Heaven He is gone before to prepare a place for me My passage thither though it may be more painful is less perillous It s impossible for me to miscarry in it O why am I so slothful to go in and possess the good Land Surely the pleasures of the end may well sweeten the ways to it were they never so bitter With what chearfulness do some women undergo their sharp throws and hard labours supported with this cordial that a child shall thereby be born to them O how infinitely inferiour is the joy of a man child brought forth into this world to the joy of a sanctified soul brought out of this world into Heaven Again I have a tender Father who knoweth my frame and will lay no more upon me living or dying then he will enable me to bear He hath said it I will never leave thee nor forsake thee O my soul thou hast little reason to dread a contest with this enemy for this cause Thou mayst contentedly undergo a little pain to go to thy dearest Lord when many a sinner hath suffered greater to satisfie his hellish lust Thirdly Is it thy future condition that makes thee unwilling to dye Dost thou not know that death is thy portal through which thou shalt pass into the true Paradise It s the straight gate through which thou shalt enter into life Though its the wicked mans shipwrack which swalloweth him up in an Ocean of wrath and torment yet it s the Saints putting into harbour where he is received with the greatest acclamation and richest welcom imaginable Travellers who have met with many dangers and troubles in their journeys rejoyce when they come near their own Country I am a Pilgrim here and used or rather abused as a stranger shall I not be glad when I come near my blessed home my eternal happy habitation Children in some parts when they first behold the Stork the messenger of the Spring testifie their joy with pleasant and loud shoutings O why shouldst not thou lift up thy head with joy when sickness the fore-runner of death is come to bring thee tidings that the Winter of thy misery and cold and hardships is past and the Summer of thine eternal light and joy and pleasure is at hand Thy death may well be a Free-will-offering considering that though the ashes of the sacrifice thy body fall to the earth yet that divine flame thy immortal spirit shall ascend to Heaven In death nothing dyeth of thee but what thou mayst well spare thy sin and sorrows When the house is pulled to peices all those Ivy roots in the wall shall be destroyed The Egg-shell must be broken that the little chick may slip out Thy body must be dissolved that thy â—oul may be delivered Yet thy body doth not dye but sleep in the bed of the grave till the morning of the resurrection That outward apparel shall not be utterly consumed by the moth of time but lockt up safe as in a chest to be new trimmed and gloriously adorned above the Sun in his greatest lustre and put on again when thou shalt awake in the morning never never to put off more O that I could so live that I might not only be always ready but also when God calls me desirous to dye If I borrow any thing of my Neighbour I pay it back with thanks My life is Gods he lends it me for a time Why should I not when he calls for it restore it with thanks that he hath been pleased to lend it me so long Lord thy Children love thee dearly and believe that when they come home to thee thou wilt entertain them kindly yet their flesh like Lots Wife is still â—ankering after the Sodom of this World and loath they are to leave it though it be for their exceeding gain Give thy servant such true faith in thy Son that I may neither love life nor fear death immoderately but as the heart of Jacob revived when he saw the Wagons which Joseph sent to fetch him to Egypt so my heart may leap for joy to behold the heavenly Chariot which the Son of
home when thou art neither Master of thy time nor reason nor of thy natural abilities much less of supernatural grace which is indispensably requisite to this great work O that since I must dye once for sin I might dye daily to sin and as the Philistines that they might the better deal with Sampson cut off his Hair wherein his great strength lay so that I may the better deal with death I may by faith and repentance daily cut off and destroy sin wherein the strength of death lieth May I not say to thee O my soul as Joshua to Israel Prepare ye victuals for within three days ye shall pass over this Iordan to go to possess the Land which the Lord your God giveth you Prepare the spiritual food the flesh of Christ which is meat indeed and the blood of Christ which is drink indeed an heart weaned from the world longing to be with God for within a few days thou shalt go in to possess the land of promise Lord I know nothing more certain then death Sin hath deserved it my brittle body inforceth it thou hast decreed it and none can prevent it I know nothing more uncertain then the time when or the manner how Thou hast many ways and means to bring me to my grave not onely ordinary distempers of my body but thousands of casual dangers I cannot promise my self freedom from it in any place or condition Death may seise me abroad at home in company in solitude at bed at board Why should I not always provide for that extremity that enemy which I cannot avoid Why should I not ever be ready for that which may come at any time and will come at some time or other Surely I do not hasten my death by preparing for it but sweeten it exceedingly I â—hall not dye a moment the sooner but infinitely the better Should death overtake me in my sins alas where am I what will become of me for ever I may well salute it as Ahab Elijah with Hast thou found me O mine enemy for t will come to me as the Prophet to that King with doleful dreadful tidings T will bring me news of a dismal dungeon of darkness to be my habitation of Lyons and Scorpions and Dragons to be my companions of a never dying worm an unquenchable fire pure wrath without mixture full torments without measure to be my portion for ever and ever O teach me so to live above this vain empty life so to be crucified to this world so to make my peace with thy Majesty through the great peace-maker and Prince of Peace my Lord Iesus so to set my heart and house my spiritual and temporal concernments in order that I may be delivered from the paw of the Lyon from the teeth of this monster from the sting of this Serpent and though my body be destroyed yet my soul may escape as a bird out of the snare of the Fowler and mount up to thy self to enjoy that happy life which shall know no death I Wish that all the days of my appointed time I may exercise my self herein to keep a conscience void of offence towards God and towards all men There are but two which can afford me real comfort in a dying hour which always take the same side and joyn together God and my conscience Humane friends often stand afar off when they should be most near and I have most need Some of them are loth to come to a sick mans chamber Mournful objects must not disturb their jollity and mirth They are sworn enemies to sorrowful occasions and baniâ—h such foes their quarters or themselves from such coasts Others if they come to visit me love not to see my gastly countenance like not to hear my deep and deadly groans But be they never so full of pity they can onely sympathize with me they cannot relieve refresh me The most they can do is to accompany me to my grave and there they leave me But O the comfort which a loving God and a conscience sprinkled with the blood of Christ and purged from dead works will afford me in a dying hour The smiles of a God and chearings of a good conscience will be musick indeed to welcom me to the shoar after all my tumblings and tossings in this tempestuous Ocean They will make my bed in my sickness help me to lye easie hearten me in my sighs and groans be my feast at my funeral bid me Be of good chear for my sins are forgiven me tell me that my Redeemer liveth and because he liveth I shall live also lodge my body in a grave as in a Bed of Spices and convey my soul into my Saviours Bosome and Embraces when my Houses Lands Honours Friends Wife Children leave me they will cleave to me nay when my breath life heart flesh forsake me they will not fail me yea when faith hope patience repentance shall bid me farewel weeping as Orpah did Ruth these like Naomi will stick to me go with me and seek rest for me O that my heart may be so upright in the service of my God that when I â—hall receive the sentence of death I may be able to say with good Hezekiah Remember now I beseech thee O Lord how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart and have done that which is good in thy sight O my soul what a friend shouldst thou be to thy God thy conscience how faithful to their warnings now in life if thou wouldst have them thy friends at death Hereby thou mayst be able to triumph in that hour of temptation to defie death it self and bid it do its worst Though it be the common gate through which the sinner goeth into prison where he meets with Chains and Fetters and cold and all sorts of miseries yet thou shalt go through it into the Kings Pallace where thou shalt have rivers of pleasures and 〈◊〉 entertainment If Jacob went down so joyfully 〈◊〉 Egypt when God had said to him fear not to go down for I will go down with thee and I will bring thee up again What needest thou fear to go down into the Grave when thy God hath undertaken to go down with thee thither and to bring thee up again Thy body may be turned into dust but thy God is in Covenant with thy dust and thy head the blessed Redeemer will not suffer one muscle or nerve or artery or vein of any of his members to be lost With what chearfulness mayst thou take thy leave of thy body Farewel sweet body thou hast been in some measure faithful to thy soul in the service of thy Lord Farewel I must bid thee goodâ—night till the morning of the resurrection Be thou content to go to bed and sleep in the dust and rest in hope for though after the skin wormes destroy this body yet in my flesh â—hall I see God Whom I shall see for my self and mine eyes shall behold him and
so often to remember his latter end because the meditation of it is so gainful to him The first day man was made he was called to think of his last day God minded him of death in the Tree of Knowledge and the threatning annexed to the Prohibition that he might thereby keep him from sin Satan could not prevail with Eve to taste of that killing fruit till he had prevailed with her to distrust that threatning of death ye shall not surely dye Gen. 3. 4. After the fall God reneweth this meditation by turning the conditional into an absolute commination Dust thou art and to Dust thou shalt return and though the Holy Ghost omitteth many particulars about Gods carriage with the long-lived Patriarchs and their holy conversation before him yet he is exact in registring their deaths And he died and he died of every one Gen. 5. to quicken us to fear God because we are but dying frail men There is hardly any thing about which we deal but God gives us by it a Memento of Death Our Cloaths are all fetcht out of Deaths wardrobe our food out of deaths shambles The Sun is an emblem of lifes posting the night of the chambers of darkness the year hath its autumn the day its night Our candles should mind us of the wasting of our days the evening of the shadow of death our undressing of our putting off our earthly tabernacles and our lying down in our beds of our lying down in our graves If thou wouldst make Religion thy business and main work think often and seriously of thy death and departure of this world He that guides and steers the ship aright sits in the stern or hinderâ— most part of it He that would order his works his way according to God must be frequent in the meditation of his end The end of his days must be at the end of all his thoughts Zeno Cittiaeus consulted with the Oracle how he might live well and received this answer If he would be of the same colour with the dead Reader if thou wouldst live much and well get thy heart as much affected with godliness in health as it will be in sickness Have the same thoughts of it the same seriousness about it the very same carriage towards it whilst the world salutes thee with its smiling face and bewitching features which thou wilt wish thou hadst had when thou shalt come to take thy leave of it and lye upon thy dying bed Be of the same colour with the dead O what thoughts have the dead of godliness and of making it ones business The dead in Christ and the dead out of Christ have both other manner of thoughts of Religion and making it ones occupation then thou canst possibly imagine Those who while they live delay repentance and dally about Religion minding it as if they minded it not who neither in their dealings with men nor duties towards God nor in their relations nor vocations make it their business but mispend their precious time misimploy their weighty talents neglect God and their eternal welfares as if they had not been made to mind either when they come to dye and perceive in good earnest that that surly Serjeant Death will not be denyed but away they must go into the other world and fare well or ill for ever according as their hearts and lives have been godly or ungodly good or bad here good Lord what thoughts have they then of godliness How hearty are their wishes that they had made it their business What Worlds would they give that Religion had been their principal work What prayers and tears do they poure out for a few days to mind it in What sighs and sobs and groans that they have neglected it so long What purposes do they take up what promises do they make if God spare them to follow hard after holiness and make it their onely business A Philosopher asking Euchrites which of the two he had rather be Craesus one of the richest and most vicious in the world or Socrates one of the poorest and most vertuous Eucrites answered Craesus vivens Socrates moriens Craesus while he lived and Socrates when he dyed The Cuckoe when wearing away changeth her noat The worst men when they come to dye alter and change exceedingly It is worthy our observation that those who are greatest strangers to death are most familiar with the works of darkness No place abounds more in Wolves no person in wickedness then where this Mastiff is wanting Jerusalem hath greivously sinned her filthiness is in her skirts she remembreth not her last end therefore she came down wonderfully 1 Lamen 8. 9. Jerusalem hath greivously sinned hath sinned sin Heb. Hath committed a great or greivous sin so the Chaldee Behold here the colour of her sin is was not of an ordinary dye but of a black a bloody an heinous nature Her filthiness is in her skirts Lo here her carriage after her sinning she made of it an open shew so far was she from shame It is a term taken from prostituted Strumpets or monstrous women saith Diodat The outward looks of the former bewray her inward lusts and the marks of the latters defilement are visible on her garment thus the shew of Ierusalems countenance did publiquely evidence her crime She did as clearly by her skirts proclaim her filth as if it had been written on her face and engraven on her forehead Here was impiety in her practice Ierusalem hath greivously sinned and impudency to purpose Her filthiness is in her skirts But what dust was that which bred such vermine what polluted seed was that which begat such a poisonous serpent Reader if thou wouldst know the Mother which brought forth and bred up this ugly Monster She remembreth not her last end therefore she came down mightily It was her forgetfulness of death which nourished and cherished her wicked deeds They who mind not their reckoning care not how much they riot and revel They who put far away the evil day cause the seat of violence to come near Amos 6. 3. The further we drive death from our thoughts the nearer we draw to sin They who fancy their foe to be very far off will not prepare and make ready to fight Men that are young do not consider that the old Ass often carrieth the skin of the young to the Market that death comes like a Thunderbolt and Lightning and blasteth the green corn and consumeth the strongest buildings if they did they would flee youthful lusts He who seeth death at his door will be most diligent about his duty A serious consideration of the death of the body will be a soveraign though a sharp medicine to kill the body of death The Naturalists tell us that the ashes of a Viper applied to the part which is stung draweth the venome out of it They who look on themselves as Pilgrims and strangers will abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the
reversed but stand for ever In this world God judgeth men sometimes mediately sometimes immediately which is the first judgement from which men may appeal by repentance to his mercy-seat but this the last judgement once for all once for ever in which men receive their final their eternal doom Ioh. 11. 24. Here Iacob appeals from Laban to an higher tribunal Gen. 31. 53. And David from Saul to the King of Kings The Lord judge between me and tâ—ee 1 Sam. 24. 12. Psa. 17. 2. And Paul appeals from Festus to Caesar I stand at Caesars judgement seat Act. 25. 10. But then there can be no appeal to an higher Court no writ of error can be brought no arrest of judgement no second hearing obtained The sinner condemned to eternal death then is gone for ever no pardon no not so much as a Reprieve can be procured for one hour The Saint absolved and declared an heir of eternal life is blessed for ever he shall be beyond all fear all doubts in himself above all shot all opposition from others In this life Niniveh was threatned Niniveh repented and Niniveh was â—pared the sentence pronounced was not executed at least it was respited but then every sinner will repent weep and wail but repentance will be hid from the eyes of the Judge all their tears will be in vain when they are cast then they are gone for ever To provoke thee to holiness 4. Consider The felicity of the godly at that day O with what joy will they lift up their heads when that day of their redemption is come This life is the day of their oppression and persecution but that day will be the day of their redemption At this day they are troubled and vexed with a tempting Devil and deceitful hearts and false proud unbeleiving flesh but that will be the day of their redemption from them all No wonder they love the appearing of Christ and look and long for his appearing when it will be the day of their redemption and time of their refreshing â—rom the presence of the Lord. When thousands and millions shall howl and lament When the Oratour will be silenced and have his mouth stopped When the Souldier that durst venture into the mouth of the Cannon and dare death it self shall play the Coward and seek for any hole to hide himself in when the Captains and Kings and Nobles shall call to the Rocks to fall on them and the Mountains to cover them from the presence of the Lord and the wrath of the Lamb even then the godly shall sing and rejoyce 1. Their godliness will then be mentioned to their eternal honour As God hath a bag for mens sins Thou sealest up mine iniquities in a bag so he hath a book for their services A book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord and thought upon his name Then all their prayers and tears their watchings fastings faith love zeal patience almes imprisonment loss of goods name liberty life for Christ and the Gospel will be manifested to their honour and praise and glory at the coming of Christ 1 Pet. 1. 7. Mat. 25. 34 53. 2. Their names will be then vindicated With the resurrection of bodies there shall also be a resurrection of names Now indeed the throats of wicked men are open Sepulchres wherein the credit of the godly is buried Ioseph is an Adulterer Nehemiah a Traytour Ieremiah a Rebel against the King Paul a mover of sedition a pestilent fellow and one that turned Christian for spite because the High Priest would not give him his Daughter in Marriage but when the Sea and Death and Hell shall give up their dead then shall the throats the open Sepulchres of wicked men give up the names of the godly Then their righteousness shall be cleared as the Sun and their uprightness as the noon day 3. Their persons shall be then publiquely acquitted They shall be cleared by publique proclamation before God Angels and Men. Hence it 's said Their sins shall be blotted out when the time of refreshment shall come from the presence of the Lord. The sentence of Absolution passed in their conscience by the Spirit at this day is sweet and puts more joy into their hearts then if all the Crowns and Scepters of this world had befallen them but O how comfortable will it be to be declared just by the Judge himself before the whole world at that solemn and imperial day They may then ring that challenge Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect Rom. 8. 33. And none will accept it or take up the Gantlet Who Shall God whose Children and Chosen they are No It is God that justifieth Shall the Iudge No It is his undertaken-work to present them to the Father without spot or wrinckle or any such thing He hath washed them in his own blood and made them as white as innocent Adam or Angels He was judged for them and will not passe judgement against them He cannot condemne them but he must condemne himself for they are his members his body his brethren bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh Shall the Law No They have fully answered all its demands superabundantly satisfied it through their surety both in perfect obedience to all its precepts and undergoing its punishment What the Law saith either in regard of commanding compleat subjection or cursing for the omission of it it saith to them that are under the Law but they are not under the Law but under Grace Shall Conscience No Next to God and Christ its their best friend as Christ pleads for them to his father so Conscience pleads for them to themselves This is their rejoycing the testimony of good Consciences that in simplicity and godly sincerity they had their conversations in this world 2 Cor. 1. 12. Shall Satan No The accuser of the brethren will be then cast down and his place will be found no more in Heaven then then those blessed promises will be performed The seed of the Woman shall break the Serpents head and the God of peace shall tread Satan under your feet 4. The Saints happiness will be then perfected and he shall never know more what sin or sorrow meaneth or what want of Gods favour or doubt of Christs love or defect of joy and comfort meaneth The Christian hath so much laid out upon him in this world Vocation Adoption Pardon Peace Joy in the Holy Ghost hopes of Glory that in the worst condition that Men and Devils can plunge him into he finds cause to say Yet God is good to Israel to them that are of a clean heart but then when he shall enjoy all that is laid up for him and know the full extent of Gods promises to him the all of Christs purchase for him and the utmost reward of his piety then surely he will cry out with the Psalmist O how great is that goodness which thou hast laid up for them
defence Though others like the old world are drowned are destroyed in these waters yet thou shouldst ride safely in a well pitcht Ark and to free thee from any fear of miscarrying the Lord himself would shut thee in When others are in the open air on whom storms and tempests have their full force thou shouldst be housed in Gods presence-chamber and kept secret by his side As Gideons fleece thou shouldst be dry when all about thee are wet The whale of destruction may digest thousands of Mariners but one godly Ionah is too hard for him The torrent of fire that ran from AEtna and consumed the Country yet parted it self to safeguard them that releived their aged parents When the Grecians had taken Troy and given every man liberty to carry out his burden they were so taken with the devotion of AEneas in carrying out first his houshold gods and upon a second licence his old Father Anchises and his Son Ascanius instead of treasures which others carried out that they permitted him to carry what he would without any disturbance Ieremiah in the Babylonish captivity was tendered and regarded highly by the King of Babylon When Sodom was destroyed Lot was preserved It was storied of Troy that so long as the Image of Pallas stood safe in it that City should never be won It is true of godliness so long as the fear and love of thy God are within thee so long as thou makest religion thy business nothing shall hurt thee every thing shall help thee godliness will bring in all gain and at all times No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly A Child of God by adoption is in some sense like the Son of God by eternal generation heir of all things 1 Cor. 3.30 31. Whether Paul or Apollo or Cephas or Life or Death or things present or things to come all is yours and ye are Christ's and Christ is God's Nay the Christians riches are not onely unsearchable Ephes. 3. 8. but also durable Prov. 8. 15. When a wicked man dieth all his riches dye with him His treasue is laid up on earth therefore when he leaves the earth he leaves his treasure Psa. 49. 17. When a godly man dyeth his riches follow him Rev. 14. 13. His treasure is in heaven and so when he dyeth he goeth to his gains O Reader what an argument is here to provoke thee to piety godliness is profitable in all conditions in all relations in both worlds In prosperity t will be a sun to direct thee in adversity a shield to protect thee in life t will be thy comfort and which is infinitely more in death that hour of need 't will be thy enlivening cordial The smell of Trefoil is stronger in a cloudy dark season then in fair weather The refreshing savour of the sweet spices of grace is strongest in the Saints greatest necessities When Death the King of terrors comes to enter the list and fight with thee for thy soul and eternal salvation for thy God and Christ and Heaven and happiness when all thy Riches and Honours and Friends and Relations would leave thee in the lurch to shift for thy self as Dogs leave their Master when he comes to the water Godliness would be thy shield to secure thee against its shot and make thee more then a conquerour over it Thou mightest call thy dying bed as Iacob the place through which he travailed Mahanaim a Camp for there Angels would meet thee to convey thee safe through the Air the enemies country of which Satan is Lord and Prince to thy Fathers houses where thou shouldst be infinitely blessed in the vision and fruition of thy God and Saviour for ever Godliness would be the Pilot to steer the vessel of thy soul aright through those boysterous waters to an happy port The Arabick Fable mentions one that carried an Hog a Goat and a Sheep to the City the Hog roared hideously when the other two were still and quiet and being asked the reason gave this account of her crying The Sheep and Goat have no such cause to complain for they are carried to the City for their Milk but I am carried thither to be killed being good for nothing else The Ungodly person may well cry out sadly when sickness comes for then guilt flyeth in his face and conscience tells him death will kill him he is good for nothing but to be killed with death Rev. 2.25 he never honoured God in this world and God will force honour out of him in the other world He may well screech out dreadfully at the approach of death whose body death sends to the grave and his souls to intolerable and unquenchable flames but the godly man may bid death welcom knowing it will be his exceeding gain and advantage Reader When others like the Israelites are afraid and start back at the sight of this Goliah thou mightest like little David encounter him in the name of the Lord and overcome him Thou mightest triumphantly sing in the ears of death O death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victory The Lord of life would sweeten death to thee and subdue it for thee nay make it at peace with thee that thou mightest say to death as Iacob to Esau I have seen thy face as if it had been the face of God who hath made thee to meet me with smiles instead of frowns Death would help thee to that sight to that knowledge to that state and degree of holiness for which thou hast prayed and wept and fasted and watched and laboured and waited many a day as it s said of Iob there was none like him in the earth so I may say of this calling there is none like it upon the face of the earth the very enemies of it in their hours of extremity being judges Ah who would not work for God with the greatest diligence and walk with God in the exactest obedience and wait upon God with the greatest patience when he is assured that in the doing of his commands there is such great reward and those that sow to the spirit shall of the spirit reap life everlasting The Conclusion Reader I have now ended this Treatise but whether thou if a stranger to this calling wilt put an end to thy carnal fleshly ways and begin this high and heavenly work or no I know not If thou art ambitious thou hast here encouragement sufficient godliness will ennoble thee and render thy blood not only honourable but royal If thou art voluptuous here is a bait which may take thee godliness will bring thee to a river of pleasures to such dainties and delights as take the hearts of perfect and glorious Angels If thou art covetous here is a golden weight to turn the scales of thy desires and endeavours godliness is profitable unto all things it hath the promise of this life and of that which is to come when thy house and lands and honours and neighbours and
which is so great a friend to me Can I be so unworthy as to cause others to trample this great favourite at heavens Court under their feet Hath not the polluting thy name been the argument which I have sometimes used for the perdition of thine enemies I have cried to thee Remember this that the enemy hath reproached O Lord and that the foolish people have blasphemed thy name and shall I be guilty of that which I plead as a reason for others ruine Again My dayly prayer is Hallowed be thy name and shall my practices give my prayer the lye and prophane it Should I cheat and cozen as the men of the world my great profession would cause my sin like a Cart heavy laden to make deep furrows into which many might trip and fall How ordinary is it for Egyptians to follow the dark side of the Israelites Pillar to their perdition Foolish man that I am is not the burthen of my own sins already intolerable and shall I add to them by being partaker of other mens sins Is the River of wrath due to me so low so little that I must invite streams from every place to swell it into an Ocean O that for my own sake for the sake of other men and especially for thy sake I may order all my ways by thy word Lord preserve me by thy Spirit that I may never lay a stumbling block before the wicked nor as the unbeleiving spies by my distrust of thy providence and using indirect courses to releive my family bring an ill report upon the good Land Assist me that I may look not onely to the power of Religion but also the honour of Religion Let thy grace ever accompany me and enable me to keep a conscience void of guile before thee and a conversation so void of guilt before men that whereas they speak against me as an evil doer they may be ashamed at this day and may by my good works which they shall behold glorifie God in the day of visitation I Wish that I may look to the righteousness of my actions as well as to the righteousness of my person and never think that my house can be firm if it be built upon the rotten foundation of injustice My God hath said Wo be to him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness and his Chambers by wrong As high as my house is raised and as sure as it is seated the breath of this curse will blow it down Though my estate seem never so fair yet how easily and how speedily may this scorching curse cause it to fade and to wither in my hand as a flower Have not mine eyes beheld the ruines of some stately dwellings which have been built upon rapine Unrighteousness like Rabbits in some Countrys hath undermined the foundations and overturned the buildings and shall mine escape Whether I will believe it or no â— My God hath spoken that unjust gain will prove my own loss and he will see it accomplished Whatsoever fine terms I may call my cheating by as an Art in my Trade or the Mystery of my Calling yet my God counts it Theft and me for it but a Thief Though I may put a fair colour upon my false dealing yet he forbids it under the plain censure of stealing Thou shalt not steal And O how great a Theif am I if I be guilty of this in my ordinary dealings I wrong my Neighbours that trade with me and that most Hypocritically under the pretence of doing them right To kill a man in the field by force is wicked but to poison him at my Table by fraud is worse because in this latter I pretend friendship To rob on the High-way by open power is greivous but to rob in my Shop by this hellish policy is more odious for I wrong one that is my friend and in such a way that he hath no means to help himself The Righteous God saith My hands are full of blood not onely when I murther a mans person and take away his life but also when I injure a mans portion and take away his lively-hood Such unjust persons must expect sore punishments The Law of man punisheth Cheats in some measure but the Law of the jealous God is more severe to such Iuglers as endeavour to unglue the whole worlds frame knit together onely by commerce and contracts I rob my own family as well as my Neighbours He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house False dealing like Fire consumes what comes near it My Children were better be left beggars then heirs of those riches which I have got by robbery What is well gotten will faâ—e the worse for the Neighbourhood of my ill gotten wealth This as a rotten sheep will infect the sound flock Whilst I am digging deep to lay the foundation of my house sure I do but lay in barrels of powder to blow it up I rob my own soul most of all by my unrighteousness How ill is that gain which causeth the loss of my God! How cheap do I sell those wares with which I buy endless and intollerable wo How dear do I buy that silver for which I sell my inestimable soul and salvation Ah what an ill Market doth he make that puts off his soul at any price If it be unprofitable to gain the whole world and lose my own soul what a fool what a mad man am I to set my soul to sale for a very small part of the world Into what a miserable Dilemma doth my deceitful dealing bring me Either I must repent and vomit it up which will tear and wrack my very heart or else I must burn for ever in hell O that I might never â—e so bereaved of my wits as to touch or meddle with such distracting wealth Lord thou hast informed me that A little which the righteous man hath is better then the possessions of many wicked that better is a little with righteousness then great revenues without right I know that the comfort of my life doth not depend upon a confluence of outward good things but upon thy love and good-will towards me Let me rather choose the greatest want then riches from Satans hands and in Hells way Be thou pleased to sparkle my little with the precious diamond of thy love and then t will be better indeed then the riches of many wicked yea more worth then all the World I Wish that in my buying and selling I might ever have an eye to the ballance of the Sanctuary My person must be tried by Scripture at the last day for my everlasting life and death and shall not my actions be squared by it at this day How sad a bargain should I make if I should buy my own bane What a dreadful trade should I drive to sell like that Son of Perdition the incomparable Saviour for a little corruptible silver Is that wealth worth getting which will make way for eternal want Though my heapes
swell never so much by unlawful means yet t is but like the swelling of the dropsie a presage of death O my soul what will it avail thee to be rich here and to be a beggar hereafter and that for ever Thou pretendest to purity but thy God tells thee that holiness and righteousness are like Husband and Wife joyned by him together and none may part them asunder Thou art unsound in all thy sacred duties if thou art unrighteous in thy civil dealings When the unjust dealer is cast into the unquenchable fire what will become of the great Professour What is the hope of the Hypocrite though he hath gained when God shall take away his soul Iob 27. 8. When the Thief is taken and carried to the Goal all the money he hath stollen is taken from him When Death seiseth thee and sendeth thee to the Prison of Hell all thy ill gotten goods must be left behind When thou art lost eternally what will become of thy unjust gains Thy Children may be ranting with it on Earth and thou art roaring for it in Hell Ah! what dear contracts dost thou make to sell thy present peace and thy future endless joy for a little perishing pelfe The comfort of thy life now consisteth in communion with thy God but he that saith He hath fellowship with God and walketh in darkness is a lyar 1 Ioh. 1. 6. Thy God hates to taste of those Waters which run out of such musâ—y Vessels Muchless will he suffer any of such rotten hearts and stinking breaths to draw neer to him in Heaven Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God 1 Cor. 6. 9. No such Cattel shall ever come into the Celestial Court Unrighteous Heathens shall be shut out of Heaven and surely then unrighteous Christians shall be cast into the lowest Hell O let the fear of thy God ever possess thee that the love of this World may never pollute thee Manifest thy love to thy Saviour by loving thy Neighbour as thy self Blessed God who lovest righteousness and hatest iniquity the Scepter of whose Kingdom is a righteous Scepter who wilt render unto every man his righteousness and who hast appeared to me by that grace which teacheth me to deny all ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live righteously in this present evil world Let thy good Spirit fill me with all the fruits of righteousness Do thou so lead me in the paths of equity for thy names sake that I may follow after righteousness and inherit a â—ure reward I Wish that I may be righteous in every relation wherein I stand and towards all persons with whom I deal that I may give to Superiours the things that are theirs to Inferiours the things that are theirs lest by denying either I rob all My God is no respecter of persons but just in all his ways and righteous in all his works When shall I imitate his blessed Majesty He tells me Blessed are they that keep judgment and he that doth righteousness at all times If I expect the blessing propounded I must mind the righteousness enjoyned and that is to be righteous at all seasons O my soul what encouragement hast thou to do justly upon all occasions thy righteousness shall have a large recompence Thy Children may fare the better The just man walketh in his integrity and his Children are blessed after him Nay thy whole Family The voice of joy and Salvation is in the Tabernacle of the righteous Whereas thou mayst fear that thy plain dealing may bring thee and thine to poverty thou bast his promise that he will make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous Above all thou thy self wilt have the greatest solace Thy righteousness shall answer for thee in time to come and whereas the dishonest wealth of others is a corroding worm to gnaw their consciences thy justice will afford thee present comfort In the transgression of an evil man there is a snare but the righteous doth sing and rejoyce Prov. 29. 6. Ah! who would not sow righteousness when he shall certainly reap so much mercy Though others as if they had pitchy hands take to themselves whatsoever they touch to the defiling of their own souls and like whirlpools suck in all that comes neer them to their own destruction do thou mete out all thy dealings by that royal measure Whatsoever thou wouldst that men should do to thee do the same to them for this is the Law and the Prophets When thou art buying or selling or about any bargain with thy Neighbour reflect upon thy self Would I be glad to be thus dealt with Were I in this mans case would I be willing that he should serve me as I serve him Am I as plain-hearted as true as just in my carriage towards him as I would desire him to be in his trading with me Would I be contented to be defrauded should I take it well to be defamed Is this action of mine such as I could be contented to receive the like Do I in this business love my Neighbour as my self Lord who hast promised that the righteous shall be had in everlasting remembrance in this world and shall shine as the Sun in the other world and who hast put the unrighteous and lovers of themselves in the front of that black list which is for the unquenchable fire do thou deliver me out of the hands of mine enemies that I may serve thee in holiness and righteousness all the days of my life I Wish that I may mind righteousness in my words as well as in my works and not dare to hide deceitful and foul intentions under fair and fawning expressions To say what is true and to be true to what I say is the property of a true Christian My God is a God that cannot lye his people are a people that will not lye If I therefore be found a lyar how unlike am I both to God and his people Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord but they that deal truly are his delight Though lying lips may be perfumed with sweet words to men yet God smells the stench and loatheth the ill savour of those rotten inwards whence they proceed And though truth may beget hatred from men such sweet breath is his love and delight He is the God of truth His Law is the truth His Gospel is the word of truth His Son is the true and faithful Witness O that truth of heart truth of words and truth in deeds may be all in me which are so agreeable to the true God and so acceptable to the God of truth Can that tongue lye so loud to men which even now called so loud on God Shall those hands be filching in my Neighbours pocket which were so lately lifted up to Heaven in prayer Is my speech given me for my glory and shall it be the driveling of a Divel that father of lyes Lord let
Joseph shall send to convey me to the true Goshen I Wish that I may with patience submit on my dying bed to the divine pleasure It hath been far from some Moralists to murmure either at the extremity of their sickness or the necessity of dying By impatience I do not help but rather kill my self before-hand It s the general lot of mankind to sickeâ— and dye Am I angry that I am a man that I am mortal Because I know that I must be sick and dye I know that I must submit The knowledge of an approaching evil is no small good if improved Though it cannot teach me to prevent it by all my power or providence yet it may teach me to prepare for it and to bear it with courage and patience Discontent and quarrelling are great arguments of guilt and a defiled conscience The harmless sheep conscious of their innocency do quietly receive the Knife either on the Altar or in the Shambles and give death entrance with small reluctancy when the filthy loathsom Swine roar horribly at their first handling and with hideous cries are haled and held to the fatal block The Children of God and members of Christ who are perfect through their head do often give up the Ghost and desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ when the souls of wicked men are required of them and they are strangely passionate at the approach of death and with dreadful screeches salute its Harbinger sickness O that patience might have its perfect work in me when I am taking my leave of it and its work is near an end Lord my heart is too prone to be impatient under thy hand though thou art infinitely wise as well as gracious and knowest what is best for me In my sickness turn mine eyes upon my sins that my discontent may be at my self for that which is the original of all my sorrows and then I shall never repine or murmur against thee I Wish that I may daily think of death and wait beleiving and repenting and working out my salvation till my change shall come My whole time is given me that therein I might prepare and dress my soul for my blessed eternal estate Why should it not be imployed for that end The Child who hath all day been diligent about his duty may expect his Fathers good word at night But what Master will give a reward to him in the evening who hath all the day long served his enemy My life is the seed which will yeild a crop of horror or comfort in an hour of death If that be good my Harvest will be glorious and joyful if that be sinful my Harvest will be bitter and sorrowful Do men gather Grapes of Thorns or Figs of Thistles The Grapes of comfort are not to be expected from the Thistles of corruption nor the Figs of peace from the thorns of impiety I should blush to commit to the keeping of a cleanly and considerable person a foul and filthy vessel With what face can I commend to the holy and glorious God an impure and polluted soul O how dreadful will it be to meet with my dying bed before I have met with the Lord of life and to be going out of the world before I have seriously considered why I came into it My great work in this world is to get my depraved nature healed by the blood and spirit of Christ ifâ— I forget my business when I have time to do it and trifle away my days in doing evil or doing nothing I lose my soul am unfaithful to my Master and deepen my judgement by the number of my days â— That Traveller may well be agast and perplexed who hath a long journey to go upon pain of death in one day for which the whole day is little enough and seeth the sun near setting before he hath begun his journey How ill doth the evening of my time and the morning of my taske accord together How justly may God reserve the dregs of his wrath for me if I reserve the dregs of myâ— days for him What folly am I guilty of in deferring my preparation for death If he be a ridiculous person that having choice of lusty horses should let them all go empty and lay an extraordinary heavy load upon a poor tired jade that is hardly able to go much more foolish is he that prodigally wasteth his youth and health and strength in the service of the flesh and the world and leaves the great and weighty affairs of his soul and eternity to be transacted on a sick or dying bed O my soul what little cause hast thou to future or delay thy solemn provision for the other world First thy life is uncertain thou hast not another day at thy disposal There are some creatures they say in Pontus whose life lasteth but one day They are born in the morning come to their full growth at noon grow old in the evening and dye at night What is thy life but a vapour that soon passeth away The first minute thou didst begin to live thou didst begin to dye Death was born when thou wast born the last act of life is but the completing of death As on thy birâ—hâ—day thou didst begin to dye so on the day of thy death thou dost cease to live How many outward accidents and inward diseases art thou every moment liable to May I not say to thee as Michael to David Save thy self to night for tomorrow thou shalt be slain Others have died suddenly by imposthumes or the falling-sickness or violent means and if thou promisest thy self a fair warning before the fatal stroak thou dost but cozen and cheat thy self But secondly If thou wert sure to see the evening star of sickness before the night of death overtake thee thou art not sure thy sickness shall not be such as may not incapacitate thee for the working out thy salvation Extremity of pain anguish of body lack of sleep the violence of a fever may indispose thee and distract thee that thou canst not so much as think of God Or thy distemper may be such that the Physitian may charge thee not to trouble thy self with melancholy or sad thoughts lest thou wrongest thy body and yet the Minister commandeth thee to pull up those sluces of sorrow if thou wouldst not lose thy soul for ever Or cold diseases as the Lethargy or Palsie may surprise thee and incline thee to continual slumbers till at last thou sleepest the sleep of death O how sottish art thou and how grosly doth the destroyer of souls delude thee to defer that work of absolute necessity of conversion to God upon which thine endless weal or wo dependeth to a dying Bed when thou art not sure to dye in thy bed but mayst as well dye in thy Shop or Fields or in the Streets when thou art uncertain what disease if thou shouldst meet with a dying bed should send thee to thy eternal
his duty and leaves all to his father who knoweth what he hath need of But the Covâ—tous who like the barren womb hath never enongh pines with fear of want can neither eat nor drink nor sleep quietly lest he should lose what he hath or not have sufficient to hold out nay he will not allow himself convenient food or raiment though he have never so much but like a beast feeds on thistles when he hath all sorts of provision upon his back Temperance hath health and strength with it and thereby renders the other comforts of this life savoury and comfortable so also Chastity But â—luttony and Drunkenness and Whoredom bring weakness and sickness on mens bodies and imbitter all other blessings besides the fear of being discovered to the shame and disgrace of the Authors which tormenteth not a little There is comfort in dealing honestly and righteously but if a man will cheat and cozen and filtch and steal no wonder if he tire his head with plots and projects â—o carry it on cunningly and secretly and terrifie his heart with apprehention that it will be known and then he shall be branded for a knave or suffer the penalty of law in a more severe degree The sinner is hurried hither and thither by his opposite Lords and contrary lusts and torn piecemeal by them as a man by beasts which draw the parts of his body contrary ways The Commands of sin are harsh and heavy No Tyrant ever put his subjects upon more crabbed painful work But the Commandments of God are not grievous 1 Joh. 4. 3. Sin is sâ—avery and its servants worse then those that row in Turkish Gallies but Gods law is a law of liberty and they walk at liberty who seek his precepts The ways of sinners are called crooked ways rugged ways which are unpleasant to travail in but the ways of God are called strait ways plain paths which are delightful to passengers I am confident the true Christian hath more true pleasure in suffering for Christ or one act of mortification or victory over one lust then the highest earthly Potentate hath in his largest dominions in the multitude of his subjects in the richness of his kingdoms and in all the honour that is done him or good things enjoyed by him all his days 3. It is the most profitable Calling Reader this argument is Achilleum or instar omnium the strongest argument and instead of all with most men gain is the great God of this world that commandeth all their heads and hearts and hands to whom they bow down the knees both of their bodies and souls The theif murderer are quickened by this to their hellish trade Come let us lay wait for blood let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause We shall find all precious substance we shall fill our houses with spoil Prov. 1. 9 10. The Sechemites upon this ground will endure the pain of Circumcision and throw up their former religion Shall not their beasts and their cattel and their substance be ours The Soul for this will scale the Walls and leap upon the Pikes and run upon the Mouth of the Cannon The Husband-man for this will rise early go to bed late eat the bread of carefullness toyl and moyl all day and make a drudge a slave a pack-horse of himself all the year The Merchant for this will plough the Ocean dance upon the surging billows suffer many dangers and deaths through his whole voyage The Shop-keeper for this will croud into any hole of the City break his sleep waste his health run about hither and thither early and late Gehezi Achan Iudas Balaam for this will venture their bodies their souls any things all things Profit is such a bait that all will bite at The Devil that Arch Politician who hath had so many thousand years experience besides his extraordinary natural knowledge could not judge any Topicks more likely then this to take with our blessed Saviour All these things will I give thee if thou wilt fall down and worship me The gods themselves were said by the Athenians to be corrupted with Philips gold that their Oracles still were in favour of him Money is the absolute Monarch which can put men upon the most dangerous defignes Therefore Cassius surnamed the Severe one of the wisest of the Roman Judges in all doubtful Causes that came before him would demand Cui bono Who gained or had the profit well knowing that that is the bias which turneth men aside to wrong others and the heady wanton horse which breaks through the fence to trespass upon neighbours Now Reader If profit will prevail with thee Godliness with contentment is great gain All the gold of the world is dross all the diamonds of the world are dirt all the gaines of the world are loss to this gain of Godliness Egypt watered by Nilus hath four rich harvests say some in less then four months Solinus saith the Egyptian fig tree beareth fruit seven times in a year Godliness brings forth 30 60. 100. fold increase It giveth an hundreth fold in this world and in the world to come life everlasting After ye had your fruits unto holiness in the end everlasting life Mat. 19. 29. Rom. 6. 22. Did the sinner but believe Scripture that speaks the infinite reward of holiness he would quickly set up this trade Pinder the Poet saith in regard of the fertility of Rhodia and the wealth of the inhabitants that it rained gold in that country The fruit of wisdom is better then silver and the gain thereof then fine gold She is more precious then Rubies and all thou canst desire is not to be compared to her Prov. 3. 14 15. Lucian fancieth all the Heathen gods and goddesses sitting in Parliament and each making choice of that tree which best pleased them Iupiter chose the Oak for its strength Apollo the Baytree for its greeness Neptune chose the Poplar for its length Iuno chose the Eglantine for its sweetness Venus chose the Myrtle-tree for its beauty Minerva sitting by demanded of her Father Iupiter why since there were so many fruitful trees they all had chosen barren ones He answered Ne videanâ—ur fructu honorem vendere Lest they should seem to sell honour for fruit Minerva replied Well Do what you please I for my part make choice of the Olive for its fatness and fruitfulness They all commended her choice and were ashamed of their own Folly This fiction doth fitly represent the foolishness of men at this day in chusing the honours and preferments and glory of the world which are barren and unfruitful things of no wâ—rth in the other world before that honour which is from God and the eternal weight of glory and also the convictions of their consciences another day which will force them to be ashamed of their own folly and to commend the choice of a Christian for preferring grace and godliness which will stand him in stead in an hour of
death and day of judgment and bring him in unspeakable gain before the aery honours and withering vanities of this life Reader If thou wilt give conscience free liberty to speak its mind I know it will tell thee that no calling is comparable to this for profit The gain of Godliness is real gain rich gain certain gain eternal gain 1. It s real if the word of truth may be trusted its fruit is therefore called substance in distinction from earthly riches which are shadows I will cause them that love me to inherit substance 2. It s called also true riches other riches are fained hence also godly men are said to be rich towards god and other men to be rich in this world It s rich gain as it hath relation to the best part it makes the soul of man truly precious as it is serviceable to our last end and prepareth man for the fruition of God and also as its reward is unconceivable The vessels of mercy shall swim in an Ocean of glory Eye hath not seen nor ear heard nor can the heart of man conceive what God hath layd up for them that love him 1 Cor. 2. It s reward is beyond all expression above all apprehensions no comparison can fully resemble it no understanding conceive it 3. It s eternal gain Other gains are fading deceitful brooks dying flowers withering goards and vanishing shadows Riches are not for ever Pro. 29 Man in honour abideth not Psa. 49.2 The pleasures of sin are but for a season Heb. 11. 25. But this gain is for ever The fear of the Lord is clean enduring for ever both in the nature of it t is incorruptible seed and in the fruit of it which is the gift of God eternal life Though other trades shall all fail as useful onely in this needy World though other callings shall vanish and time it self shall be no more yet this trade this calling shall râ—n parallel with the life of an immortal soul though gold be a corruptible mettal the gain of this calling is better then much fine gold it s an inheritance undefiled incorruptible Our work whether in doing or suffering the Will of God is but for a moment but it works for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory O what an happy good what an excellent gain is that which is eternal Mary hath chosen the good part which shall never be taken from her When thy Lands and Houses shall be taken from thee thy place and dwelling shall know thee no more when thy Friends and Relations shall be taken from thee Son of Man behold I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke when all the comforts of this life shall serve thee as vermine and lice do a dead man though they stick close to him in his life run from him at death this Calling will stand by thee encourage thee never leave thee nor forsake thee In other things thou chosest for that which is most lasting If thou buyest an house or beast or suit of apparel thou art desirous to have that which is most durable and strong O why shouldst thou not chose that good which is everlasting When Demetrius had taken Megara and his Souldiers plundered the City he fearing the Philosopher Stilpo might receive some loss sent for him and asked him whether any of his men had taken any thing of his Stilpo answered No for I saw no man that took my learning from me Godliness is such Wealth such Learning as will abide with thee in general plunder indeed neither men nor Devils can rob thee of it 4. It s certain gain He that sets up of this trade may be trusted for none ever brake of this calling God himself whose is the earth and the fulness thereof is bound for them and hath undertaken for their perseverance and growth and gains The Merchant that trades into the other world is not properly a Merchant-venturer for the Gospel which is the Ensurance Office hath engaged infinite power and love and faithfulness for the security and safe return of all the Vessels which he sends forth The Promises are all yea and amen the sure mercies of David The Covenant of grace which containeth all their gains and riches is stable in all things and sure 2 Cor. 1. 20. Isa. 55. 6. 2 Sam. 23. 5. If there were a free trade proclaimed to the Indies and every man that went promised as much gold as he would desire and a certainty of making a good voyage who almost would stay at home what crowding would there be to Port-Towns and what hast to take shipping Reader Though God will not suffer this to be in reference to earthly treasures knowing out of his infinite wisdom how hurtful they would be to immortal souls yet he offereth thee all this and infinitely more in calling upon thee to mind godliness He saith to thee as Ioseph to his brethren Gen 45. 18. Come unto me and I will give you the good of the Land of Egypt and ye shall eat the fat of the Land Come unto me and I will give you the good of Canaan and ye shall eat the pleasant fruits of that Land flowing with Milk and Honey O Reader didst thou know the worth of this jewel thou wouldst trample upon all the wealth of this World as dung in comparison of it Little dost thou think or imagine the advantage the vertues of this Diamond It is the true Loadstone that draweth all good to it Luther saith of one Psalm This Psalm hath done more for me then all the Potentates of the World I may say to thee This calling will feed thee with bread that came down from Heaven and cloath thee with fine linnen the robes of Gods own righteousness t will protect thee and maintain thee t will advance and honour thee t will inrich and ennoble thee in life refresh and rejoyce thee in death crown and reward thee after death do more for thee then all the Princes or Potentates Relations or Posâ—Possessions Persons or Comforts upon Earth can do In thy prosperity and enjoyment of outward good things godliness would like Sugar and Spice correct their windiness and make them wholsom and profitable to thee It would like Elisha's Meal and Salt make thy Meat sweet and savoury and thy drink pleasant and refreshing to thee It would make thy bed soft and easie thy garments warm and sweet sented T will so far abate thy appetite to this luscious food that thou shouldst not feed immoderately to the surfeiting thy soul. As the fiery bush which Moses saw in the Mount Horeb though it was in a flaming fire did not consume Or as the shining worm that being cast into the fire doth not waste but is thereby pâ—rged from its filth and made more beautiful then all the water in the world could make it So Affliction should not ruine but reform and purifie thee In the greatest danger this will be thy