it be once committed perhaps it doth not kill presently but there is death in the Pot thou art a child of death as soone as euer thou hast committed sinne as Salvian saith well thou perishest before thou perish the sentence is upon thee thou art a dead man God to wait for thy repentance prolongs thy dayes but as soone as thou hast sinned without repentance thou art a child of death and as Poyson that workes secretly a while yet in time it appeares so at last the fruit of sinne will bee death Sin and death came in together take heed of all sinne it is no dallying matter Their soule abhorres all manner of meate THIS is one branch of the extremitie of the sicknesse the loathing of meate for God hath put a correspondencie betweene food that is necesary for man and mans relish for man being in this world to be supported the naturall moysture being to be supplied and repayred by nourishment as it is spent by the naturall heate which feeds upon it therefore God hath put a sweetnesse into meate that man might delight to doe that which is necessary for who would care for meate if it were not necessary Therefore being necessary God hath put delightfull tasts in meates to draw men to the use of them to preserve their being for the serving of him Now when these things savour not when the relish of a man is distempered that he cannot judge aright of meats when the palate is viciated there must needs follow sicknesse for a man cannot doe that that should maintaine his strength he cannot feed on the creature therefore the Palmist setting downe the extremity of sicknesse he sayth their soule abhorreth all manner of meate This the great Phisitian of heaven and earth sets downe as a symptome of a sick state when one cannot relish and digest meat experience seales this truth and prooues it to be true You see then the happines of Epicures how vnstable and vaine it is whose chiefe good is in the creature God by sicknesse can make them dis-relish all manner of meate and where is the summum bonum then of all your belly-gods your sensuall persons Againe in that he saith Their soule abhorreth all manner of meate it should teach us to blesse God not only for meate but for stomacks to eate it is a blessing common and therefore forgotten It is a double blessing when God provides dayly for our outward man and then gives a stomack to relish his goodnesse in the creature sometimes a poore man wants meate and hath a stomacke sometimes a rich man wants a stomacke when hee hath meate they that haue both haue cause to blesse God because it is a judgment when God takes away the appetite that men abhorre and loath all manner of meate Therefore if we would maintaine thankfulnesse to God labour to thanke God for common blessings what if God should take away a mans stomacke we see his state here he is at the gates of death therefore thanke God that he maintaines us with comforts in our pilgrimage and withall that he gives us strength to take the comfort of the creature Wee fee here againe one rule how to converse with them that are sicke blessed is hee that understands the estate of the afflicted and sicke not to take it ill to see them wayward it comes not from the mind but from the distemper of the body as wee beare with children so we must beare with men in those distempers if they have foode and yet loath it you see how 't is with men in that case Their soule abhorreth all manner of meate It should teach us to sympathize with those that are sicke if we see them in these distempers The next branch of the extremitie is They draw neere the gates of death DEATH is a great Commander a great Tyrant and hath gates to sit in as Iudges and Magistrates used to sit in the gates There are things implyed in this phrase First They draw neere to the gates of death that is they were neere to death as he that drawes neere the gates of a Citie is neere the Citie because the gates enter into the Citie Secondly gates are applyed to death for authoritie they were almost in deaths jurisdiction death is a great Tyrant hee rules over all the men in the world over Kings and Potentates over meane men and the greatest men feare death most hee is the King of feares as Iob calls him I and the feare of Kings Yet death that is thus feared in this life by wicked men at the day of judgement of all things in the world they shall desire death most according to that in the Apocalips They shall desire death and it shall not come to them they shall subsist to eternall myserie that that men are most affraid of in this life that they shall wish most to come to them in the world to come Oh that I might die What a pittifull state are wicked men in therefore it is called the Gate of death it rules and over-rules all mankinde therefore it is sayd to reigne Rom. 5. Death and sinne came in together sinne was the gate that let in death and ever since death raigned and will till Christ perfectly tryumph over it who is the King of that Lord and Commander and hath the key of hell and death To wicked men I say hee is a Tyrant and hath a gate and when they goe through the gate of death they goe to a worse to a lower place to hell it is the trappe-doore to Hell Thirdly by the gate of death is meant not onely the authority but the power of death as in the Gospell The gates of hell shall not prevaile against it that is the power and strength of hell so here it implies the strength of death which is very great for it subdues all it is the executioner of Gods justice If death have such a Iurisdiction and power and strength let us labour to disarme it before hand it is in our power to make death stinglesse and toothlesse and harm lesse nay wee may make it advantagious for the gate of death may become the gate of happinesse let us labour to have our part and portion in Christ who hath the key of hell and death who hath overcome and conquered this tyrant Oh death where is thy sting oh grave where is thy victory 1 Cor. 15. Thanks bee vnto Ged who hath given vs victory through Iesus Christ our Lord that now wee need not feare death that though death have a gate yet it is a gate to let us into heaven as it is a doore to let the wicked into hell So much for that In the next place wee come to their carriage in their extremity They Cryed to God in their trouble THIS is the carriage of man in extreame ills if hee haue any feare of God in him to pray and
then prayers are cries they are darted out of the heart as it were to heaven It is sayd Christ made strong cryes in extremity prayers are cries hence I observe breifly these things That God suffers men to fall into extreame ills even to the gates of death that there is but a step betweene them and death Why To weane them perfectly from the world To make them more thankfull when they recover for what is the reason that men are so sleight in thanksgiving Usually the reason is they did not conceive that they were in such extreame danger as they were Likewise he suffers men to fall into extreame sicknesse that he may have all the glory for it was his doing there was no second cause to helpe here for their soule abhorred all manner of meate and they were even at the Gates of death Now when all second causes fayle then God is exalted therfore he suffers men to fall into extreamity the greater the maladie the more is the glory of the Physitian The second thing is this as God brings his children into extremity So Gods children in extremity they cry to him EXtremity of afflictions doth force prayers In their affliction they will seeke me early When all second causes faile then we goe to God nature therfore is against atheisme as one observes that naturally men run to God in extremity Lord helpe mee Lord succour me so especially in the Church in extremitie Gods people cry to God and as afflictions so pâ—rticularly this of sicknesse of body drives men to God God should not heare of us many times unlesse he should come neere us by afflictions and deepe afflictions Out of the deepe haue I cryed God brings us to the deepe and then we crie Our nature is so naught that God should not heare of us as I sayd unlesse he send some messenger after us some affliction to bring us home as Absalom dealt by Ioab when hee fired his corne In the Gospel Christ had never heard of many people had it not beene for some infirmity but blessed are those sicknesses and infirmities that occasion us to goe to God that makes us crie to God It was the speech of a Heathen we are best when we are weakest why as hee saith very well who is ambitious voluptuous or covetous for the world when he is sick when he sees the vanity of these things This should make us submit more meekly vnto GOD when wee are vnder his hand when we are his prisoners by sicknesse when he casts us on our sicke beds because GOD is working our good hee is drawing us neerer to him Then they cryed to him So we see then that prayer it is a remedie in a remedilesse estate when there is no other remedy and this one difference betweene a child of GOD and another In extremitie a carnall man that hath not grace he hath not a spirit of prayer to goe to GOD but a child of GOD he cries to GOD hee had acquaintance with God in the time of health therefore he goes boldly to GOD as a father in the time of extremity Gods children can answer Gods dealing for as he brings his children to extremitie when there is no second cause to help so they answer him by faith in extremitie when there is nothing to trust unto they trust him when there is no physick in the world that can-charme the disease they have a spirit of faith to answere Gods dealing in the greatest misery as Iob faith though he kill me yet will I trust in him For GOD is not tyed to second causes and therefore if hee have delight in us and if he have any service for us to doe he can recover vs from the gates of death Nay from death it selfe as we see Christ in the Gospell raysed from the dead and at the resurrection he will rayse us from death much more can he rayse vs from the gates of death when wee are neere death Therefore considering that praâ—er is a remedy in all maladies in a remedilesse estate Let us labour to haue a spirit of prayer and to be in such a state as we may pray What state is that First take heed of being in league with any sinne If I regard iniquitie in my heart God will not heare my prayer nay he will not heare others prayers for us oh what a pittiful state is it when God will not heare us nor others for us Pray not for this people saith God to Ieremiah and if Noah Daniel and Iob stood before mee they should but deliver their owne soules If a man be in a peremptory course of sinne and will not be reclaymed but is like the deafe Adder that will not bee charmed God will not heare prayers for him will God heare a rebell when he comes to him for mercie and is in a course opposite to Gods will As if a Traitor should come to sue for pardon with a dagger in his hand which were to increase the treason So when a man comes to God and cryes to him and yet purposeth to live in sinne and his conscience tells him that hee offers violence to GOD by his sins and lives in rebellious courses GOD will not heare his prayers Againe if we would bee in such a state as God may accept us when wee come to him let us heare GOD when hee cryes to us hee cryes to us in the ministrie of the word Wisedome hath lift up her voyce and this is GODS course hee will heare us when wee heare him Hee that turnes his eare from hearing of the Law his prayer shall bee abhominable Those that doe not attend upon Gods ordinances that will have a kind of devotion private to themselves avoid the publike ordinance that feare perhaps they shall heare somwhat that would awaken their conscience and they would not bee tormented before their time Let them consider it is a terrible speech of Salomon Hee that turnes his eare from hearing the Law his prayer shall be abhominable Let us take heed it is a fearefull thing to bee in such an estate that neither our owne prayers nor others shall bee regarded for us and let any man judge if wee will not heare GOD speake to us is it fit that hee should heare us speaking to him And before I leave the point let mee presse it a little further at this time wee have cause to blesse GOD for the deliverance of the Citie Oh! but let all that have the spirit of prayer that have any familiaritie with GOD improve all their interest in heaven at this time doe wee not conceive what danger wee are in What enemies wee have provoked What if wee be free from the sicknesse are we not in great danger of worse matters thâ—n the sicknesse Is it not worse to fall into the hands of our enemies Have wee not great provoked cruell Idolatrous enemies therfore let us joyntly now all cry
Could he in his humiliation before his great abasement on the crosse strike downe his enemies with his word what shall he doe at the day of judgement when all flesh shall appeare before him And what can he doe now at the right hand of God in heaven Let us never despaire what state soever we be in in our owne persons or in respect of the Church or common wealth Let us yet pray yet solicite God and wrastle with him for wee see here when they were at the gates of death he fetcheth them againe with his word hee can fetch things againe when they are at destruction as it were when mans wit is at a losse that he knoweth not what course to take God with a word can turne all things againe Oh that men would therefore prayse the Lord for his goodnesse and for his wondrous works to the children of men Let them sacrifice the sacrifice of Thansgiving and declare his workes with rejoycing YOU see that God the great Physitian he is good at all disseases hee is never set at any thing for he can create helps and remedies of nothing if there be none in nature hee can create peace to the soule in the the middest of trouble of conscience God can make things out of nothing nay out of contraries you see here what this great Physitian hath done hee fetched them from the gates of death when their soule abhorred all manner of meate and what doth he require for all this great cure surely the text tells us he looks for nothing but prayse Oh that men would therefore prayse the Lord for his goodnesse c. In which words you haue these circumstances considerable together with the substance of the duty First the persons who must prayse God Oh that men would prayse the Lord And then the duty they are to performe to prayse God to sacrifice to God to declare his works one main duty expressed by three termes The third is for what they should prayse him For his goodnesse It is the spring of all for all particular actions of God doe come from his nature his nature is goodnesse it selfe and indeed all other attributes are founded on goodnesse why is he gracious and mercifull and long-suffering because he is good this is the primitiue attribute And then another thing for which we must praise him For his wondrous workes for the children of men Fourthly the manner how this should be done with rejoycing and singing as the word signifies declare his workes with rejoycing For as all holy actions must be done joyfully and chearefully so especially prayse God loveth a chearefull giver much more a chearefull thanksgiver for chearfulnesse is the very nature of thankesgiving it is a dead sacrifice of thanksgiving it is a dead sacrifice else these are the mayne things considerable in these words First of all of the persons Oh that men would prayse the Lord. THE blessed Psalmist whosoever he were directed by the spirit of God hee would haue all men to prayse God not onely those that participate and haue interest in the favour but the beholders also of the goodnesse of God to others for here hee that was not interressed in these favours for his owne particular yet hee prayseth God for the blessings to others and hee wisheth that God might haue praise from them For we are all of one societie of one family wee are all brethren therefore wee must prayse God for his blessings and benefits on others and not onely our selues but we must wish that all would do so and specially wee must prayse God for our selues when we haue part of the benefit for shall others prayse God for us and shal notwe for our selues Shall the Churches of God abroad prayse God for his great deliverance of this citie as there is no Church in the world that heares of it but is thankfull for it and shall not wee for our selues Shall the angels in heaven prayse God and sing for the redemption of the Church by the blood of Christ Glory to God on high peace on earth good will to men and shall not we that haue interest in the worke of redemption For Christ is not a mediator of redemption to Angels hee hath relation to them in another respect yet they out of loue to God and the Church and a desire to glorifie God hey prayse God for this and shall not wee much more for our selues wee must prayse God our selues and desire that all would doe so as he saith here Oh that men would prayse the Lord c. and in some other Psalmes he stirs up ' all the creatures hayle and snow and winde and all to prayse God How can these praise God They doe it by our mouthes by giving vs occasion to prayse him And they praise him in themselues for as the creature groaneth Rom. 8. That none knowes but God and it selfe they groane for the corruption and abuse that they are subject unto and God knowes those groanes so the creature hath a kind of voyce likewise in praysing of God they declare in their nature the goodnesse of God and minister occasion to us to praise GOD therefore the Psalmist being desirous that GOD might be praysed for his goodnesse and mercy hee stirres vp every creature Psal. 103. even the very Angels insinuating that it is a worke fit for Angels The children of God haue such a loue and zeale to the glory of GOD that they are not content only to prayse GOD themselues but they stirre vp all they need not to wish Angels to doe it but only to shew their desire oh the blessed disposition of those that loue God in Christ What shall wee thinke then of those wretched persons that greiue that the word of God should run and haue free passage and be glorious and that there should be a free use of the sacraments and the blessed meanes of salvation they envie the glory of God and the salvation of peoples soules What shall we say to those that desire to heare God dishonoured that perhaps sweare and blaspheme themselues or if they doe not yet they are not touched in their hearts for the dishonour of God by others this is far from the disposition of a Christian he desires that all creatures may trumpet ouâ— the prayse of God from the highest Angell to the lowest creature from the Sunne and starres to the meanest shrub only divellish spirited carnal men take delight to blaspheme God that can strike them with his word and send them to their owne place to hell without repentance and can heare him dishonoured without any touch of spirit a child of God desires God to be glorified from his very heart roote and is greived when God is dishonoured any kind of way so much breifly for the first Now what is the dutie this holy man wishes That men would prayse God And sacrifice the sacrifice of thankesgiving and declare his workes OUT
of the largenesse of his heart he expresseth the same thing in many words therefore I shall not need to make any scruple in particularizing of them because there is not so much heed to bee given in the expressions of a large heart as to be punctuall in every thing First he begins with prayse Oh tâ—at men would therefore praise the Lord c. It is a duty as I said before fit for Angels fit nay it is performed by them For it is all the worke they doe it is the onely worke that was religious that Adam did in Paradise and that we shall doe in heaven with God therefore we are never more in Heaven then when we take all occasions of blessing and praising God wee are never in a more happie estate It is a duty therefore we should ayme at and the rather because it is the fruite and end of all other duties whatsoeuer what is the end of all the good we doe but to shew our thankfulnesse to God the end of our fruitfulnesse in our place that others may take occasion to glorifie God What is the end of our hearing To get knowledge and grace that wee may be the better able to prayse God in our mouths and in our lives What is the end of receiving the sacrament nay what is the duty it selfe a thanksgiving what is the end of prayer to begge graces and strength that so we may carry our selues in our places as is fit that so wee may not want those things without which we cannot so well glorifie God so the end of all is to glorifie God It is the end that God intended in all he framed all things to his owne prayse in the creation Why hath God given man reason here upon the stage of the world to behold the creatures Rom. 1. that seeing in the creature the wisedome of God in ordering of things the goodnesse of God in the vse of things and the power of God in the greatnesse of things the huge vast heaven and earth hee might take occasion to glorifie and magnifie this God to thinke highly of him to exalt him in our thoughts that his creatures heaven and earth be so beautifull and excellent what excellencie is in God himselfe And as the end of creation so in redemption all is for his glory and prayse in Ephesians 1. how sweetly doth Saint Paul set forth the end of it To the glory of his rich mercie and grace To bee mercifull to sinners to giue his owne sonne for God to be come man not for man in that estate as Adam was in innocencie but for sinners for God to triumph ouer sin by his infinite mercy here is the glory of his grace shining in the Gospell all is for the glory and prayse of God there And for particular deliverances in Psal. 50. Call upon me in the day of trouble I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorifie me his deliverances of us in the passages of our life is that we may glorifie him by taking notice in imminent dangers of some of his attributes when there is no meanes of deliverance of his power and goodnes c. In Revel 4. The Elders are brought in praysing God for the work of creation and then in the fifth for redemption Thou art worthy for thou hast redeemed vs so indeed the worke of creation redemption and the particular passages of Gods providence and protection and preservation they are matter of prayse in heaven and earth among Gods people Now to name a few helpes and meanes to performe this duty the better If we would stirre up our selues to prayse God let us consider our owne vnworthinesse As in prayer there must be a humble heart for a man will not seeke abroad if hee haue somewhat at home poverty of spirit and humilitie of heart makes a man pray so it is the humble soule that praiseth God that sees no desert in it selfe this is one way to help us to prayse God to see nothing in our selues why God should so regard us as to giue us our lives for a prey to set his loue on us and to follow us with good nay we haue deserved the contrary that God should leave us and expose us to misery rather then to watch over us by his providence what is in vs It is he that hath made vs and not wee our selves he made us again when we were sinners when wee were worse then naught therefore to humble us we must consider our owne vnworthinesse hee that knowes himselfe vnworthy of any favour hee will bee thankfull even for the least as we see in Iacob I am lesse then the least of all thy favours therefore he was thankfull for the least so wee see here in the text these men are stirred vp to prayse God they saw no other helpe no worthinesse in themselues they were at the gates of death in a desperate estate O that such men would praise God indeed such men are fittest to praise God that can ascribe help to nothing but to God to no second causes Therfore in the next place as a branch of the former if we would praise God dwel not on the second causes if God use second causes in any favour he bestowes on vs either in keeping us from any ill or bestowing any good coÌ„sider it as a means that God might dispence with that he might use if he would or not vse See God in the second causes rise from them to him Art thou healed by Physick Use Physicke as a meanes but see God in it but if God hath cured thee without Physick without ordinary meanes then see him more immediatly doing good to thee without the helpe of second causes that is one way to helpe us to prayse God to see him in every favour and deliverance for what could second causes doe if hee should not giue a blessing especially prayse him when he hath immediately done it as he can did not he make light before there was a sunne he is not tyed to giue light by the sunne and hee made waters before hee made the clouds hee is not tied to the clouds therefore especially prayse God when wee haue deliverance we know not how without meanes immediatly from the goodnes and strength of God Againe if wee would praise God for any favour consider the necessitie and vse of the favour wee pray for as these men here they were at Deaths doore and loathed all manner of meate alas they had died if God had not helped them If thou wouldest blesse God consider what a miserable stare thou should be in if thou hadst not that favour to praise God for If thou be to blesse God for thy sences put case thou shouldest want thy sight what a miserable case thou shouldest be in so for any of the sences that a man wants whereby hee should glorifie God and take the comfort of