on our left But thou hast not consum'd us all A Remnant thou hast kept Who trembling stood to see thy Wrath Thus to break forth and burn Not knowing but into th' same path With others they may turn But some from stroke of Pestilence Wholly preserved were Others who of thy stroke had sense From Grave thy Hand did reare Let such thus say with thankfull hearts Thy Fire Lord have we felt From being consum'd are set apart Us let it try and melt It 's meet for us to say to God Chastisement we have bore And having sinn'd have felt the rod Now we will sin no more What yet we know not teach us Lord And having sinn'd before To this we gladly will accord Hence forth to sin no more Thou Lord hast us delivered From Death and deadly thrall Our moistened Eyes from Tears we shed Our slyding Feet from fall When we did say our foot did slide We now are like to fall Thy goodnesse Lord did so provide To stay us up with all Except thou Lord hadst been our ayde Deaths darknesse to dispell Our Life and Soule had now been laid Almost as low as Hell And now our Souls since you are safe Return unto your Rest For largely lo the Lord to you His bounty hath exprest Before the Lord we in the Land Of Life will hence forth walk Submitting to his ruling hand His Laws we will not balk Among the Dead none doth none can Remember him one whit To sing his Praise there 's not a man in the Infernal Pit The living yea the living shall Him praise and eke his Truth The Fathers to their Children all Shall shew with Heart and Mouth The Lord was ready us to save And we our Songs will Sing And to his House being kept from Grave Our Offerings we will bring Amen To the Reader THE Author of this Letter hath expressed in one part of it that that which doth more specially concern the Families and Persons under the Pestilential stroke might be extracted and by one means or other transmitted to them and so coming in conjunction with Mr. Baxters papers might through the co-operation of divine Grace contribute somewhat to the promoting of their Spiritual and Eternal welfare We to whom the Letter was principally intended have judged it worthy in the whole to appear in Publick hoping it will have the same blessed effect upon others as upon our selves For the Author himself he is at a point not passing for mans day knowing that he who judgeth him is the Lord If the Letter had been circumscribed within the compasse of that number to which it was principally intended it would have pleased him well enough as for others who probably will frown upon it and lade it with their censures as he makes account they will Con him little thanks for it so he is not so low brought as to think himself beholding to them for their thanks And so if it must out out let it go and that 's all he hath to say C. B. S. H c. Amos 3. 8. THe Lion hath roared who will not fear the Lord God hath spoken who can but prophesie Micha 6. 9. The Lords voice cryeth unto the City and the man of wisdome shall see thy Name Hear yee the rod and who hath appointed it Prov. 11. 19 As righteousness tendeth to life so he that pursueth evill pursueth it to his own death Numb 32. 14. Behold you are risen up in your fathers stead an increase of sinfull men to augment yet the fierce anger of the Lord towards Israel Numb 32 20 to 23. If yee will doe according to that which the Lord hath commanded this land shall be your possession before the Lord but if ye will not do so ye have sinned against the Lord and be sure your sinne will finde you out Levit. 26. 23 24 25. If ye will not be reformed by these things but will walk contrary to me then will I also walk contrary to you and will punish you yet seaven times for yours sinnes And I will bring a sword upon you that shall avenge the quarrell of my Covenant and when ye are gathered together within your Cities I will send the Pestilence among you Read further vers 40 41 42. Esay 27. 4 5. Fury is not in me who would set the Bryers and Thornes against me in battell I will go thorow them I will burn them together or let him take hold of my strength that he may make peace with me and he shall make peace with me Heb. 10. 31. It is a fearefull thing to fall into the hands of the living God Psal 116. 15. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints 1 Cor. 3. 22 23. Whether Paul or Apollo or Cephas or the World or Life or Death or things present or things to come all are yours and yee are Christs and Christ is Gods Jerem. 15. 15 16. Take me not away in thy long suffering Know that for thy sake I have suffered rebuke thy words were sound and I did eate them and thy word was to me the joy and rejoycing of my heart The Plague Check't OR Piety will either Prevent Or alter the Property of the PLAGUE Held forth together with Sundry other things in a Letter VVritten by a Friend to a Friend pouring out himself into his Bosome and opening his heart unto him concerning the present Times and Providences c. SOlomon tells us Prov. 19. v. 22. That the desire of a man is his kindness and that a poor man is better then a lyer A poor man that hath a reall and cordial desire to express his love to shew kindness to another but hath not power in his hand so to do is better then a rich man that doth perform according to the power that is in his hand somwhat that is beneficial to another but it is not from an inward affection and desire the actings of his hand are not from the inlarged desires and affections of his heart such a one is a lyer Give me leave to accomodate this to my self I am one of the poor men of Anathoth that have but little in mine hand two Mites or so to cast into the Treasury but have an enlarged heart and a lively desire to contribute to the Promoting of the Good and Welfare of all Why should not this be reckoned to me as my kindness and my self and actings in this way be accepted of you and others of my antient and dear Friends to whom I apply my self now in this Epistolary way according to what I have and not according to what I have not I do not now present you with a curious and finely composed Sermon nor with an elaborate Treatise the World is full of such Oh! that there were better use made of them more and better fruit springing up from them then appears at this day but this is a Lamentation and well
may it be for a Lamentation that there is price upon price put into the hand of Fools and they have no heart unto them and we may reckon upon it that the many precious Sermons and Treatises which are abroad will come up in judgement against the men of this Generation and condemn them for that such blessed light hath been as by Preaching so by Books and Sermons Preached and published being conveyed into the world and especially into this Land and Nation and the community of people love darknesse rather then light for my own part I have been a poore Prophet of Anathoth a Preacher of the Gospel partly in the Country partly in and about the City of London between Forty and Fifty years most of my time even to above Forty years I have spent in and about London continuing in the City all the time of the great PLAGUE Anno 1625. and from that time having obtained help from God I have continued my relation and the exercise of my Ministery ever since in one place till an Act of Parliament put a stop endeavouring by plain and profitable Preaching by quiet and peaceable living to shew and set forth the glorious Gospel of the Great God and our Lord Jesus Christ by whose Death and Resurrection death and darkness and Mortality which the first Adam by sin had let into the World and opened a doore unto is swallowed up in Victory and Life and Immortality is brought to Light and is performing glorious Tryumphs in and by the Lord Jesus I have reduced the Main of my Preaching to the Apostle Pauls Dichotomy Repentance towards God and Faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ yet not baulking other Doctriner that are superstructory and necessary to be built on these Foundations as in particular obedience to Kings and Magistrates and that for Conscience-sake persuading and provoking people to pray for Kings and all in Authority under him that we may live under them a peaceable and quiet life in all Godliness and honesty So that I bless the living God I have no regret in my Conscience for having first or last driven in a way of Preaching or Praying any either Treasonable or Disloyal designs nor am I Conscious to my self that any thing hath been performed by me to the imbassing of the Spirits of his Majesties Subjects or debauching them or drawing them from their Duty and Allegience knowing how my Commission runs and what of the Counsel of the most high God is held forth in Prov. 24. 21. Rom. 13. v. 1. 2. Titus 2. v. 1. 1 Pet. 2. v. 17. But Knowing withal that it concerneth Magistrates and Rulers that they Rule in the Fear of God as King David acknowledged they ought to do 2 Sam. v. 23. And that they be not a terrrur to good works but to evil works Rom. 13. That they set themselves to punish evill doers and to be for the praise of them that do well and truly it is sad when such as are be trusted with Magistratical Power shew more severity against such as are Judiciously Consciencious and out of a Judicious and well-informed Conscience are a little crossing the Magistratical Impositions and Injunctions then against men of Grosest Immoralities openly Flagitious Profligate and Naught and run to all excess of Wickedness It were to be wished that in all Kingdoms and Common-wealths Drunkards and Swearers and Whormongers and Sabboath-breakers and unjust Dealers with all other of that black and ragged Regiment which is headed by the Devil the Prince of Darkness might feel the sharpest of the Magistrates Severity while Sober Judicious and Consciencious Christians partake of the benigne influencies of Magistratical Power and Goverments and sit quietly under their own Vines and Fig-trees and drink the Waters of their own Cystern They the mean while setting themselves to studdy their Duty and in Faithfulnesse to perform it There are the Duties of particular relations wherein and in the due management whereof the Beauty and the Power of Godliness doth very much discover it self as in the Relation between the Husband and the Wife between the Parents and their Children between the Master and the Servant between the Pastor and the People so are there between the Magistrate and the Subject The well answering of which will conduce very much unto the more comfortable enjoyment both of one and other and as it is much to be wished that Kings and Magistrates may have the Honour and Obedience performed to them which is their due So it is likewise much to le desired that the Subjects under their Government may have the Ease Freedome and Refreshment which is justly to be expected by them I live in the comfortable Hope and joyfull Expectation of a Time wherein the Church and People of God shall have a more Free and Comfortable Enjoyment of themselves then ever yet not Oppressions Persecutions Oppositions hard Usages as all along almost ever since the fall of Adam Surely the Godly shall not alway be under Hatches and Harrows and Wicked and Prophane Men that neither Fear God nor Reverence Men Ruffle and Rant it and poure out Scorn and Derision upon others that are as good as they yea it may be farr their betters in worldly respects but be sure their betters in Grace and Godlyness such shall not always behave themselves in such a manner Surely the wicked shall not alwayes lift up their Horn on high and push at the Godly with side and shoulder but the Lord will and we have his Faithfull Word and Promise for it lift up the Horn of his People keep the Feet of his Saints when the Wicked shall be silent in Darkness he will exalt the Horn of his Annointed whether Godly Kings or Godly People 1 Sam. chap. 2. Kings have in a civil way their anointing with material Oyle which the Subjects partake not with them in and in that respect they are peculiarly the anointed Ones but such as are really Religious and Godly have a spiritual annointing the Scripture speaks much of it 2 Cor. c. 1. 1 Joh. 2. ad fine You have an unction faith the Apostle from the holy One which unction as it is a teaching unction and conduces much to the accomplishing of the Saints as they are Prophets as there the Apostle expresses for faith he You have an unction from the holy One and ye know all things v. 20. And again v. 27. The annointing Teachers so is it a priviledging unction and conduces very much to the promoting of their Spiritual and Corporal Ease and Freedom from sore Burthens and Oppressions and accomplishes them for the Kingly Dignity understand it in the Mystery not in the Letter which the Lord Jesus hath by his blood purchased for them and hath raised them up unto us Rev. 1. v. 6. He hath loved us and washed us in his own blood and hath made us Kings and Priests unto God our Father This ease and freedome from what is Oppressive whether Imprisonment Impoverishment
Religion and the things of Eternity and so the Letter turn to a good account This I desire to know He tell you upon what occasion I was told a very few days ago by a sober person that there are many and many of such a Spirit so debauched as that if any thing whether Sermon Treatise or ought else comes out in Print that discovers a friendliness to Religion and the ways of Holiness and gives a check though with much prudence and gentleness to the lusts of men and their sinfull exorbitances and exuberancies any thing that casts a friendly aspect upon the matters of God and Christ especially if it bears the name of such as are counted Fanaticks though otherwise Learned Sober Peaceable men that are devoted to the fearing of God and honouring of the King and are as Cordially and Conscientiously set to promote subjection to Magistrates higher or lower and against whom no thing in the world can be objected but this that they are not conforming they either rise up in strongest opposition to it and explode it or disparage it and lay it by as not worthy to be medled with but rather buried with scorn and contempt in silence adjudging it to perpetual darkness never to see the light Such a spirit of prophaness the Earl in his letter according to my apprehension and interpretation of it seems to be either fore apprehensive of or actually discovering if he were not I know that both he and we all have cause to reckon upon and be in expectation of it that men of such a spirit of prophaness should come both St. Peter 2 Epistle of Peter 2. and St. Jude in his Epistle by a prophetical spirit and by divine inspirment foretold that in the last days should come Scoffers and Mockers walking after their own Lusts and saying where is the promise of his coming such and so spirited from hell and the devil that they neither regard God his Precepts Promises or threatnings nor his judical actings and proceedings when his hand is lifted up they will not see nor minde it the works of the Lord and the opperation of his hands they will not have regard unto so is it prophesied and so is it and must it be fulfilled necessarily and that because it is so foretold and prophesied and I may say upon this occasion as our Saviour speaks Woe unto the world because of offences it is neceessary that offences come but woe be to them by whom they come so it is necessary that prophesies be fulfilled but woe be to them by whom such kind of prophesies are fulfilled for as much as while they not thinking of it fulfill what is foretold in a prophetical way they run quite cross to what is held forth in a preceptive way so run themselves upon eternal ruine as to such whoever wherever they be I shall take the boldness to say to them are you absolute and independent being not at all depending upon God hath he nothing to do with you have you nothing to do with him will you say as they said in Jeremiahs time Jeremiah the second We are Lords we will not come to thee or as Pharoah Who is the Lord that we should obey him are you at a point whether you be saved or damned whether you go to heaven or hell or do you count these things meer fancies that have no reality in them is it nothing to you at once to loose God and Christ your souls and that to all eternity Is it nothing to you of no signification with you to be for ever shut out of the Kingdom of Heaven and to be tumbled into Hell with the guilt of all your iniquities upon your Consciences when your iniquities shall be upon your bones as Ezekiel phraseth it and while others shall be Timber for the Building you shall be fuell for the burning and be sweltering for ever under the unsupportable weight of Gods wrath and endure the gnawing of the worm that shall never dye and the furius flames of a fire that shall never be quenched in a word how will your hearts indure and your hands be strong as Ezekiel expresses himself When the Lord Jesus shall appear with his mighty Angels in flaming fire as the Judge before whom you must be summoned and cited to appear and have the judgment of eternal Condemnation passe upon you by him who came at first cloathed with garments of Salvation with a Golden Scepter of Grace in his hand holding forth a pardon a Free-pardon to all that all might have the benefit of it that would take hold of it Are you resolved within your selves that neither God nor Christ nor Spirit nor Angels nor Ministers nor Scripture Promises nor Scripture Threatnings nor life nor death nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other Creature none of which will separate the Saints from God in Christ Jesus and from his love shall separate you from your lusts and the Devill but you will live and die and damn with them If it be thus with you and that this is the Spirit you doe and are resolved to walk in and that you scorn to be checked and controlled by any man whatsoever neither by word or writing you will doe what is good in your own eyes be it never so evill in the eyes of God or man Then let me propound to your consideration or rather to the consideration of others for if you be so spirited as I have already exprest there is little hope that you will consider what the Lord by the Prophet speakes Isa 28. v. 14. and so forward Heare the word of the Lord ye scornfull men because ye have said we have made a Covenant with Death and Hell are we at an agreement when the overflowing scourge shall passe thorow it shall not come to us for we have made lyes our refuge and under falshood we have hid our selves therefore judgement also will I lay to the line and righteousnesse to the plummet and the haile shall sweep away the refuge of lies and the water shall overthrow the hiding place And your Covenant with death shall be disannulled and your agreement with hell shall not stand when the overflowing scourge shall pass thorow then ye shall be trodden down by it From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you for morning by morning shall it passover by day and by night it shall be a vexation onely to understand the report For the bed is shorter then that a man can stretch himself on it and the covering narrower then that he can wrap himself in it for the Lord shall rise up as in mount Perazim he shall be wroth as in the Valley of Gibeon that he may doe his work his strange work and bring to passe his act his strange act Now therefore be not yee mockers least your bands be made stronge for I have heard from the Lord God of Hosts a Consumption determined upon
hath done great Execution much Protestant blood hath been shed when it will be quiet and fall a sleep again after its awakening who can tell The terrible sword of Pestilence is also now awakened and it is acting its part according to the Commission granted unto it how high this may rise how farr it may reach how long it may continue and what may succeed and come after it who can tell These things are laid up in store with God and sealed among his Treasures to whom Vengance and Recompences belong who will make the feet of his Enemies slide in due time for the day of their Calamity is at hand and the things that shall come upon them make haste t. 32. v. 34 35. As touching the Pestilential Contagion now amongst us it hath a very formidable aspect and begins to open its mouth wide and to devoure on every side many are possessed with fear and trembling to think what will become of them and are ready to cry out with Balaam Wo and alas who shall live when God doth this and well may sinners in Zion be afraid and fearfullness surprize the hypocrite in heart Esai 33. And such as are of guilty consciences as not being able to dwell with devouring fire and with everlasting burnings It s a becoming thing for such to let fall their spirits to come down from their grandeur to turn in upon their own hearts and humble themselves under the mighty hand of God who though fury be not in him yet if any will set himself against him he will be sure to finde that God is more then his match and will be as a devouring flame to a bush of dry thorns and stubble and will in a moment burn them up It s their wisest course to make peace with God and take hold of his strength and they shall make peace with him as the Prophet speaks Esai 27. 4 5. It s not for any to turn Quiritants and Plaintiffs against God who is sufficiently able to shew cause for what he doth and give a reason of all his actings though he be not bound to do it Nor is it fit to say unto him what doest thou its proper for us all to put our mouths in the dust and now that his hand is lifted up to see it submitt to it and learn righteousness by it knowing that they that will not see it shall see and be ashamed for their envy at the people Esai 26. And that they that will not fear with a fear of duty shall fear with a fear of punishment in a judicial way and if men will deal proudly against God he will be found to be above them yea in the very things wherein they do deal proudly against him It s holy Counsel and never more proper for men to take then at this day which Jeremiah gives us in the 3. of his Lamentations 40 c. Wherefore doth the living man complain a man for the punishment of his sin every word hath its weight and is emphatically argumentative Its man and not God and shall man complain against God it s a living man and that speaks Gods patience and forbearance he might have struck him dead and sent him to hell but he lives and is it fitting that he should complain and not rather magnifie Gods patience and goodness and say it s of the Lords mercies that we are not utterly consumed It s a man for the punishment of his sin that which he suffers under and complains of is of his own procuring he eats the bread of his own bakeing drinks the drink of his own brewing reaps the harvest of his own seed nay nay it is not for the living man to complain but as the counsel is there given to search and try his ways and turn to the Lord his God to be humbly inquiring into the Reason into the very Reason why God is fallen out with England and London that have been good friends so long Why he hath taken his Rod into his hand and gives us such heavy blows that he fetches blood from us and strikes us dead And indeed let this be our business at this day to know and find out the Proper Reason of this present Plague To find out the causes of a Disease we count hath a great tendency to the Cure but who and where is the wise man that may understand this and who is it to whom the mouth of the Lord hath spoken that he may declare it for what the Land is Plagued and in a way to perish and to become as a wilderness that none passeth through they are Jeremiah's words Jer. 9. verse 12. If such a course be not taken and vigerously prosecuted without partiality and an ingenuous acknowledgment made that to all other our sins we have added these or these till we find out the Jonah that makes the seas tempestuous the Achan that troubles the â—and the Sheba son of Biory which makes the disturbance and so must be beheaded and his head cast over the wall Till this be done it will not be well with us but we may even call for the mourning women as it follows in that place To take up a wailing and to make bitter Lamentation for death is come into our windows and is entred into our palaces to cut off the children from without and the young men from the streets I hear that diverse of our Preachers have been performing somthing to such a purpose improving the Scriptures and giving account from them what particular sins have formerly provoked God to send the Plague upon a people this is somthing to the purpose But what if there be some or other abomination committed in the Land which lyes heavy on it and the cry of it is heard in the eares of the Lord of Hostes that till it be found ouâ— the mouth of it stopt and it self removed some or other sin which the Scripture doth not so clearly and in terms make mention of for I suppose it may be so that sins may be committed that have scarce ever been heard of before as God somtimes bringeth to light strange punishments and armes himself with weapons of his Indignation which he hath not formerly made use of as we have it in Job 31. v. 3. Is not destruction to the wicked and a strange punishment to the workers of iniquity So there may be uncooth unheard of sins Now this I drive till this or that particular evil be found out Confessed Repented and Reformed till the proper vein be opened and the singer laid upon the very sore we may pine away and perish in our iniquity and the Land become desolate without Inhabitant Nathan said unto David thou art the man David said of himself I am the man this is my sin I have madâ— some observation in my daily Course of reading Scriptures of that passage in Eze. 15. 8. I will make the land desolate because they have committed a trespass and the like you find in
commission such a paper to say Peace be unto this House and be sure if the Son or Daughter of Peace be there the Peace shall rest upon it notwithstanding the Plague be in it and whether it come as a tryal or as a punishment I would advise them to bid it welcome accept it kisse the Rod and the hand that holds it drink the cup which though it may be bitter yet may prove wholsome and not poisonous in the least hear the Rod and who hath appointed it quarrel not with it but fall under it study you to please God in what you do or suffer and that God may please you in what he orders out and all will be well I would aske you concerning your Souls and Spiritual Conditions have you not minded God hitherto nor acquainted yourselves with him and the Mysteries of his Will things that concern your Eternal Peace have you not yet believed repented set to it now and make it your businesse you may have but a little time to spend in the world improve it to as good purpose as you can let not a minute run out to waste the nearer you are to your journeys end make the more haste that your work may not be to do when you have no time left to do it in knowing that there is no Believing Repenting self-Humbling and making peace with God No such Work in the Grave whither you are going be deeply humbled for your neglect of Hearing Reading Praying and other Duties of Godlinesse and now cry mightily urge God with his Attributes and plead thus Lord thou art stiled a Father of Lights and wilt thou not send light into my dark soul thou art the God of all Grace and shall I dye in a gracelesse condition thou gavest Christ and that of thine own free accord when there was no moveing of thee in the least to such a purpose and he hath shed his blood pacified thy wrath satisfied thy justice brought in everlasting righteousness and is now at the right hand to make Intercession for poor sinners and shall I that now cry for him fly to him be never the better for him not one drop of his blood to purge my conscience onely by the way let me Animadvert upon that which is the common apprehension and expression of men that one drop of Christs Blood was sufficient to save a world for my part I am not clear in that it must be heart blood life blood that must be shed by him to make an Attonment but to direct your proceed in the way of your Plea Lord thou hast given me a natural life and breath and wilt thou not give me spiritual life and breath I have the natural senses of hearing seeing tasting feeling and so forth and Lord shall I be wholy a stranger to spiritual senses these things am not I able to perform in my own behalf by my own power Oh put forth thine make me such as thou wouldst have me to be and I shall be such it is said of Abraham thou foundst him faithfull and of David thou foundst him a man after thine own heart thou wouldst never have found them so if thou hadst not made them so make me such and thou shalt find me such thy grace is as sufficient to pardon and sanctifie and renew me as ever it was for any poor sinner in the World If I dye and damne and perish there is no profit in my blood the dead praise thee not the damned will not nor can If I perish I shall never love thee and honour thee If thou wilt save me I shall be a lasting Monument of freest love and richest Grace and Mercy Oh then Magnifie thy Mercy upon me and let me not be Fuel for the burning but Timber for the building yet let me further drive and deal with you and use my uttermost to fasten my nails in you you are humane creatures oh see that you be new creatures you are a part of the first Creation that is wofully degenerated and defaced see that you be a part of the second Creation which is performed in Christ Jesus in whom all Gods acts of Grace are performed you have natural understandings pray that God would give you spiritual understandings David fetched an argument from this consideration that Gods hand had made him fashioned him and urged in the strength thereof Oh give me understanding that I may keep thy Testimonies Psal 119. You have bodies but do you not consider that you have souls that are infinitely more to be valued then your bodyes the losse whereof the whole world will not countervail you live a natural life but do not you know that there is a spiritual life which is infinitely better look to live that life you eat and drink daily for the body there is a spiritual meat and drink provided which your souls have as much need of as your bodyes have of the Perishing food oh make out after that You are carefull to cloath your bodies and shall your fouls be naked You prize and study to keep and maintain your outward liberty spiritual liberty is far better and will you please your selves in spiritual bondage to sin and the Devil oh make out after this spiritual liberty knowing that if the Son shall make you free you shall be free indeed You are carefull to maintain your bodily health and is it good that you should have sick souls let me aske you will you love darknesse rather then light sicknesse rather then health bondage rather then liberty death rather then life your disease better then your Cure your Plague better then your plaister will you chose rather to be in the hand of a wounding killing Devil then in the hand of a healing recovering curing Christ will you choose rather to be damned and go to Hell then to be eternally saved and put into the possession of eternal Mansion above you are subject to a bodily Plague which may seize you and it may be hath know you not there is a worse Plague the Plague of the heart you must dye how soon you know not oh look after an interest in Christ which is the best interest look for Faith and free Justification Repentance and Renovation seconded with Real and Universal Reformation get the blood of Christ which is the blood of sprinkling upon your Consciences which will purge away your Guilt bring in Peace and kill the Worm which if not killed will killingly gnaw on you to all Eternity I say again you must dye once take heed of dying twice there is a second death and that is the most formidable you must dy but look to this that death do not kill you do you kill sin and you will kill death too you must dye but let it be your seeing of death as it is said of Simeon Luke 2. Let not death see you with a Mortifferous killing sight you must dye let it be but a tasting of death as the Scripture phraseth it let it
not devouringly feed on you as it shall upon some Psalm 49. Once more you must dye I beseech you for Gods sake for dear Jesus sake for your souls sake let this be your greatest care oh that it may be mine as well as yours see to it that you live before you dye that you live the life of Grace before you dye the death of Nature and then it matters not when where how by what Disease you dye you shall not dye to dye but dye to live again and live to dye no more but live in the un-interrupted Vision and interminable fruition of him who is the King Eternal Immortal Invisible the onely wise God the Resurrection and the Life the I am the infinite Being the All in All. Oh my Friends let Master Bakters Counsel and this of mine seconding his let it be acceptable to you and be not so cruel to your own souls as to neglect such a God such a Christ such a Gospel such a Govenant and such an Inheritance as is laid up in store for the Saints in Light who but fools would live without God without Christ without Faith and Fear and forgo him and his Christ to all Eternity and be eternally miserable with Devils and Damned souls After you are dead you must have the searchers to view your bodies be you who you will be you searchers to your selves and your own Souls and see to it that there be no spiritual Feaver Spots or Plague Spots upon you If any spots look to it that they be no other then the spots of Gods Children and if you have spots look to it that you be not spots such as Jude speaks of And if the Marks of the Lord Jesus be upon your souls and not the Mark of the Beast and Dragon whatever Marks and Spots may be found on your Bodies they may prove Mâ—rkâ— of death but shall never prove the Marks of Hell and Damnation For my part while I am continued oâ— this side the Grave and in Praying work my earnest Prayer for you all shall be that though you may be judged according to men in the Flesh yet you may live according to God in the Spirit and that though your outward Man perish that your inward Man may be renewed daily that though there be a destroying of the outward Man your Souls may be saved in the day of out Lord Jesus I have now promised to pray for you and it is my daily work but be sure you pray for your selves and make use of Christs name in your prayers onely take heed of resting in a meet Forme as commonly men do that have learned to say for Jesus Christs sake do thus and thus when as poor souls in the mean time they know nothing of Christ never closed with him in a believing way never knew any need of him never had any sense of the burthens of fin pressing heavily on their souls and so made to cry out after that ease and rest which he is so willing to afford to poor burthened and heavy laded souls Mat 11. â—8 Such poor ignorant ones Christ may say to them upon what account do you make use of my name what hath passed between you and me you and I are yet to begin our acquaintance together you know not me nor I you what have you then to do to take my name into your lips This then is that which I would perswade and presse you to acquaint your selves with Christ and be at peace as was the counsel given to Job chap. 22. The Father is angry and there is no coming at him but by the the son Oh kisse the son least he be angry as is advised Psal 2. Kisse him with a kisse of Faith a kiss of Love a kiss of â—eal and Cordial Subjection Oh do in a spiritual way as the poor woman the sinner did in a bodily way but with her heart too Luke 7. Get to the feet of Christ and pray that if you may not have the kisses of his mouth you may have the kisses of his feet hang fast about him and touch him with a touch of faith Mary Magdalen was bid not to touch him and Christ gave the reason For saith he I am not aseended She doted too much upon his bodily presence but now he is ascended touch him and spare not get you an interest in Christs person and then use his name and improve it to the utmost you have his warrant for it John 16 24. and you may be bold upon it and this incouragement you have That what you aske in his name the Father will give it It is as a pretious so a prevailing name The case may so stand with a people or person that though Noah Daniel and Job though Moses and Samuel who were Gods Favourites very potent and prevalent with him yet could not Gods heart be toward such a people or person nor should they prevail Jeremiah 15. 1. Ezek 14. 14. And it did appear in Sauls case on whose behalf Samuel did very passionately intercede but could not prevail 1 Sam. 16. 1. But it was never said by God nor never shall though Jesus my Son should stand up and plead in the behalf of such or such a sinner he should not prevail with me This Paper of mine either in the whole complex or in the extract which principally I have wished to you may come and knock at your doores and may finde them shut upon you and you shut up within them that Friends cannot come to you If it come take it in entertain it friendly what know you but Christ who stands at the doore and knocks may come along with it Oh let him be entertained into your Houses into your Hearts you will have cause to blesse God to eternity that ever such a guest came under your Roofes And so that your hora â—ovissima prove but hora salutifera saluifica your last hour may prove an hour of salvation I wish you no more no better And now my Brethren I had down but that one onely thing more is to be done If this paper should be publisht as haply it may but if so it shall be your act as much as if not more then mine It will be perhaps animadverted upon and Objected against I would therefore willingly animadvert upon it my self and anticipate prevent what Objections may be made against it It may be said first That for all my time past I have been quiet and appeared little in a way of Printing How comes it to passe that now I appeare I Answer It s true I have appeared little very ittle in this way two or three things have passed in my Name and under my Hand poore inconsiderable things yet found good acceptance and incouragement for such minutula They take up little room and are had on easie terms lesse then Twelve pence I think will buy them all Why may I not appear when the occasion is so pressing the Arguments so material