you may see The laws of God most holy and most high Whose Will 's the rule of all holiness Of love and mercy and of righteousness These pure commands light to the eyes impart They 'r right and good and do rejoice the heart Receive them in thy mind since they are light And since they 'r good make them thy hearts delight Great peace have they O Lord thy law that love Nothing to them a stumbling-block shall prove Would you read Proverbs much sence in few words The Scripture Proverbs plenteously affords In Scripture rare Epistles you will find Where to his Friends Christ writes his heart and mind And as their case requires so he in love Sometimes commends and sometimes doth reprove Would you read news here 's news both great and true Good tidings of great Joy and ever new That God was manifest in humane flesh Will be for ever wondrous news and fresh He is the same to day and yesterday And is the same for ever and for aye His love 's the same it never waxeth old His blood 's still fresh his vertue grows not cold He 's white and ruddy still his beauty rare Doth never fade no age can it impair His locks are black no grey hairs there are seen His Marriage bed continues ever green All earthly things do languish and decay The fashion of the world doth pass away These things are nothing else but shadows fleeing Which seem to be and have no solid being But Christ is truth and new creatures true Old things are past lo all things here are new These things fade not with time they grow not frail They are eternal and shall never fail New creatures wax not old they never die Newness of life lasts to eternity New are their hearts their spirits minds and sense Their acts are acts of new obedience Their way is new as light it shines alway Still more and more unto the perfect day These creatures new have a new secret name And a new City New Jerusalem A new Heav'n and new Earth which far excell This World for there all righteousness doth dwell New various fruits they gather from the tree Of Life and drink new wine perpetually Eternal draughts of Light Love and Joy While God himself they fully do enjoy Ah Fools who seek for needless Novelties To feed fantastick Curiosities Of precious time so prodigally lost Your brave new nothings will not quit the cost Search for the new things that are great and true And of this labour thou shalt never rue These news thy soul to wondering will raise And yield sweet matter of new Songs of praise Art thou dispos'd to sing apply thine ear In scripture thou a joyful sound shalt hear Of Psalms and Hymns and Songs Spiritual Which make a melody celestial No Poet now can such Composures write For the great Maker did these Songs indite They came from Heaven and by a heavenly strain They lift the soul from Earth to Heaven again There are high Songs made touching the great King Who hath pre-eminence in every thing There are most stately Songs of acts divine Sweet Songs of Love which better are than wine Here mournful Songs and Songs of joy and gladness And here are Songs compos'd of mirth and sadness The Psalm begins sometimes with sighs and tears And sad complaints of dangers and of fears But while the Psalmist sings the grief and fray Evanish and are sweetly sung away These fingers travel much aloft to raise Their hearts and tongues to highest Notes of praise They call for help invite the creatures all In Earth Seas Air the Hosts celestial But all the praise that creatures can afford Is far below the praise due to the Lord. This rent will never fully payed be Through all the Ages of Eternity But they who ever praise are ever blest In restless praise there is eternal rest Unto the word the Lord subjoined hath The Sacraments for to confirm our Faith That as we hear so we may clearly see Christ and his Grace presented to our eye In Baptism behold Christ doth apply His Blood and Spirit us to purifie To purge away our guilt and filthiness To give us holiness and righteousness Be pure and clean and of a holy frame Since thou wast washed in God's holy Name Unto the holy One the holy Three Thou offer'd wast should'st thou not holy be Think never shame holiness to avow Glory to stand to thy Baptismal Vow Abhor the filthy lusts of Swinish Hogs Disdain to cast what 's holy unto Dogs Watch fight against all worldly lusts and evils Resist unclean lying and murthering Devils Be strong in God and in his power of might The War is holy and the Cause is right Put on Gods armour stand stand do not flee Upon the Captain always fix thine eye He is the Captain of Salvation Cleave unto him and thou shalt surely win For he hath given to all thy Foes the foil Come after him and gather up the spoil He will thee feast in midst of all thy fight Cover thy Table in thine Enemies sight A Banquet in the fight expect thou may Since Christ Love's Banner doth o're thee display O! let it not be ever said of thee That from Christ's Colours thou away did flee Christ and his fulness in the union-feast We may both hear and see smell touch and taste By these same ports were Satan Death and Sin Enter'd Christ Life and Righteousness come in Adam did hear take smell touch taste tâ—â— fruit And was transform'd to a vile mortal Brute He is the Living the Life-giving Bread Here is the meat indeed the drink indeed Under the shadow of this true Apple tree Sit down it 's Fruit to thy taste sweet shall be This tree of life this true and noble Vine Yields Grapes which bleed true life a life divine Christ would be broken that he might be bread And that the dead might live he would be dead He would bleed out his life that we might drink Life in his blood remember him and think Still of his Death and in his Temple still Think of his Love and of his latter Will. Thou who art willing Christ himself to take And all his fulness no more scruples make For as the bread thou eat'st and as the wine Thou drink'st belongs to thee so Christ is thine As food the empty body satiates And life and strength recruits and recreates So Christ to souls doth full contentment give He is their strength and life by which they live If he dwell in thee thou shalt filled be With all Gods fullness most abundantly And thou shalt live not thou but rather he Who is a quickning Spirit shall live in thee Faint not when to great works thou hast a call In Christ who strengthens thee thou maist do all Thou wilt him find life giving strenthening food The living Spring of all that 's truly good Prepare thy self for this great holy Feast The King himself observeth every guest He who
makes changes strange of things It life from death sweet from bitter brings Peace out of trouble out of darkness light Out of the Eater meet from grief delight What of it self did to destruction tend Grace makes it in salvation to end As for Christ's Cross be not at it offended For it can never be enough commended O! it 's a holy pleasant stately thing To be conform'd to him in suffering Remember oft his oft repeated word The Servant is not greater than his Lord It is enough and very fair that he Who 's a Disciple as his Master be Is thy condition mean canst thou not find Accommodation unto thy mind Hast thou no harboury no house nor hold To shelter thee from storms look and behold The First-begotten to the world brought in In an Out-house and not into the Inn. He unto whom the Angels worship paid Is in a Manger not a Cradle laid Foxes have holes and each fowl hath its nest Christ had not whereupon his head to rest Want'st thou wherewith to buy thy daily bread Some of their substance to him ministred Or art thou from thy Native Soil exil'd Christ driven was to Egypt when a child Art thou reproached Vile iniquities Were cast on him calumnies and lies Vile drunkenness sensual gluttony Collusion with Devils blasphemy Madness deceit and friendliness to vice And all that crafty malice could devise Was charg'd on him whom they proclaim'd abroad An Enemy to Coesar and to God. Do Friends turn Foes or do they faint and flee From thee in straits to Jesus turn thine eye His own Disciples did leave him alone They to their own were scattered and gone He was by Judas traiterously betrayed By Peter thrice most shamefully denied Art thou a Prisoner and hardly used Pursu'd to death and scornfully abused Christ as a Thief was apprehended bound As a mock-King in purple cloath'd and crown'd With pricking Thorns a Reed put in his hand As a mock-Scepter then they do command That he hood-wink't should tell who did him smite To shew at him as Prophet their despite They spit on him and scourge him cruelly And lead him out upon a Cross to die A lingring shameful painful cursed death On which he bore our sins and divine wrath These were the weights that did his soul distress His sweat was blood when bruised in this press The Cross as Christ hath left it we may say Is light Christ took its greatest weight away He wrath the bitterness of death drunk up And left no vengeance in his peoples cup For wrath and death he love and life puts in Which Marab's waters make more sweet than wine Take up his burden it is light and meet And drink his cup it healthful is and sweet To bear about the dying of sweet-Jesus Will not us kill but quicken strengthen ease us They 're highly honoured who suffer shame For Jesus sake and for his glorious Name Reproach for Christ is Riches much more great Than Egypt's Pleasures Treasures Honours State Shame for him honour is and loss is gain In death for him is life and ease in pain When all day long they 're killed for his sake Like sheep for slaughter burned at a stake They Conquerors and more than Conquerors prove Through him who them eternally doth love Turn thine eyes from the dark side of the Cross On which appears dishonour pain and loss And turn upon the lightsome side thine eye Where pleasure gain and glory thou maist see Christ's own Example will us best direct How of the Cross to take a right prospect The Son of man is glorified he said And God in him is also glorified If God in him thus glorified be God shall in him himself straight glorifie He Glory saw in being crucified He saw God by his suffering glorified He saw the heavenly glory to ensue Keep still this Triple Glory in thy view Sigh not then at the Cross as sad and sorry But shout in triumph Glory glory glory Live to God's Glory for his Glory die It is thy Glory God to glorifie If by thy death God glorified be Thou shalt in Glory live eternally They who with Christ do suffer with him reign And bearing palms eternal triumph sing If for the Name of Christ reproach'd thou be The Spirit of God and Glory rests on thee These momentary crosses which are light Work endless Glory of exceeding weight Yet go not from thy way to seek a cross Follow thy calling to God's way keep close That Cross which thy wise Lord for thee thinks meet Is in thy way in the great King 's High-street That thou must take it up or else go wrong Medling in what doth not to thee belong If in thy sufferings thou wouldst have delight See that thy call be clear the cause be right Take up thy Cross in Christ's Name and his strength That of thy race thou maist run all the length Pray to be strengthen'd by his glorious might To suffer with all patience and delight Tho thou wert burned yet if thou hast not Love burning will not profit thee a Jot Unto thy hungry Enemy give food Love those who hate thee vanquish ill with good And pray that those who do impoverish thee With the true riches may enriched be That they who cause thee wander far abroad May from their wand'ring be reclaim'd to God. Those who from Earth pursue thee till thou die Endeavour to draw them to Heaven with thee Our blessed Lord when hanging on the tree Prayed for those who did him crucifie He to his Father for their pardon pray'd And did say for them all that could be said How far was Stephen from leaving of his death On those who ston'd him witness his last breath He kneel'd and cri'd this sin Lord do not lay To their charge Thus in love he slept away O lovely blessed sleep O sure 't will be A heavenly thing in love to live and die Love is the way to Heaven love is the flame In which the soul surmounts the starry frame This is the work and life of Saints above To love and loved be for God is love He 's light and love he freely doth impart Light to the mind and goodness to the heart With his resplendent Glory fill thine eye And in his goodness place thou all thy Joy. Come see and taste Come come and taste and see With goodness fill thy heart with light thine eye The Father Son and Spirit Persons three Who are in Essence one do call on thee To come from dolesome darkness unto light From ill to good from sorrow to delight From death to life from guilt to righteousness From the vile filth of sin to holiness From want to fullness from weights which thee load To rest and ease from Satan unto God From Hell to Heaven from lusts base drudgery To that high service God to glorifie Not that we can unto his Glory add For it is boundless He hath ever had And hath and shall have to
the Eye Of th' Understanding Scripture-light to see The light of truth he unto them doth show That truth from error they may clearly know He shows what 's right what 's wrong what 's good what 's ill For to inform the Mind reform the Will. He takes them by the arms learns them to go And holds them that they reel not to and fro If thou art weak thy help on him is laid Who mighty is in straits a present aid Thou filthy art without unclean within He is a Fountain opened for sin Thou art diseased this Physician can Heal all Diseases incident to Man. This Man 's the Peace in midst of Enemies The heart's support under Infirmities He is the Ark in midst of a Deluge When wrath pursues a City of Refuge If thou art dead he 's life if lost salvation If comfortless he 's Israel's consolation Jesus is All by Jesus Name alone To Men is given God's salvation All they which are in him are justified Regenerate adopted glorified Come come to him and then thou shalt be free From condemnation and accepted be As Just through his Obedience to the Death Imputed to thee and receiv'd by Faith. Thy sins and guilt shall never thee confound Though they be sought for they shall not be found They are renew'd who are in him that 's true Old things are past and all things are made new Christ lives in them and Christ in them is found And to his Image they are all conform'd They die to sin they live to him who died And rose that they might be all sanctified As many as receive him who doth come To them they all the Sons of God become They have his Spirit they have access free To Grace and Abba Father they may cry They by his Name are call'd by him protected Provided for they 'r chast'ned and corrected Yet not cast off their Father's power and love Keeps-them to their inheritance above They all are Heirs of life perpetual Heirs and joynt-heirs with Christ the Heir of all They persevere and never fall away From Grace in which they firmly stand for ay For God's Foundation standeth ever sure He knows his own his love doth still endure There 's none there 's nothing whatsoever that Them from the love of Christ can seperate He will not leave them he doth promise make That he will not them leave nor them forsake They shall not leave the Lord for in their heart He puts his fear that they may not depart None can them pluck away they firmly stand As holden in the Son 's and Father's Hand Christ's Intercession which doth still prevail Procureth that their Faith shall never fail They persevere in Grace in Grace they grow From Christ in them moe benefits do flow Assurance of God's favour and his grace In midst of trouble inward rest and peace Of Conscience the joy of God's salvation Which makes them glory even in tribulation Their Souls at death are perfectly made free From sin to glory pass immediately Their bodies sleep in Christ in whom they have Rest till the Resurrection in the grave Then their vile body so by Death deform'd Shall to Christ's glorious body be conform'd The Soul and Body being unite shall be For ever with the Lord and clearly see His Glory in his Light they shall see Light There is no darkness there there is no Night Shadows are fled the Lattess here below Did well through which the Lord himself did show But when the perfect day is come and grace Is crown'd with glory they see face to face Not in a glass nothing doth interveen To mar their sight they see as they are seen And known there needs no Candle there Nor Moon nor Sun these lights are darkness where God's Glory shines and where the Lamb 's the light He fills the eye and perfect makes the sight In his own glory they his glory see And like him are because they perfectly Behold him as he is The Light Divine Inlightens them that like the Sun they shine They see his love it 's in their heart and eye That he is God their Soul doth taste and see And in his love the Spring of Life Divine They Water drink that 's better far than Wine Rivers of pleasures in upon them flow And fill their Soul throughout and overflow Yet do not drown These living waters give Eternal life to all who in them live Their love is perfect God's love makes abode In them they dwell in love and dwell in God. And then a whole Burnt-offering they prove Wholly inflam'd but not consum'd by love They 'r free from sin free from all that defiles From all temptations from all Satan's wiles No spot remains Holiness is perfect Here they lov'd cleanness there they wake in white No trouble 's there dishonour nor disgrace But perfect Glory Honour Rest and Peace There is no grief nor ought that can annoy Christ's Joy's in them they enter into Joy. No doubts perplex them nor suspicious fear For God's Name is in all their Fore-heads clear Come now to Christ and then he unto whom Thou comest will kindly thee invite to come Into his Kingdom yea he will thee own As a Joynt-Heir and thee with Glory Crown And which doth pass all admiration Thou shalt be fet with him upon his Throne They who will not come now must then be gone From Christ to Hell and to destruction For when the Lord whom now they will not hear Shall as great Judge at the great day appear His words shall thunder terror through their heart When they shall hear the dreadful Doom Depart Depart ye curst to fire unquenchable With Satan and his Angels execrable Where there is endless weeping fruitless tears Gnashing of teeth through anguish and where fears Consuming terrors horrors do abound Shame and contempt eternally confound There they who would not look to Christ the Light Shall be for ever shut out from his sight In utter darkness in an endless night Blackness of darkness shall them still affright They who despise his love shall drink his wrath And streams of Brimstone kindled by his breath The wine is wrath the wrath of God without All Mixture is unto them pour'd out Of Divine Indignation's dreadful Cup. They swallow wrath and wrath them swallows up With wrath and fury they are fill'd and drunk And in a lake of fire and brimestone sunk Their torments smoak ascendeth up for ever They have no rest their torment ceaseth never Now life and death are set before thee chuse What thou wilt take what thou wilt refuse Wilt thou fool turn eternal life to death Wilt thou refuse God's favour chuse his wrath And turn from Jesus Christ to go to Devils Refuse all good and chuse all sorts of evils Darkness prefer to light wilt thou refuse Rivers of pleasures streams of brimstone chuse If thou the God of Truth Love Mercy Grace Forsake and lying vanities embrace Thy conscience the worm that doth not die
Shall torture thee to all eternity Now tell me Soul what thy Objections are Is it Christ's Yoke Rod Cross that doth thee scare His Yoke is easie and his Burthen light His Laws not grievous but the Soul's delight All his Commandments are holy just good And better far than thy appointed food They sweeter than the Honey-Comb shall prove For all his Laws are summed up in love The love of God who is the chiefest good And of our Neighbour our own flesh and blood To the in hatred is on Earth a Hell But it 's a Heaven on Earth in love to dwell Shouldst thou not love the Lord with all thy heart Who goodness is and doth good impart With all thy soul since he 's the God alone Which to the soul gives satisfaction With all the mind for he doth fill the mind And cannot be by finite thoughts confin'd With all thy strength Thy Powers are not able Him to desire as he is desirable Tho all thy soul to th' utmost thou extend It cannot boundless goodness comprehend Love sweetly joins the heart to God alone And other gods before him will have none It will have none on Earth or Heaven above But God for its desire delight and love The Spouse disdains this is love's holy pride By Christ's companions to turn aside To please the Lord love doth the soul dispose And with his will in every thing to close Love worship's God according to his mind And loves to be within his will confin'd Love fears his Jealousie and stands in awe To take ought from or add ought to his Law. It casts all worship forged by man's will And doth the sale of Idol-mongers spill Love God and then his glorious Name to thee As precious Ointment poured out will be Strongly yet sweetly Love will thee restrain From taking his most holy Name in vain Love God so Sabbath-days from morn till night Shall be by thee accounted a delight These Sabbaths of the Lord are holy blest Love's tristing times Feast-days and days of Rest Then the beloved blesseth Saints with grace And glory then they see his lovely face He entertaineth them in holy rest Days in his Courts of all days are the best From love to God neighbourly love doth flow From this sweet root this pleasant plant doth grow Since man was made in Gods similitude Since all men are of the same flesh and blood It 's for God's honour and our own behoof That we our Neighbour as our selves should love The light of Nature cries it's righteous To do as we would men to do to us If thou thy neighbour love thou wilt delight To keep him blameless and to do him right Love turns Superiors to Fathers kind And makes them of a condescending mind Love bounds their wrath moves to commiseration Love tempers rigour pleads for moderation When Justice matcht with Mercy sweetly reign Then all of Justice and of Mercy sing Blest is the land in which the law of love Doth rule in those below and those above Love maketh Equals deal with one another As every one were one another's brother Where Love prevaileth in inferiors It makes them kindly honour higher powers Love envies not superiors higher place But doth in God's Order still acquiesce Love maketh Subjects patient and mild Like to a kindly tender hearted child Who tho injur'd with grief and shamefac'dness Conceals his Father's faults and nakedness Love maketh man abhor man's blood to shed â—ince God hath man in his own Image made To sinful Anger Hatred Envy Spite Malice Revenge Love is most opposite Pure love destroys vile filthy lusts and flies From Fornications and Adulteries â—t purifies the heart and guards the eye And will not wrong a Neighbour's chastity He who is loving seeks his Neighbour's wealth And wrongeth none by Rapine or by stealth Love is most tender of a Neighbour's Name It thinks no evil and will not defame It loveth truth and doth abhor all lies False-witnessing reproaches calumnies Love is contented well with its own lot And what belongs to others covets not It 's opposite to the first inclinations Which tend to ill to sinful delectations Since Love's the end and sum of all the Law It 's pleasant in Love's easie yoak to draw The Law of Love is holy good and just But Oh! the lawless Law of sin and lust Like to a stinking humour spoils the taste Of Lust-sick men that the sweet food distaste To man's stiff Neck which galling lust doth spoil The Yoak seems hard which softer is than Oil. Yea no meer man is able since the Fall To keep these perfect Laws but breaks them all And every sin deserves God's curse and wrath Both in this present life and after death Yet O poor sinner turn not desperate Since with the Father there 's an Advocate Even Jesus Christ the Righteouss who hath Fulfill'd the Law appeas'd revenging wrath He hath the Law establisht answered All that it did demand or threatned Justice hath found a Ransom in the Son Full satisfaction for transgression He under lay the curse that he might free All from the curse who unto him do flee Come unto him who is the Lord's salvation And thou shalt not come into condemnation For all sins of omission and commission Thou shalt receive a full and free remission He will take off thy rags of filthiness And cloath thee with white robes of righteousness Was ever Traitor so perverfly mad To slight a pardon when it might be had To seek for cautioneis poor debters run Wilt thou an able off'red Surety shun Art thou with sins too heavy burden prest Come weary soul and Christ shall give thee rest Art thou for foughten and quite out of breath With the old man that man of sin and death Groan unto him that he may pity thee Say I 'm opprest Lord undertake for me He who cri'd out O wretched man am I Within a little sung of Victory Cry Help Lord sins prevail against me do Purge me subdue them and them quite undo Since without him thou canst do nothing right Be strong in him in the power of his might When thou com'st up out of the wilderness Lean upon him lean on him all thy stress Would thou have peace and comfort come to Jesus He is the peace and he alone can ease us By Faith receive him to dwell in thy heart He will thy conscience purge and ease its smart Take him as off'red in the Gospel-Call With this great gift the Father giveth all Stay wholly on him rest on him alone For to accomplish thy salvation To save thee from all sin and misery And with all goodness thee to satisfie Is not this work of Faith the hearts delight Is not this labour ease this burden light A hungry thirsty man will never think That it 's a grievous work to eat and drink It 's easing to a man with loads opprest To be disburden'd and to find a rest The wind tost traveller is glad to
Sword of Justice the blood-thirsty blade Pursues for blood rests not till blood be shed The blood of beasts cannot God's wrath appease Nor purge the Conscience nor give it ease Vile finite man could never satisfie For sin against God infinite tho he Should bleed for ever in this helpless case Christ cometh in for his poor sheep's release He saith I come I come behold and see As in the book it written is of me A Body Lord thou hast for me prepar'd Draw blood of me and let the sheep be spar'd I do delight even my hearts blood to shed For them that their sin may be pardoned Come all ye whom the fiery law doth charge With guilt and wrath and who your hearts enlarge For righteousness and who for pardon pant Come drink the blood of the new covenant This drink will quench thy thirst and scorching heat Which guilt and wrath do in thy soul beget Christ gives himself for food to intimate That he himself is ours in us and that He is one with us by a lively union And that our life consisteth in communion With him who gives us life and growth and strength And perfects what concerneth us at length This puts his loving kindness out of doubt That he comes in and will not stand without And comes in that he with his Friends may feast And gives himself for food to every guest He gives his flesh for bread and to make up The feast he pours his blood into the Cup. White others have but Bread and Wine for food Believers eat Christ's Body drink his Blood. He will not live without them he doth give Life unto them and Christ in them doth live Yea the life which they in the flesh do live They live it as they on the Son believe Behold again his Love behold him die Behold him leave his little ones a legacy In a most sure well order'd Testament And gives it sealed by a Sacrament This Testament containeth all that 's good All that is purchased by Jesus blood It cannot changed be it must endure The great Testator's death doth make it sure He dies to ratifie his latter Will He lives Executor it to fulfil He gave himself for them to them he gives Himself for them he dies for them he lives Yet still here 's more of love the loving art Is learned best from Christ's most loving heart He leaves a token of his love most kind To keep him and his death still in their mind A token which he will have to remain With them until he come from Heaven again He says This is my body for you broken Take this as of my love a sign and token Take eat and when this braken bread you see And take and eat it then remember me And drink this Cup and drink ye of it all As often as this Bread and Cup ye shall Eat and drink ye shew forth and do record The bloody breaking death of Christ the Lord. Since these Love tokens are most excellent Which do to us most clearly represent An absent friend to shew what he hath done For us what hardships for us undergone And those most charming and endearing prove Which represent his loveliness and love This Sacrament is an illustrious Symbol of love presenting Christ to us As broken bleeding dying in our stead Broken that he might unto us be bread Bleeding that he might us with drink relieve And dying that we by his death might live His Farewell Sermon register'd by John Is full of love and consolation Where you will find most kindly compellations Comforting Truths strengthening Exhortations And promises most great and precious Most fit for them most sweet and gracious His Sermon sweet in a sweet Prayer ends Where he them to his Father recommends And prays for all that should believe upon His Name through the Word that ye might be one As thou says he O Father art in me And I in thee they one in us may be I will that they whom thou hast given me Be with me that they may my Glory see I have declared unto them thy Name And will continue to declare the same That the love wherewith thou hast loved me May be in them and I in them might be Himself his Glory and his Father's love To him he gives to them and this doth prove He will no good deny but all impart Unto his Spouse who ravisheth his heart For her his hands feet side and heart did bleed These streams did from the Spring of Love proceed His bleeding hands feet side and heart do prove That our Lord Jesus Christ did die for love In suffering he acted finished His work his Father's will accomplished Payed the price Justice to satisfie His Prisoners to ransom and set free And when he ignominiously did die His Foes he vanquished most gloriously Heroick Facts which Histories record Are nothing to the acts of Christ the Lord Who the Red Dragons the old Serpent's head Bruised and all Hell's Powers vanquished Destroyed Death and took away its sting And rend'red it tho grim a harmless thing O'recame the world and made an end of sin And everlasting righteousness brought in To God he Glory gave to Earth brought Peace And towards worthless men good will and grace The feigned Loves which are in forg'd Romances Tho they be strain'd are dull and cloudy Fancies And nothing to his matchless wondrous love Which is all finite minds and thoughts above The Spirit did the Gospel oft indite And moved four Evangelists to write That we might often read and hear and see Of godliness the true great mystery That in beholding we might be transform'd Into Christ's Image and to him conform'd If thou take pleasure to read Prophesies Again into the Scripture turn thine eyes Where thou wilt find that in the days of old Things future were long e're they came foretold The Promises of Christ are there most clear And were fulfilled when he did appear They who had eyes to see could not mistake Him of whom Moses and the Prophets spake All circumstances here did meet and twift What they foretold fulfilled was in Christ The Promises so great and precious Assures us that the Lord is gracious His Word and Oath which ever do endure Do make his mercies to his people sure May worthless I these Promises embrace Thou maist for they are Promises of Grace If thou be miserable and impure They promise cleansing they are mercies sure As cleansing purgeth from impurity So mercy pities saves from misery If thou do thirst and hunger after all The Promises thine own thou maist them call The needy soul that longs for righteousness May claim the Promise fulness blessedness Since Christ hath blest the hungry thirsty foul Such sure are blest none can his Word controul Once close with Christ all Promises are then Thine for in him they are Yea and Amen If thou embrace all his Commands aright Thou maist in all his Promises delight Would you read laws in Scripture
every man have naturally a Love of himself and desire to conserve his own ease then should he also have fear of peril whereby he is to fall into extream calamity This St. Bernard expresseth excellently according to his custom O man saith he if thou hast left all shame which appertaineth to so noble a creature as thou art if thou feelest no sorrow as carnal men do not yet lose not fear also which is found in very beasts We use to load an Ass and weary him out with Labour and he careth not because he is an Ass But if thou wouldest thrust him into fire or fling him into the ditch he would avoid it as much as he could for that he loveth life and feareth death Fear thou then and be not more insensible than a beast Fear Death fear Judgment fear Hell. This Fear is called the beginning of Wisdom and not shame and sorrow for that the Spirit of fear is more mighty to resist sin than the Spirit of shame or sorrow Wherefore it is said Remember the end and thou shalt never sin That is Remember the final punishments appointed for sin after this life III. First therefore to speak in General of the punishments reserved for the Life to come If the Scriptures did not declare in particular their greatness unto us That they are most severe dolorous and intolerable For first as God is a God in all his Works That is to say great wonderful and terrible so especially he sheweth the same in his punishments being called for that cause in Scripture a God of Justice as also a God of Revenge Wherefore seeing all his other Works are full of Majesty and exceeding our capacities we may likewise gather that his hand in punishment must be wonderful Also God himself teacheth us to reason in this manner when he saith And will ye not then fear me and tremble before my face which have put the sand as a stop unto the sea and have given the water a commandment never to pass no not when it is most troubled and the floods most outragious As if he should say If I am wonderful and do pass your imaginations in these works of the Sea and others which you see daily you have cause to fear me considering that my punishments are like to be correspondent to the same IV. Another conjecture of the great and severe Justice of God may be the consideration of his infinite and unspeakable Mercy the which as it is the very Nature of God and without end or measure as his Godhead is so is also his Justice and these two are the two arms as it were of God embracing and kissing the one the other as the Scripture saith Therefore as in a man of this world if we had the measure of one arm we might easily conjecture of the other so seeing the wonderful examples daily of God's infinite mercy towards them that repent we may imagine by the same his severe justice towards them whom he reserveth to punishment in the next life and whom for that cause he calleth in the Scriptures Vessels of his Fury or Vessels to shew his Fury upon V. A Third Reason to perswade us of the greatness of these punishments may be the marvellous patience and long-sufferings of God in this life As for example in that he suffereth divers men from one sin to another from one day to another from one year to another from one age to another to spend all I say in dishonour and despite of his Majesty adding offence to offence and refusing all perswasions allurements good inspirations or other means of friendship that his mercy can devise to offer for their amendment And what man in the world could suffer this Or what mortal heart can shew such patience But now if all this should not be requited with severity of punishment in the world to come upon the obstinate it might seem against the Law of Justice and Equity and one arm of God might seem longer than the other Saint Paul teacheth this Reason in his Epistle to the Romans Rom. 2. where he saith Dost thou not know that the benignity of God is used to bring to repentance And thou by thy hard and impenitent heart dost hoard up vengeance unto thy self in the day of wrath and appearance of God's just judgment which shall restore to every man according to his works He useth here the words of hoarding up of vengeance to signifie as a covetous man doth hoard up money to money daily to make his heap great so the unrepentant finner doth hoard up fin to fin and God on the contrary side hoardeth up vengeance to vengeance until his measure be full to restore in the measure against measure as the Prophet saith and to pay us home according to the multitude of our abominations This God meant when he said to Abraham that the iniquity of the Amorites was not yet full up Also in the Revelation unto St. John the Evangelist when he useth this conclusion of that book He that doth evil let him do more evil and he that liveth in filth let him yet become more filthy For behold I come quickly and my reward is with me to render to every one according to his deeds By which words God signifieth that his bearing and tolerating with sinners in this life is an Argument of his greater severity in the life to come which the Prophet David also declareth when talking of a careless sinner he saith The Lord shall scoff at him foreseeing that his day shall come This day no doubt is to be understood the day of account and punishment after this life For so doth God more at large declare himself in these words Ezek. 7th And thou Son of man this saith thy Lord God The end is come now I say the end is come upon thee And I will shew in thee my fury and will judge thee according to thy ways I will lay against thee all thine abominations and mine eye shall not spare thee neither will I take any mercy upon thee but I will put thy own ways upon thee and thou shalt know that I am the Lord. Behold afflictions cometh on the end is come the end I say is come it hath watched against thee and behold it is come the day of slaughter is at hand crushing is now come upon thee Shortly will I pour out my wrath upon thee and I will fill my fury in thee and I will judge thee according to thy ways and I will lay all thy wickedness upon thee mine eye shall not pity thee but I will lay thy way upon thee and thine abominations in the midst of thee and thou shalt know that I am the Lord that striketh Hitherto is the speech of God himself VI. Seeing then now we understand in general that the punishments of God in the Life to come are most certain to be great and severe to all such as fall into them for which cause the Apostle
appeared unto Abraham and many others in dreams The Body sleeps but the Soul awakes So it is with the sleep of death it is the Body that dies but the Soul doth not die There are some men that are not afraid to teach you that the Soul sleeps as well as the Body and that when the Body dies and falls asleep the Soul likewise continues in a dull Lethargy Veternoso somno correptus neither capable of joy nor sorrow till the Resurrection Beloved this is very uncomfortable and a very false Doctrine They endeavour to prove it from my Text They say That when Stephen died he fell asleep It is true in regard of his Body he fell asleep but his Soul did not fall asleep That which was stoned fell asleep which was his Body only for when he was stoning he saw Jesus Christ standing ready to receive his Soul into Heaven Lord Jesus saith he receive my spirit Stephen's Soul could not be stoned tho his Body was stoned So when Jesus Christ was crucified his Soul was not crucified I mean when his Body was killed Indeed he did endure torments in his Soul which made him cry out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me But yet his Soul did not die So when Stephen died his Soul went to Christ It is true when a child of God dies the Soul goes to sleep How is that The Soul goes to sleep in a Scripture sense that is it goes to rest in Ahraham's Bosome O blessed Sleep it goes to rest in the Embraces of God it goes into the Arms of its Redeemer it goes to the Heavenly Paradice it goes to be always present with the Lord. But take heed you do not say that the Soul sleeps in this sense viz. That it lies in a strange kind of a Lethargy neither dead nor alive neither capable of joy nor sorrow until the Resurrection Tho Stephen's Body fell asleep yet his Soul did not fall asleep but immediately went unto Jesus Christ in Heaven Thus I have given the Explication of the Words Now give me leave to make some Application of all unto our selves Use 1. If the death of God's children be nothing but a falling asleep then let this comfort us against the death of our godly Friends tho they die unnatural and violent deaths tho they be stoned to death tho they be burnt to ashes tho they be sawn asunder Here is a message of rich consolation which as a Minister of Christ I hold unto you this day viz. That the death of a child of God let it be after what manner soever it will it is nothing but a falling asleep He goes to his Grave as to his Bed And therefore our Burying-places are call'd our Dormitoria Sleeping-houses A child of God when he dies he lies down in peace and enters into his rest And as a man when he is asleep is free from all the cares and troubles that he hath in the day-time so the People of God when they are fallen asleep they are free from all the miseries and calamities crosses losses and afflictions that we are troubled withal Therefore give me leave to say to you as Christ did to the Women that followed him to the Cross bewailing and lamenting of him O daughters of Jerusalem weep not for me but weep for your selves and for your children So I say weep not for those that are dead in the Lord that are fallen asleep in Jesus Christ They are at their rests they do not know the troubles that we are troubled withal Abraham remembers us not they are not sensible of our miseries and afflictions Let us weep for our selves and for the miseries that are coming upon us and let us know that when God's children die they do but lie in their Beds until the morning of the Resurrection and then they shall put on Stolam Immortalitatis the Garment of Immortality and their Bodies shall be made like unto the glorious Body of Jesus Christ And know one thing more which is all in all viz. That when the Body of a child of God falls asleep his Soul immediately goes into the Arms of Christ and there lives for ever in the Embraces of Jesus Christ Tho the Body falls asleep yet the Soul is received into Abraham's Bosom I beseech you comfort one another with these words Use 2. Let me beseech the people of God that they would look upon death not as it is presented unto us in Natures Looking-glass but as it is set down in a Scripture-dress Nature presents death in a very terrible manner and it is true death is very terrible to a man out of Christ but to you that are in Christ the sting of death is taken away Death is nothing else but a quiet and placid Sleep putting off our cloaths and going to Bed till we awake in the morning of Resurrection Death to a child of God is nothing but a putting off his Earthly Tabernacle a going from an Earthly Prison into an Heavenly Palace a hoising up Sail for Heaven the letting of the Soul out of Prison as a Bird out of a Cage that it may fly to Heaven a change from a Temporary Hell to an Eternal Heaven a going out of Egypt into Canaan and therefore called 2 Pet. 1.15 not mors hominis but mors peccati not the death of the man but the death of his sins it is Sepultura vitiorum it is the Pilgrim's Journeys end the Seaman's Haven an absence from the Body and a presence with the Lord. Let all God's People look upon death through Scripture-Spectacles and consider it as it is sweetly represented in this Text. Remember blessed Stephen stoned to death and yet falling asleep and remember also that Excellent Saying of St. Austin That a child of God should be as willing to die as to put off his cloaths because death is nothing else to him but a Sleep and a departure from misery to everlasting happiness Use 3. Is to beseech you all every night when you go to Bed to remember this Text and especially these Four things First When you are putting off your cloaths remember you must shortly put off your Bodies And Secondly When you go into your Beds remember that it will not be long before you go into your Graves And Thirdly When you close your Eyes to sleep remember that it will not be long before death must close your Eyes And Fourthly When you awake in the morning remember that at the Resurrection we must all arise out of the Grave and that the just shall arise to everlasting happiness but the wicked to everlasting misery It is the saying on a Heathen man That the whole Life of a man should be nothing else but Meditatio Mortis a Meditation of Death And it is the saying of Moses Deut. 32.29 O that men were wise that they understood this that they would consider their latter end Beloved it is the greatest part of Wisdom every day to remember our latter
back And not their face to thee and thus forsake The Spring of living waters and in vain Dig Cisterns which no waters can contain To love the loathsome lying in their blood To overcome their evil with thy good Of these who sought thee not lo thou art found Where sin aboundeth Grace doth more abound O wonderful that thy delights should be With Sons of Men from all Eternity Since thou art Love thy love must wondrous be For all is wonderful that is in thee Thy love most High doth far surpass in height The highest reach of Men or Angels sight It s endless length no finite eye can see For it is from and to Eternity But O the depth past diving Who can sound How low Love stoops O lowliness profound That the most High who cloathed is with light To which none can approach should from the height Of Glory which doth Heaven of Heavens transcend Unto the lower parts of Earth descend To take up fallen Man yea to take on Frail Humane Nature So that now the Son Of God is Man the Word is Flesh and thus Behold God is become like one of us In likeness of Man's sinful flesh God sent His own His only Son with this intent That he for us an Offering should be And bear our sins in 's body on the Tree All we like wandring sheep had gone astray The Lord on him did our transgressions lay The blameless Lamb dies for the Sheep who stray And did restore that he took not away He who is blest did bear the curse that we Who cursed are in him might blessed be He who knew no sin was made sin for us That we in him might be made righteous The Prince of life did die that so the dead In sins might by his death be quickened He taken was and bound to set us free He was condemn'd that we absolv'd might be He quietly did stripes and wounds endure That by his stripes he all our wounds might cure The trouble of his Soul his Agony Procur'd our Peace and Soul's Tranquility His Soul was exceeding sorrowful That we might joy that our joy might be full He was forsaken of his God that we Unto God's prefence might have access free His blood was shed Justice to satisfie To purge away all our iniquity His flesh is meat his blood is drink indeed On which poor hungry thirsty souls may feed He 's God and Man a Mediator meet To make the Peace and God and Man unite The fullness of the Godhead bodily Dwelleth in him what then can wanting be He 's full of Grace and Truth that empty we May from his fullness have compleat supply To us a Child is born a Son is given To us he came di'd rose and went to Heaven He 's all for us all who obey his call Shall find all in him who fills all in all In him is all that needy souls require All their salvation all their desire Why stayest thou O my soul Canst thou refuse What sayest thou What pretend'st thou for excuse Thy call is clear thou maist yea thou must come Thy Soveraign calls God faithful is by whom Thou called art unto Communion And Fellowship with Jesus Christ his Son. The Son invites thee spreading out his Hands He shews himself cries knocks and waiting stands Ho every one who thirsteth come he cries Come come he double triple multiplies Come unto me hear and your soul shall live Come weary souls I rest to you will give The Spirit says Come whosoever will Take living water freely drink thy fill Thus thou must love or hate come or rebel And all who hate Christ love Death Wrath and Hell. All who despise his Love revenging Wrath Shall them pursue unto Eternal Death Thus thou hast heard his voice now lift thine eyes Behold him who Behold behold me cries Behold the true God who is over all God blest for ever consubstantial With God the Father God's own only Son The Father 's daily delectation The brightness of the Father's Glory bright His Person 's express Image light of light Immanuel that 's plainly God with us God-Man One Person Great and Gracious The Lord of Lords the Prince and King of Kings The Sun of Righteousness who in his wings Hath Healing yea hath Life for he 's the Light Of Life who gives unto the blind their sight The great High-Priest who by the Eternal Spirit Offered himself a Sacrifice compleat All in him lovely is in him is all That lovely is All Good we should him call He 's God yet Man and near of kin to us Most High yet lowly Great yet gracious We sent not for him yet behold he 's come Think who he is who cometh and to whom He had no need of nothings who are less Than nothing Fullness comes to emptiness We made the breach we sinned yet his Grace Prevents us seeks our love intreats for peace This Plot of Love the Gospel doth reveal God was in Christ the world to reconcile Unto himself and then a Ministry Of Reconciliation we do see Intrusted to his Messengers of Peace To publish and make Offers of his Grace If we his Messengers slight and abuse We God himself despise slight and refuse He who despiseth them doth God contemn Since God himself beseecheth us by them Again my Soul consider thy estate While thou from Christ continues separate Lo thou art blind naked miserable Thou canst not help thy self but Christ is able To help and save even to the uttermost Those who are self-destroyed dead and lost His Name is Jesus He did get that Name Which speaks salvation because he came To save his people from their sins and from The dreadful everlasting wrath to come His Name is Christ that is to say anointed For he to save is fitted and appointed As it 's his Office so it is his Joy To save the lost and Satan's works destroy If thou art poor wouldst thou do him a pleasure Come with thy emptiness unto his Treasure Where thou wilt find Riches unsearchable Fine tried Gold and Substance durable Thy eyes are blind come unto him for he Hath Eye-salve which doth make the blind to see Art thou asham'd of thy vile nakedness Here 's fine white Raiment perfect Righteousness Thou art a Fool of wisdom destitute Like a wild Asses Colt a stupid Bruit Lo he is wisdom and is wisdom made Unto the foolish who no wisdom had Thou art by Nature darkness of the Night He is that light which maketh darkness light Thou errest and wandrest going still astray He is the truth the leader and the way The way of life the true new living way By which unto the Holiest come we may And by the blood of Jesus which makes peace With confidence may access have to Grace The true the faithful witness the Amen Is given for a leader unto men A just Commander and a gracious Guide From strangers on the Earth he will not hide But open up the Scripture clear
find A hiding place to hide him from the wind And they whom a tempestuous storm doth beat With pleasure to a covert make retreat Tho thirsty when in a dry place they see Rivers of waters thither they will flee If travellers see a great high Rock stand In a Sun burnt and scorched weary land Tho they be weary yet they mend their pace To find in its cool shadow some solace The drowning man longs at the Rock to be The chased man into a strength doth flee Yet all these things when they together twist Are but meer shadows when compar'd with Christ He is the Truth true Light true Life true Food A refuge from all ill He 's all that 's good To buy this Pearl all things are wisely sold For it 's a treasure that cannot be told Riches unsearchable in Christ do meet In this one Pearl all treasures are unite Earth's Riches upon which poor worldlings dote Tho they appear to be yet they are not They are uncertain yea uncertainty And certainly they will make wings and fly They are but shadows when they seem to stay And are found nothing when they flee away These many things to nothing do amount When in Death's shadow men cast the account Oft-times in life these Riches take their wing When death is come they signifie nothing Except to vex the rich they cannot free From death nor him in death accompany But here true wealth riches unsearchable Eternal riches substance durable With many things vex not thy heart or head Since in one Pearl all good is treasured Rest not in hear-say come himself behold And thou shalt see much more than hath been told Buy without price or money O! cheap rate And calculate for our poor mean estate Sure it 's free grace which hath this match made Where all things good may be for nothing had Put to thy hand fear not thou maist be bold Since he himself commands thee to take hold Since sweetness better by the taste than eye Or ear is known O come and taste and see How good the Lord is eat that which is good Fatness and Marrow soul-delighting food Drink wine that 's well refined on the Lees Drink poverty away and miseries Be filled with the Spirit do not fear Lest thou exceed there is no excess here Drink thirsty soul and drink abundantly He who drinks most liveth most soberly This drink doth not the sence and head confound It clears the eyes makes mind and judgment sound It doth not pervert but right the heart And from all evil to all good convert They reel not for the Spirit doth them lead They safely go their paths are stablished Their Mirth 's not madness it is solid pure Ends not in sadness but doth still endure They who are filled with the Spirit rejoice Make melody to God with heart and voice They Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs do sing Give thanks to God through Christ in every thing These Joys begin the perfect melody Which is above come taste and sing and see Ah carnal wretch who knows no other Feasts But such as common are to men with beasts Who seeks no better meat nor better drink Than what corrupts and turns to filth and stink Thy belly is thy God thy glory shame Thy pleasure is the shadow of a dream Which goes in coming when it comes it goes And leaves a filthy stain upon the soul It leaves a sting for thy vexation And guilt which binds to condemnation Thy momentary mirth thy pleasures vain Brings on most real and eternal pain Thy fill is emptiness thy mirth is madness The laughter of a fool that ends in sadness Thy fleshly lusts tho they seem to delight Against thy soul most fiercely they do fight Their fond embraces are death's cruel grasps Their seeming sweetness is the gall of Asps The money 's spent for that which is no bread But is the bane whereby thou' rt poisoned Thy labour 's spent for vexing vanity Which doth torment but cannot satisfie When wilt thou come unto thy self and say Ah! I am famished I pine away With hunger I am cheated poisoned I feed vile lusts by them I 'm murthered I hear of bread indeed and bread to spare And of a Feast where all things ready are Since I am called shall I not make haste And run before I die But Oh! the Feast And the Feast-maker are just at my hand Before the door tho closed he doth stand He knocks and doth me lovingly invite Since he 's so near alas shall we not meet If any man what ere he was before My voice hear and to me open the door I will come in and sup with if he Poor thing have nothing he shall sup with me These are his words if I had ears to hear Lord open them give me the hearing ear Since Lord thou art so near do not depart Stand not without ah shall a door us part Make the King's Keys or since thou' rt not for breaking Right the split lock it is of thine own making I have it split it will not budge nor gee For any thing that can be done by me Lord thou canst mend it put thy hand within Open my closed heart thou know'st the gin When David's Key in thy Almighty Hand Doth open none can shut or thee withstand Come in O mighty one and dispossess Satan and Lust which do my soul oppress Of thy own goodness Lord the Feast provide Enlarge my heart and my mouth open wide And fill it for both hunger and the fill Proceed from the good pleasure of thy will. Without thee I am nothing nothing have And nothing good can think will do or crave Unless thy Spirit help my infirmity And grace perfect all that concerneth me I cannot come except that I drawn be Draw me O Lord and I will come to thee O wretched sinner cry for mercy cry When Christ the Son of David is so nigh Blind Bartimeus heard that Christ past by He takes the tide and doth for Mercy cry Many did think his crying a disgrace And charged him that he should hold his peace But he the more did lift his voice and cry O Son of David mercy have on me Jesus stood still he thought it not a shame To be thus call'd but answer'd to his Name The Beggar being called made no stay But in his haste did cast his Cloak away He seeks for sight obtaineth his request He came in faith in love he follows Christ Let nothing which Devils or Men can say Scare thee cast all impediments away Since the great Master calls make no delay Turn a deaf ear to all who him gain-say Do as the woman of Canaan did From whom Christ tho retir'd could not be hid She crieth out Have mercy on me Lord Christ hears her cry but answers not a word And when he speaks his words discourage more Than did the silence which he kept before I am not sent but to Israel 's lost sheep Says
more He first forgiveth his Iniquity Then cures his body of its malady To teach the sick to seek more earnestly To be from sin than from their sickness free Christ sees a Widow following the Bier Of her dead only Son he draweth near And on the Widow hath compassion Restores to her alive her only Son. Thus he prevents her expectation With unexpected consolation His piercing eye is sharp to see to see His Israel's affliction his eye Affects his tender heart with feeling stounds And all his bowels mercies mercies sounds He quickly comes with all convenient speed And helps and succours in the time of need In Christ all persons of each rank and station May see a pattern for their imitation Church-Members learn of him to countenance God's Servants and each holy Ordinance Jesus when eight days old was circumcis'd He heard John preach would be by him baptiz'd He loved Church-communion for he When others were baptiz'd baptiz'd would be He kept the Passover and after that His own Supper he himself did eat He sought and took each fit occasion For spiritual communication And did from earthly things occasion take Of divine heavenly purposes to speak Vile men things holy wrest to vile abuse He sinful things drew to an holy use He pray'd with others taught them what to say And in what order they to God should pray To pray that God's Name may be hallowed His kingdom come his will accomplished In Earth as it 's in Heaven then he allows To seek for bread not things superfluous And to seek more for liberation From sin and snares than from affliction Our hearts when we begin our prayers to raise To God in Heaven and end them in praise Pastors from the great Pastor learn to preach Who truth with all authority did teach His words were right words plain and words of grace Sweet sharp and suited to his hearers case He smote proud Hypocrites with Thunder-darts He pour'd the Oil of Joy in broken hearts And as a Hen her brood under her wings Gathers so would he gather wandring things He call'd and prest his hearers to repent And to believe on him whom God had sent On fools who to believe of heart were slow He with much patience did great pains bestow In prayer he prais'd their knowledge tho but weak And of their little Faith right much did make He wept o're those who from him turn'd away And would not know nor ponder in their day The things which did belong unto their peace While they were visited with Gospel-grace And by their slighting of Christ's Visitation Brought on themselves ruine and desolation To Christ let Children Servants Subjects look How pleasantly he bare Subjections Yoak To Joseph and his Mother due respect He gave and did himself to them subject He payed Tribute he would not offend And in his Doctrine he did recommend To give to Caesar what to him belong'd He was most patient when by Rulers wrong'd He served Rulers yea he thought it meet To serve his servants and to wash their feet Let all whom the most High hath set above Their Fellow-Creatures learn of Christ to love And condescend to those of low degree This lowly love adorns Authority Meekness and Mercy Lowliness in Christ With Majesty and Justice well consist Because of Truth Meekness and Justice he Rides prosperously in stately Majesty He glorieth in goodness mercy grace His kingdom stands in righteousness and peace And Joy spiritual O! happy they Who learn of Christ to rule and to obey Learn of Christ to suffer and to die He had his sufferings often in his eye And to Jerusalem did set his face Went foremost in a more than usual pace Went to the Garden which his Foes did know And when they came himself to them did show He did meet Death before his strength was lost He cried loud when he gave up the Ghost He from his Father's Hand the bitter Cup Receiv'd most pleasantly and drank it up Pure Nature hath a sinless aversation From wrath and death and loves self-preservation So that it cannot chuse but fear and shrink When sin-revenging wrath doth mix the drink This Humane harmless will Christ giveth up Unto his Father's will and drinks the Cup Freely submits his inclination And says Lord not my will but thine be done With fervent cries and tender tears he pray'th And multiplies the acts of Love and Faith. For my God my God Abba Father prove The strength of Faith and fervency of Love. When that the Sword through his pure Soul was thrust He did his Spirit to his Father truft And to the hand which did him bruise and smite In Faith and Love he did his Sp'rit commit And as his love was wonderful to men At all times so it was most wondrous then When sorrows fill'd and did his soul surround His kindness and compassion did abound Tho he fore-saw his torment and reproach And saw the Prince of this World make approach And found his soul with trouble so much prest That its grief could not be by words exprest Yet none of these his loving heart diverts From comforting his sad Disciples hearts Before the Passover when Jesus saw His hour was come and that he should withdraw From this world to the Father having lov'd His own t'ward the world he constant prov'd Lov'd them unto the end Since now he went To God from whom he came his love must vent Like a kind Friend who from his Friends must part In his farewel pours out his loving heart In words and deeds and sufferings O! how His love bursts out and doth all bands o're-flow He girds himself to be for service meet He stands stoops washes wipes his servants feet To teach them not to lord it as above Their fellow-servants but to serve in love The Passover he did most heartily Desire to eat with them e're he did die The Paschal-Lamb slain roasted which they eat Meant Christ slain scorch't in Wrath's just burning heat But Christ Death Pains Agony Sweat of blood Lov'd as they were our life ease peace and food He straitned was till all was finished And his blood-baptism accomplished Behold again his love will represent His death our life in a new Sacrament Two feasts one end O rare in such a night â—n which he was betray'd to take delight To act his own sad death once and again A death in which blood shame and lingring pain And which was worst of all a Curse did meet To make his terror every way compleat He ante-dates his death for their behoof Turns his sad death in a sweet feast of love He gives his broken body for their food And for their drink he gives his precious blood The Sword of Justice against him awoke It stroke him broke him he did bear the stroak The Shepherd bore it who God's equal is That the poor little ones the stroak might miss His body broken for them in their stead Is life-procuring and life-giving bread The
life he altereth his course of dealing he turneth over the leaf and changeth his stile of a Lamb he becometh a Lion to the wicked and of a Saviour a just and severe punisher What can be said or done more to move us that is forewarned and seeth his own danger before his face and yet is not stirred and made more wary or fearful thereby but notwithstanding will come or slide into the same may well be pitied but surely by no means can be helped making himself incapable of remedies that may be used FINIS A SERMON Acts VII 60. And when he had said this he fell asleep THese words contain in them the happy closure and upshot of Stephen's life wherein we have Three Particulars First The Person that fell asleep Secondly The Speech he made when he fell asleep Thirdly What he did when he had finished his Speech First We have the Person that fell asleep and that was Stephen He was a man full of Faith and full of the Holy Ghost as you may see Acts 6.5 He was the first Martyr that ever suffered for the Cause of Christ Hence I might gather this Doctrine viz. That the best of men are subject to sudden and violent Deaths Stephen that was full of the Holy Ghost was stoned to death and John the Baptist that was full of the Holy Ghost from the very Womb was beheaded Peter was crucified and so was Andrew Isaiah was sawed asunder Jeremiah was stoned and Zacharias was slain between the Temple and the Altar But I shall pass this The Second part of the Text is the Speech that Stephen made when he fell asleep Hcc dicte obdormivit That is when he had finished his Prayer he fell asleep Hence observe this That it is an excellent way to close up our Life with prayer To die praying is a most Christian way of dying the stoned Stephen calling upon God. After this manner Christ died he prayed Father into thy hands I commend my Spirit and having thus said he gave up the Ghost This he did that it might be a pattern to all Christians Prayer is a necessary duty at all times but especially when we are a dying And that for these Reasons First Because when we are to die we have most need of God's help for then the Devil is most busie and we most weak Secondly Because when we are to die we are to beg the greatest boon of God that is That he would receive us into his Heavenly Kingdom Now Prayer is the chief means to obtain this mercy for it is Porta Caeli Clavis Paradici the Gate of Heaven a Key to let us into Paradice Therefore we have great reason to die praying Thirdly Because when a Saint of God is dying he is then to take his last farewel of Prayer In Heaven there is no praying but all thanksgiving There is no need in Heaven therefore no praying in Heaven now a Saint of God being to take his leave of prayer when he is to die therefore it is fit to die praying I beseech you remember this pattern in the Text St. Stephen died calling upon God. Let us die praying as that Emperor said Oportes Imperatorem stantem mori So may I say Oportet Christianum mori precantem It behoves a Christian to die praying Quest But what was the Substance of Stephen's prayer Ans He prayed for himself Lord Jesus receive my Spirit ver 59. Secondly He prayed for his persecutors Lord lay not this sin to their charge ver 60. I will not enter upon this part of the Text for it would swallow up all my time Therefore I shall wave it and come to the Third part which is that that by God's assistance I purpose to speak unto to wit what Stephen did when he had finished his Prayer When he had said this he fell asleep that is he died Behold here the Magnanimity the Piety and the Christian Courage of Stephen The people were stoning of him and gnashing their Teeth upon him and the good man dies with as much quietness of mind as if he had died on his bed He fell asleep while they were stoning him while he died he prayed and while he prayed he died But what made Stephen die thus quietly Read the 55th Verse and you shall see the Reason of it Being full of the Holy Ghost he looked up stedfastly into Heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. This made him die with such a sweet quiet and calm Temper he saw Jesus Christ standing at the Right Hand of God ready to receive his Soul and that made him to die with such an extraordinary quietness of mind Death in Scripture especially the death of God's Children is often compared to a sleep It is said of David 1 Kings 2.10 that he slept with his Fathers And it is said 1 Thes 4.3 I would not have you ignorant concerning them that are asleep that is concerning them that are dead And 1 Cor 11.50 For this cause many are weakly and sick among you and many sleep that is many die This Expression is a Metaphorical Expression and will afford us many rare and pretious Instructions And therefore the Grace of God assisting me I desire to spend the rest of the time in opening this Metaphor The Doctrine is this viz. That when a child of God dies though his death be never so unnatural and violent yet it is nothing but a falling asleep Or A Child of God though stoned to death though burnt to ashes though it be never so violent or unnatural is nothing but a falling asleep When he had said this he fell asleep Somnus est mortis Imago Sleep is the Image of Death There are many notable resemblances betwixt sleep and death some of which I shall speak of at this time First Sleep is common to all men no man can live without sleep A man may live long without meat but no man can live long without sleep So it is true with death Death is common too It is appointed for all men once to dis and therefore David saith he was to go the way of all flesh Statutum est omnibus semel mori omnibus est calcanda semel Lethivia All men must sleep the sleep of Death or else be changed which is a metaphorical death Secondly As sleep ariseth from the Vapours that ascend from the Stomach to the Head and tie the Senses and hinder their Operations so Death came into the World by Adam's eating the Forbidden Fruit and by the poysonful Vapour of sin that brought death upon him and all his Posterity By one man sin entred into the world and death by sin and so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned Rom. 5.12 Had Adam never sinned Adam should never have died But in illo die said God But in that day thou eatest the forbidden fruit thou shalt die the death Sin brings omni modam mortem all kinds of death
it brings death temporal death spiritual and death eternal Now because all men are poisoned with the poison of sin therefore all men must sleep of the sleep of death It is sin that hath poisoned all mankind Thirdly As a man when he goeth to sleep puts off his Cloaths and goeth naked into bed so it is with us when we come to die We came naked into the World and naked we must return As we brought nothing with us into the World so we must carry nothing with us out of the World And therefore Death in Scripture is called nothing else but an uncloathing of our selves as 2 Cor. 5.4 Death to a Child of God is nothing but the putting off of his Cloaths The Body of man is Animae vestimentum it is the Soul's cloathing and Death is nothing else but the uncloathing of the Soul It is just like a man going to bed and putting of his cloaths St. Peter calls it the putting off of our earthly Tabernacle 2 Peter 1.14 Our Bodies are the Souls Tabernacles and death is the putting off of this Tabernacle Beloved when we come to die we shall be stript naked of Three things First We shall be stript naked of all our Worldly Honour Riches and Greatness Secondly We shall be stript naked of our Bodies And Thirdly Which is above all we shall be stript naked of our sins and that is the happiness of a child of God he shall put off not only his mortal body but the body of sin Fourthly In the Fourth place observe As no man knoweth the time when he falls asleep a man falls asleep before he is aware so no man can tell the certain time when he must die There is nothing so certain as that we must die nothing so uncertain as the time when we shall die Death comes suddenly even as sleep comes on a man before he is aware Fifthly Observe as Children and Infants because they do not know the benefit of sleep are very loth to go to bed yea many times the Mother is fain to whip the Child to bed even so it is with most of God's People because they do not study the benefit of death That death puts an end to all our miseries and sins and opens a door to let us into everlasting happiness and that we shall never see God or Christ until we die I say because God's People do not study the benefit of death therefore they are like to little children loth to die Job 18.14 loth to go to bed and therefore Death is called the King of Terrors Death is terrible to many of God's Children because they are but Infants in Grace and because they do not know the benefits of death Sixthly Observe as when a man is fast asleep he is free from cares and troubles Let it thunder as it thundered not long since as you know yet a man that is fast asleep he hears it not Let the House be on fire while the man is asleep he sees it not neither is he troubled at it So it is with the death of God's Children When God's Children sleep the sleep of death they are free from the thunders of this World and from all cares and troubles they go to their Graves as to their Beds and rest in quietness and are not sensible of any troubles that are in this World for Abraham knows us not Isa 63.16 so 2 Kings 22.20 Thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace and thy eyes shall not see all the evil that I will bring upon this place When a Child of God sleeps the sleep of death he doth not feel nor is he sensible of any of the calamities or sad providences of God upon the Earth Seventhly When a man goeth to sleep he goeth to sleep but for a certain time in the morning he awakes out of his sleep So it is with the sleep of death and therefore death is called a sleep because we must all awake in the morning of Resurrection We are in the Grave as in our Beds and when the Trumpet of God and the voice of the Arch-Angel shall sound we shall all arise out of our Graves as out of our Beds Death is but a sleep for a certain time Eighthly Sleep is a great refreshing to those that are weary and sick and when the sick man awakes he is more lively and chearful than he was before he fell asleep and therefore sleep is called Medicus laborum redintegratio virium recreator corporum the great Physician of the sick Body the renewing of man's Spirits the reviver of the weary Body And so it is with death When God's People awake out of the sleep of death they shall be more active for God than ever they were before When you lie down in the Grave you shall lie down with mortal Bodies as 1 Cor. 15.42 43. It is sown a mortal body but it shall rise up an immortal body it is sown in dishonour but it shall rise up in honour it is sown a natural body but it shall rise up a spiritual body Nithly As in the morning when we rise out of our Beds we then put on our cloaths so in the morning of the glorious Resurrection we shall put on a glorious Body like to the glorious Body of Jesus Christ We shall put on Stolam Immortalitatis the Garment of Immortality Tenthly As no man when he lieth down to sleep knoweth the direct time when he shall awake so no man can tell when the Resurrection shall be They do but cozen you who say That the general Resurrection shall be such or such a year For as no man can know the minute when he shall awake out of his natural sleep no more can any man know when we shall arife from the sleep of death Eleventhly As it is a very easie thing to awake a man out of sleep it is but stirring of him and you will awake him quickly so it is with the sleep of death It is as easie for Jesus Christ to awake us out of the sleep of death as it is for you or me to awake a man out of his sleep in Bed Nemo nostrum tam facile excitat dormientem de lecto quam Christus jacentem in Sepulchro Twelfthly As when a man riseth in the morning tho he hath slept many hours nay suppose he could sleep twenty years together yet notwithstanding when he awakes these twenty years will seem to be but as one hour unto him So it will be in the day of Judgment all those that are in their Graves when they awake it will be tanquam somnus unius horae as the sleep of one hour unto them Lastly And most especially as sleep seizeth only upon the Body and the outward Senses but doth not seize upon the Soul. The Soul of man is oftentimes most busie when the man is asleep And God hath heretofore revealed most glorious things to his children in dreams when they have been asleep God
end That man is the only wise man and happy man in life and death that is ever mindful of his end But before I make an end I must propound one Question viz. whether the death of the wicked be not in Scripture compared to a Sleep as well as the death of the godly I answer That wicked men in Scripture are said to fall asleep when they die It is said of Idolatrous Jeroboam that he slept with his fathers of Baasha and Omri those wicked Kings that they slept with their fathers But then the Question will be In what respect is the death of the wicked compared to a Sleep Ans Even as a man which is asleep sometimes hath no benefit rest or ease thereby when the sick man awakes he is many times more sick than he was before he went to sleep Some men are much disquieted in their sleeps by hideous and fearful dreams Nebuchadnezzar when he was asleep had a most scaring dream and was amazed therewith So it is with a wicked man death to a wicked man is a Sleep but it is a terrifying Sleep The Soul that goes immediately to Hell where it is burned with fire that never shall be quenched and where the Worm that never dies is always gnawing upon it The Body that indeed lies asleep in the Grave But how Even as a Malefactor that sleeps in a Prison the night before he is to be executed but when he awakes is hurried and dragged to Execution So the wicked man falls asleep in death but when he awakes he awakes to everlasting damnation but a child of God when he sleeps the Sleep of death he sleeps in his Father's House and when he awakes he awakes to everlasting happiness Use 4. And this makes way for the Fourth and last Use which Use is of very great consequence and that is to beseech all that you labour so to live that when you fall asleep you may sleep an happy Sleep There is the Sleep that the wicked man sleeps when he dies and there is the Sleep that the godly man sleeps when he dies Now I beseech you labour so to live that when you fall asleep your Sleep may be an happy Sleep unto you that when you awake in the morning of the Resurrection it may be a good awaking for you But then the great Question will be How shall I do this Ans I shall give you Four or Five helps for this First If you would sleep an happy Sleep at death then you must labour to sleep in Jesus Christ It is said 1 Cor. 15.18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ And 1 Thes 4.14 If we believe that Jesus died and rose again even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him What is it to sleep in Jesus To sleep in Jesus is to die in the Faith of Jesus Christ 2. To sleep in Jesus Christ is to die with an Interest in Jesus Christ to die as a Member united to Christ as our Head For you must know that the dust of a Saint is part of that man who is a Member of Jesus Christ and every believer when he sleeps in the dust he sleeps in Jesus Christ that is he lies in the Grave and his dust is part of Christ Mystical and Christ as an Head will raise it up and cannot be compleat without it Now then if ever you would sleep an happy Sleep labour to get a real Interest in Christ labour to live in Christ while you live and then when you fall asleep you shall be sure to sleep in Jesus There are many that would have Christ to receive their Souls at death and that say with dying Stephen Lord Jesus receive my spirit But if ever you would have Christ to receive your Souls when you die you must be sure to receive him into your Souls whilst you live If ever you would have him to receive you into Heaven you must receive him into your hearts No man makes a Will but he saith Imprimis I bequeath my Soul to Jesus Christ my Redeemer But how dost thou know that Jesus Christ will accept of this Legacy If thy Soul hath not Christ's Image upon it if it be not regenerated and renewed Jesus Christ will never own it Thou maist bequeath it unto Christ but the Devil will claim it Beloved if ever you would reign with Christ when you die he must reign in you whilst you live and if ever you would sleep an happy Sleep you must live in Jesus that you may sleep in Jesus 3. In the Third place if ever you would sleep an happy Sleep at death then you must take heed of overcharging your self with worldly cares A man that is full of cares cannot sleep They lay as the Proverb is all their cares under their Pillow they labour to shut all cares out of their mind O take heed that you do not murder your selves by the cares of the World. Beloved a man that eats out his heart with Worldly Cares will never sleep an happy Sleep the Cares of the World will choak all the good Seed of the Word of God And therefore as men when they go to sleep lay aside all Worldly Thoughts so if ever you will sleep an happy Sleep take heed of overmuch carking and caring for the things of this World And remember what you have heard this day and that will regulate and moderate all your cares Naked you came into the World and naked you must go out of the World. Why should we take care for that we know not who shall enjoy after us 4. If ever you would sleep an happy Sleep when you die you must take heed of sucking too much of the pleasures of this World. A man that eats a full supper will sleep very disquietly Therefore they that would sleep quietly use to eat light suppers For when a man's stomach is over-charged it takes away his quiet Sleep from him So if you would sleep an happy Sleep when you come to die O take heed of sucking too much the Pleasures of this Life take heed of eating too large a Meal of Worldly Delights and of Creature-Comforts These Worldly Pleasures will make the Sleep of Death unquiet unto you O! let not Dalilah's lap deprive you of Abraham's bosome Remember that David by Bathsheba's Embraces lost the Embraces of God I mean the sence of the Embraces of God the joy and comfort of them Fourthly If ever you would sleep an happy Sleep in death then labour to work hard for Heaven while you live O how delightful is Sleep to a weary man When a man hath taken pains all the day as the Traveller that hath travelled all the day or the Plowman that hath been at work all the day how quietly how soundly doth he sleep in the night O beloved if ever you would sleep an happy Sleep at death then work out your salvation with fear and trembling and give all diligence to make your calling
and election sure The more you labour for Heaven the better the sweeter will your sleep be when you come to die And remember this as much sleeping in the day-time will hinder a man's Sleep at night so you that idle away way the time of your providing for Heaven in this your day you that sleep away the minute on which Eternity doth depend O! you will have a sad Sleep when death seizeth upon you Take heed therefore of sleeping whilst you live that so your sleep in the night of death may be comfortable unto you 5. And lastly If ever you would sleep an happy sleep when you die then take heed of the sleep of sin Sin in the Scripture is compared to a sleep Awake thou that sleepest that is thou that sinnest Sin is such a sleep as brings the sleep of death Sin brings the first death and sin brings the second death All miseries whatsoever are the daughters of sin If you would sleep an happy sleep and have an happy awakening at the Resurrection then take heed of the sleep of sin Awake thou that sleepest arise from the dead and Jesus Christ will give thee life Eph. 5.14 so Rom. 13.11 12 13. with which I will conclude and I pray you mark it well for it was a Text that converted St. Augustine Knowing the time beloved that it is now high time to awake out of sleep for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed The night is far spent the day is at hand Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness and let us put on the armour of light let us walk honestly as in the day not in rioting and drunkenness not in chambering and wantonness not in strife and envying but put on the Lord Jesus Christ FINIS Books Printed for Richard Butler in White-Lyon-Court in Barbican A Practical and short Exposition of the Catechism of the Church of England by way of Question and Answer Wherein the Divine Authority and Reasonableness of every Question and Answer every Doctrine and Practice in it recommended are Evidenced and Improved against most Contemners of it and Dissenters from it with that Moderation and Plainness that it may engage all to adhere to and especially may instruct Children in the true Protestant Religion of the Church of England Humbly offered for the good of Schools and Youth By Nathanael Taylor M. A. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Or the Baptism of Infants Vindicated by Scriptures and Reasons Humbly offered in Order to a Composure of Differences at this Juncture of Time. By Nath. Taylor M. A. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Or an Alphebetical Martyrology containing the Trials and Dying Expressions of many Martyrs of Note since Christ Extracted out of Foxe's Acts and Monuments numents of the Church With an Alphabetical List of God's Judgments remarkably shown on many Noted and Cruel Persecutors Together with an Appendix of things pertinent to the understanding this Martyrology By N. T. M. A. T. C. C. Two Sermons of Hypocrisie and the vain hope of self-deceiving sinners Together with an Inspection into the Manners and Conversation of the People called Quakers whose fruits betel them to be Men of a Worldly Spirit hating true holiness and strangers to the simplicity that is in Christ All which is shewed in the following Treatise composed and published for the common good the startling and awakening of all Worldly and Opinionative Hypocrites of what Name or Sect soever and particularly the Quakers and the establishment and consolation of the upright and sound in heart in perilous and shaking times and intended for a further confutation of Quakerism By John Cheyney