same debt Looke overall the times of the world and the dispositions of persons looke over learning and folly greatnesse or poorenesse find me a man that escaped Death Die we must and we have need to have this much pressed upon us for it is a hard matter to beleeve that we must die that I must be the man that must die common notions of Death are granted but that I must die and lie in the dust and stand before God it is a hard matter to beleeve this And consider this secondly that Death will be terrible to thee if he knocke and find a sting in thee Thou that now wilt not be reclaimed from swearing Alas what will become of that blaspheming soule of thine when Death shall come and find a sting of blasphemy in thee How darest thou thinke of giving up that swearing soule of thine to the Judge of heaven and earth Thou unrighteous person that wilt not sanctifie the Lords day how darest thou give up that unholy soule of thine to the holy God Dost thou thinke to have an eternall rest in heaven and wilt not give God a rest here So I might say for all kind of sinners Thinke of this take heed lest Death find a sting in thee for all the sting that Death hath it findeth in thy selfe looke to it thy condition will be fearfull if Death come and find Sin unmortified unrepented of in thee God will certainly bring thee to judgement for every thought and word and action Thirdly consider this that naturally we are so tempered that if Death come he shall find his weapons and strength in us in every man of us I meane considered naturally But how shall I know whether Death when he commeth shall find a sting in me or no I will only give you two tryals you shall know it thus First if thy conscience now sting thee for some approved sinne if thou repent not Death will assuredly meet thee with a sting that approved sinne of thine will be the sting of death Conscience will sting a man either for the act done or for the approbation of the act if conscience sting a man for his approbation of a sinfull qualitie or for a sinfull course if a man continue in that course surely that will be the sting of death to his soule therefore looke to thy selfe perhaps thou art convicted of such a sinne perhaps thy conscience hath so wrought on thee that it hath stung thee for such a sinne thou yet approvest thy selfe in it and thou wilt goe on in thy pride still in such and such sinnes stil thou wilt doe so doe but know this that stand thou never so much upon thy resolution Death will certainly come and if he find thee in such a sinne against thy conscience thou hast reserved in thy selfe a sting for Death Secondly a man shall know if Death come with a sting by this tryall that Solomon giveth us in Eccles. 11. 9. Rejoyce oh young man in thy youth and let thy heart cheare thee in the dayes of thy youth and walke in the wayes of thy heart and sight of thine eyes but know that for all these things God will bring thee to judgement If thou live a voluptuous life Death will certainly come with a sting Dives hee lived a voluptuous life had he not a sting for it So others in Scripture did not their plentifull tables and voluptuous courses bring a sting on them A voluptuous life makes a sting for Death When a poore wretch is a dying and shall begin to reflect backe on his life what have I done how have I lived so much time I have spent or mispent inapparell in vanitie in eating in drinking in swaggering What comfort is this to his soule how can he answer this before God this is the very thing that will sting him at such a day when he can reade nothing in his life but barrennesse and unfruitfulnesse nothing that hath honoured God in all his life Certainly my brethren if there be an Epicurious voluptuous life this life will provide a sting for Death Alas you will say Is it so then we may feare that Death will seize on us thus for we confesse we have gone on in a voluptuous life gone on in sinne that our conscience hath condemned us for how shall we doe to pull out this sting I would to God you were thus affected that you were convicted what a fearfull thing it will be if sinne remaine But wouldest thou have the sting of death pulled out before death come 1. How shall I disarme it that I may looke death in the face with comfort I shall give you some wayes and meanes remember them and practise them First get but a part in Christ and the sting of death is gone thankes bee to God saith the Apostle here that hath given us victory through our Lord Iesus Christ. It is he that in the Revelation is said to have the keyes of Hell and of Death they are under his command and subjection he is victorious over them hee hath vanquished them so that if a man have Christ he hath victorie and power over Hell and Death I told you in the beginning that that which giveth a sting to Death is the guilt of sinne It is so and it is a fearfull sting Now that which takes away the guilt of sinne is Christ. If Christ be mine I have enovgh to answer the guilt of sinne Therefore the Apostle saith Death cannot separate from the love of God in Christ What shall then Indeed nothing it is not the guilt of his sinnes Christ hath satisfied from them So that if thou wilt have the sting of death out get faith in Christ if thou be not hidden in the clefts of that Rock in the bloud of Christ if Christ be not thy Justification and thy righteousnesse what hast thou to answer the Justice of God you must die and stand before God and how can you stand before God in your sinnes you cannot without Christ why doe you not then studie more for Christ Why doe you not labour for faith in him It will be your wisedome to labour earnestly to make sure of him if you have him the sting of death is gone Death cannot hurt a person that hath Christ. Get faith in Christ therefore that is the first Secondly if you would not have Death terrible and fearfull to you labour for sincerity My brethren it is a marvellous thing and yet the truth uprightnesse and sincerity of heart it is an enabling grace All the particular things that we account particular otherwise they have not an inabling vertue in them Some persons have a great deale of learning and wit and many friends much riches and the like yet there commeth an occasion sometimes that puzzleth all these there commeth an occasion sometime that a mans learning is of no use and naturall parts and wit cannot helpe and riches cannot inable him What time
mellis cera mortuum circùm linere to use Waxe for want of Honey and vulgar oyle in stead of precious balme my best Apology is that I prayed heartily with Moses that God would send the message I am to deliver by him by whom hee should send But hee will make choice of his owne instrumenâ—…s and sometimes of set purpose hee will make use of the weake and ignoble the more to shew his power through the infirmitie and glorie through the ignoblenesse of the meanes The Walls of Iericho shall fall with a noyse onely and this noyse shall not bee the shrill and sweet sound of silver Trumpets but the harsh and hollow sound of Rams hornes and even from this disappointing of the chiefe Actour in this mournfull Scene and taking a Novice in his roome you may gather this flower as it were by the way and strew it with others upon the Hearse that wee cannot resolve or certainly build upon any thing in this World we are sure of nothing not so much as of the Tombe wee shall bee layd in not of our winding-sheet not of our grave-clothes not of our Mourners not of our Preacher Wee are not sure of our Tombe-stone for when Ioseph of Arimathea hewed out a Tombe-stone out of the Rocke hee intended it for himselfe yet was hee not layd there but our Saviour in it We are not sure of our grave cloathes and winding-sheet for Heliogobalus the Emperour provided himselfe of rich furniture in this kinde and moreover in case he should come to a violent end or be forced to make away himselfe hee kept by him golden fetters and silken ropes and made a Bath of Rose-water to drowne himselfe in yet none of all these were made use of at his miserable death an dignominious burial in a laystall Nay a man is not sure that his sâ—…nne shall cover his flesh for Zisca his skin was plucked off after his death and a Drumme made of it Lastly a man is not sure of his Bearers or Mourners nor the Preacher who shall make his Funerall Sermon as you learne to your costs this day For that excessive speech of Saint Ierome abasing himselfe in comparison of Roffinus will prove defective in expressing the difference betweene him whom you heare and whom you should heare I shall thinke my selfe happie if I can but tread in any of his steps or imprint but one of his notes in your heart Which that I may doe the better I have borrowed his characters I meane the words of that Text which he chose as best befitting this occasion wherein we see that performed to one of the sonnes of Abraham which was long agoe promised to the Father of the faithfull that he should goe to his Fathers in peace and bee buried in a good old age The hand of a dead man stroaking the part cures the Tympanie and certainly the consideration of death is a present meanes to cure the swelling of pride in any for in this lâ—…fe many things make oddes betweene men and women as birth education wealth alliance and honour but Death makes all even respice sepulchra saith Saint Austin Survey mens graves and tell mee then who is beautifull and who is deformed all there have hollow eyes flat noses and gastly lookes Nireus and Thersites cannot bee there distinguished tell mee who is rich and who is poore all there weare the same weede their winding-sheete Tell mee who is noble and who base and ignoble the wormes claime kindred of all tell mee who is well housed and who ill all there are bestowed in darke and dankish roomes under ground If this will not satisfie you take a sive and sift the dust and ashes of all men and shew me which is which I grant there is some difference in dust there is powder of Diamonds there is gold dust and brasse pinne-dust and saw-dust and common dust the powder of Diamonds resembles the remaines of Princes gold dust the remaines of Noble-men pinne-dust the remaines of the Tradesman saw-dust the remaines of the day-labourer and common dust the remaines of the vulgar which have no qualitie or profession to distinguish them yet all is but dust At a game of Chesse wee see Kings and Queenes and Bishops and Knights upon the board and they have their severall walkes and contest one with the other in points of State and honour but when the game is done all together with the Pawnes are shuffled in one bagge in like manner in this life men appeare in different garbes and take divers courses some are Kings some are Officers some Bishops some Knights some of other rankes and orders But when this life like a game is done which is sometimes sooner sometimes later all are shuffled together with the many or vulgar sort of people and lye in darknesse and obscuritie till the last man is borne upon the earth but after that Erunt ipsis quoque fata sepulchres the Grave which hath swallowed up all the sonnes of Adam shall be swallowed up it selfe into victorie Till then wee shall all goe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in our severall ranke and order take our last walke the way of all flesh and it is happy if wee goe it as Abraham did here in peace and a speciall blessing if we be gathered as hee was to his Fathers in the Autmne of a good old age In which words we have two Acts of a Tragedie the former acted upon his stage thou shalt goe to thy fathers the latter under the scaffold and bee buried in a good old age None die better then they who have life in their hope and none live better then they who have death in their mind and thought especially if it be in the time of their health and bloome of their beautie and pride of their youth and top of their earthly happinesse For this cause Ioseph of Arimathea is supposed by many to have set his Sepulchre in his Garden as it were to sawce his sweetest pleasures with the sad thoughts of his Funerall and Iohn surnamed the Almoner began his Sepulchre on the day he was Confecrated Patriarke of Alexandria and it was the manner of the ancient Emperours at their Coronation feast to have severall sorts of Marble shewed them to the end that they might choose one of them for their Tombe-stone and agreeable hereunto the interlinearie glosse yeeldeth a reason why God commanded that the oyle where with the Kings were annoynted should bee compounded with Cinonion and other spices quod sit cinericii coloris because it is of the colour of Ashes or rather such mold as is digged out of Graves to put them in mind that very day in which they were made gods upon earth that they should die like men In which regard wee have great cause to blesse the providence of our heavenly Father who in the midst of our Mariage feasts and many occasions of mirth and joy presents us with such sad spectacles as
ΘΡΗÎΟΙΚΟΣ THE HOUSE OF MOVRNING FVRNISHED With Directions for Preparations to Meditations of Consolations at the houre of Death DELIVERED IN XLVII SERMONS PREACHED AT THE Funeralls of divers faithfull servants of Christ. By Daniel Featly Martin Day Richard Sibbs Thomas Taylor Doctors in Divinitie And other Reverend Divines ECCLES 7. 4. The heart of the wise is in the house of Mourning but the heart of fooles is in the house of mirth Ambr. de obit frat Non amitti sed praemitti videntur quos sed non absumpturamors sed aeternitas receptura est Seneca Ep. 77. Iter imperfectum est si in media parte aut citra petitum locum steterit vita non est imperfecta si honesta ubicunque desieris si benè desieres tota est LONDON Printed by Iohn Dawson for R. M. and are to be sold by Iohn Bellamie and Ralph Smith at the signe of the three golden Lyons in Corne-hill neere the Royall Exchange 1640. TO THE CHRISTIAN READER THere is no man that can plead ignorance to the universall Decree of God concerning the necessitie of Mans mortalitie It is appointed for all men once to die and every man can say as that wise woman of Tekoaeh wee are all as water spilt upon the ground There is no Age Estate Condition or ranke of men but have beene foyled with that invincible Champion death who riding up and downe the world upon his pale Horse above these five thousand yeares hath with an impartiall stroke laid all flat before him some in their Infancie have proved what it is to die before they knew what it was to live others in the strength of Youth some in their Old age rich and poore high and low of all sorts young men may die old men must die even those that are stiled Gods and that by no fawning Sycophant but by God himselfe their mortality proves them to be men to themselves though they be as Gods to others and as Epictitus once told the Emperour That to be borne and to dye was common both to Prince and Beggar The sicknesses and miseries of this world have made the proudest Painims to confesse with St. Peter to Cornelius Even I my selfe also am a mortall man so that experience as well as Scripture concludes what man is he that liveth and shall not see death There are no ingredients in the shop of Nature that are sufficiently cordiall to fortifie the heart against this King of terrors or his harbingers the velvet slipper cannot fence the foote from the gout nor the gold ring the finger from a fellon the richest Diademe cannot quit the head-ach nor the purple Robe prevent a Fever Beauty strength riches honour friends nor any nor all can repeale that sentence Dust thou art and to dust thou shalt returne Every fitt of an ague and every distemper of this fraile constitution being as a light skirmish before the maine battell of death wherein weake man being vanquished is led captive to his long home and when once the lines of mortalitie are drawne upon the face of the fairest mortall hee becomes a ghastly spectacle how lovely soever before and the conclusion is bury my dead out of my sight This inevitable necessitie however it be confessed and acknowledged of all yet lamentable experience teacheth that in the Christian world most men so live as though they should never die and at length they so die as though they should never live againe and when the time of their dissolution commeth their soules are rather chased out by violence then yeelded to God in obedience Indeed to a wicked man death is the beginning of sorrowes it is a trap-dore to let him downe to the everlasting dungeon of Hell but the children of God though they cannot scape the stroke yet they are freed from the sting of death they can play upon the hole of this aspe without danger and welcome the grimmest approch of this Gyant with a smile being freed from the hurt of him by Him that is the Captaine of the Lords Hoste who hath abolished death and brought life and immortalitie to light so that the sting of it being plucked out and the suffering sanctified by Christ death is become to every beleever but a darke entry to the glorious Pallace of Heaven Now as it is Gods tender mercy to his children that their conflict and misery should be temporary but their perfect happines eternall so it should be their care in this little space of time alotted them whereupon their everlasting condition depends so to provide that they may live happily where they shall live eternally and since we cannot escape death to prepare for it that we may get the sight of this Basiliske before it approach and so avoid the danger of it Wretched is the estate of that man who when these spirituall Philistims the terrors of death make warre upon him shall have just cause to say The Lord is departed from me the death of such a one will bee like the sleepe of a franticke man who when the malignant humour is concocted awakes in a greater rage then he lay downe whereas to him that is wise to consider his latter end death is no way dreadfull death may kill him but it cannot hurt him it doth free him from temporary misery but cannot hinder him from eternall felicity and as that noble Captaine of Thebes who having gotten the victory over his enemies but withall received his mortall wound he made this his grand enquirie whether his weapons were safe or no whether his buckler was not in his enemies hands and when it was replied all was safe he died with a great deale of cheerefulnes and fortitude So when a Christian is to grapple with death his maine care is that his Buckler of faith and the helmeâ—… of his salvation his hope that they be safe to guard his soule and then he passeth not much what becomes of his outward man hee dies in peace and confidence Now that wee may bee fitted to encounter with this last enemy besides the manifold helps which God hath reached to us in his word in the passages of his providence in the frequent examples of mortalitie before us continually and in our owne sensible approaches to the gates of death I say besides these and infinite more this ensuing Volume with so much care and paines compiled by Gods blessing and our endeavours may prove no small furtherance in our Pilgrimage Each Sermon therein being as a severall Legacie bequeathed by those upon the occasion of whose deaths they were preached as by so many Testators who themselves have made a reall experiment of mortality and left these for our instruction that survive them It is true the dayly examples of mortaltie are so many reall Lectures that by a kinde of dumbe oratorie perswade us to expect our end but as they are transient so our thoughts of them vanish therefore it can bee no small adâ—…ntage to have in continuall readines that
which may furnish us abundantly with meditations in this kind It was a custome in former times for men to make their sepulchres in their gardens to mind them of death in the midst of the pleasures of this life This present worke may not unfitly be tearmed a Garden wherein whosoever takes a dayly walke may gather in the severall beds thereof those wholsome flowers and hearbs which being distilled by serious meditation will prove water of life to a fainting spirit in some hee shall finde instruction in some incitation in others consolation in all profit Here thou shalt finde that Lethall gourd sprung up by Adam his transgression that makes all his posterity cry out There is death in the Pot. There thou mayst gather hearbs of grace as a counter-poyson against the malignity of death in a third there is the spirituall Heliotroâ—…ium opening with joy to the Sunne of righteousnesse the hope of a blessed resurrection Doe the glittering shewes of outward things make thee begin to over-fancie them heere thou shalt finde how little they will availe in death the consideration whereof will make them like that precious stone which being put into the mouth of a dead man loseth it's vertue are thou over-burthened with afflictions here thou art supported in the expectation of a farre more exceeding weight of glory art thou ready to faint under thy labours here thou shalt finde a time of rest and of reaping doth the time seeme over-long that thy patience begins to flag heere thou hast a promise of thy Saviours speedy comming In a word be thy estate and condition what it will be heere thou mayst have both directions to guide thee and comforts to support thee in thy journey on earth till thou arrive at thy Countrey in Heaven Certainely there is no man can sleight and undervalue so deserving a Worke but hee shall discover himselfe either to be ignorant or idle or ill affected especially when so judicious and learned men have thought it a fit concomitant for their severall labours which they have added for the accomplishment of it Therfore take it in good worth improve it for the good of thy soule that being armed and prepared for death when it shall approach thou mayst have no more to doe but to die and mayst end thy dayes in a stedfast assurance That thy sinnes shall be blotted out when the time of refreshing shall come from the presence of the LORD Thine in him who is the Resurrection and the life H. W. THE TABLE THe Stewards Summons Page 1. TEXT LVKE 16. 2. Give an account of thy Stewardship for thou mayst be no longer Steward The praise of Mourning Page 29. ECCLESIASTES 7. 2. It is better to goe to the house of Mourning then to the house of Feasting for that is the end of all men and the living will lay it to his heart Deliverance from the King of feares Page 55. HEBREVVES 2. 14. 15. 14 For asmuch then as the Children are partakers of flesh and bloud hee also himselfe likewise tooke part of the same that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death that is the Divell 15 And deliver them who through the feare of death were all their life time subject to bondage The perfection of Patience Page 79. IAMES 1. 4. But let patience have her perfect worke that you may bee perfect and intire wanting nothing A Restraint of exorbitant passion Page 101. 2 SAM 12. 22. 23. 22 And he said while the Child was yet alive I fasted and wept for I said who can tell whether God will be gracious to me that the Child may live 23 But now he is dead wherefore should I fast Can I bring him back againe I shall goe to him but he shall not returne to me The sting of Death Page 121. 1 COR. 15. 56. The sting of death is sinne and the strength of sinne is the Law The destruction of the Destroyer Page 135. 1 COR. 15. 16. The last enemie that shall be destroyed is death The Worlds losse and the righteous mans gaine Page 151. ESAY 57. 1. And mercifull men are taken away none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evill to come The good mans Epitaph Page 177. REVEL 14. 13. I heard a voice from Heaven saying unto me Write Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth yea saith the Spirit that they may rest from their labours and their workes doe follow them The Christians Center Page 193. ROM 14. 7. 8. 7 For none of us liveth to himselfe and no man dyeth to himselfe 8 For whether we live we live to the Lord and whether wee die we die unto the Lord whether we live therefore or die we are the Lords The improvement of Time Page 213. 1 COR. 7. 29. 30. 31. 29 But this I say Brethren the time is short it remaineth that both they that have wives be as though they had none 30 And they that weepe as though they wept not and they that rejoyce as if they rejoyced not and they that buy asthough they possessed not 31 And they that use this world as not abusing it for the fashion of this world passeth away Securitie surprized Page 235. 1 THESSAL 5. 3. For when they shall say peace and safety then sudden destruction commeth upon them as travaile upon a woman with child and they shall not escape A Christians victory or conquest over deaths Enmitie Page 263. 1 COR. 15. 26. The last Enemie that shall be destroyed is death The great Tribunall Gods scrutinie of Mans secrets Page 283. ECCLESIAST 12. 14. For God will bring every worke into judgement with every secret thâ—…ng whether it be good or whether it be evill A Triall of Sinceritie Page 299. ESAY 26. 8. 9. 8 Yea in the way of thy judgements O Lord have wee waited for thee the desire of our soule is to thy name and to the remembrance of thee 9. With my soule have I desired thee in the night yea with my Spirit within me will I seeke thee early for when thy judgements are in the earth the Inhabitants of the world will learne righteousnesse The expectation of Christs comming Page 321. PHIL. 3. 20. 21. 20. For our conversation is in Heaven from whence we looke for the Saviour the Lord Iesuâ—… Christ. 21. Who shall Change our vile body that it may bee fashioned like unto his glâ—…rious body according to the working whereby he is able to subdue all things unto himselfe Christs Precept and Promise or security against death Page 345. IOHN 8. 51. Verily verily I say unto you if a man keepe my saying he shall never see death The Young-mans liberty and limits Page 367. ECCLESIAST 11. 9. Rejoyce O young-man in thy youth and let thy heart cheare thee in the dayes of thy youth and walke in the wayes of thine heart and in the sight of thine eyes but know thou that for all these things God will bring thee into
the Doctrine of repentance because the kingdome of God was at hand This is that upon which Saint Peter groundeth his exhortation unto the people Acts 3. 18. Repent saith he and bee converted that your sinnes may be blotted out when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord Therefore repent and returne unto God doe away your sinnes because there will a time of refreshing come and you had need then to be found in another hue in another state then in your old rotten withered condition and sinfull lusts This is the Argument that the Apostle used to the Athenians to bring them from Idolatrie to serve the living God because God hath appointed to judge the world in righteousnesse by that man whom he hath ordained Even for that reason because God hath appointed a time to judge the world in righteousnesse therefore they should turne from their Idols to serve the living God There is nothing that doth so unbottome the heart nothing so shakes and looseneth a mans hold of sinne and unrighteousnesse as the consideration of Christs comming to Judgement What will it boote me will the soule reason to keep my sins when Christ will come to judge me for my sins What shall I get by going on in a course of a sinne when I can looke for nothing then but a sentence of wrath to be denounced against me This then is that that doth settle a man in a holy conversation in that respect Nay fourthly this is that also which quickneth a man to the practise of all holy duties in his place both in his generall and particular Calling It is the very argument which the Apostle Saint Peter useth to stirre us up to holinesse of conversation Seeing saith he that all these things shall be dissolved what manner of persons ought wee to be in all holy conversation and godlinesse looking for the comming of the day of God wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved and the elements shall melt with fervent heate As if hee should have said Looke now about the whole world and see what it is that now can comfort you if you be such as goe on in a course of sinne It may be you will say I feare not much for I have many friends Yea but all these shall die It may bee thou hast store of lands but all that shall bee burnt with fire It may be thou hast many pleasures but then there shall bee nothing but Judgement The comming of the Lord that shall then put an end to all these and turne the course of things the expectation thereof is a speciall meanes to take us off from a course of sinne and put us on to a course of obedience to make us walke in another kind of fashion while wee are in the world Therefore the Apostle Saint Paul when he would stirre up Timothy to the worke of the Ministrie what is the Argument that hee useth I charge thee before Christ who shall judge the quicke and the dead As if hee should say there shall be an appearing before the Lord and therefore if thou wilt give thy account up with joy at that day I charge thee to looke to thy Ministrie So may I say to every man in his place I charge thee that art a Master of a Familie looke to the businesse of thy Familie to the salvation of the soules of thy people I charge thee that art a Father or a Mother to looke to the salvation of the soules of thy Children I charge thee that art a Christian to looke to the salvation of thy owne soule And how is the charge I charge thee before the Lord Iesus Christ who shall judge the quicke and dead Because there shall come a time when both thou and they shall bee present before Christ at his appearing therefore if thou wilt have comfort in them and in thy selfe and in Christ be carefull to doe the dutie that concernes thy place looking for the comming of the Lord Iesus So then you see in this respect also thereis nothing so forcible an Argument to settle a man in a holy conversation in a heavenly course as this for a man alwayes to looke for the second comming of Christ. Lastly there is nothing fixeth a man so constantly in a holy course as this Our conversation saith the Apostle is alwayes in heaven Wee alwayes walke on earth as those that aspire to heaven because wee alwayes looke for the comming of Christ. Wert thou carefull to serve God yesterday doe it to day also it may be Christ may come now and take thee away by death to day and there is no preparation for judgement afterward Little children saith Saint Iohn now abide in him that when hee shall appeare wee may have confidence and not bee ashamed before him at his comming What is it that giveth a man boldnesse and takes away shame from him at the comming of Christ What is the reason that a man hath not that spirit of feare and trembling upon him that shall bee upon the hearts of all those that goe on in sinne when they shall cry to the mountaines to fall upon them but this that hee hath continued in a holy conversation and constantly walked before the Lord with an upright heart I have finished my course saith the Apostle I have fought a good fight I have kept the faith hence-forth is layd up for mee a crowne of righteousnesse which Christ the righteous Iudge shall give to mee and to all them that love his appearing Still the servants of God have incouraged themselves to persevere in a holy course from the expectation of the comming of Christ that will give them a reward for their constancie in his service It is the Argument that the holy Ghost useth to the Church of Philadelphia Rev. 3. 11. Hold fast that thou hast and let no man take thy crowne As if hee should say There is a time comming when Crownes shall bee given but to whom to those that hold out that persevere in a godly course Be thou faithfull to the death and thou shalt receive a crowne of glory This is that I say that will make a man goe on will make him that is good in youth be good in age also because whensoever he dieth he shall receive his Crowne This will make a man that he shall not begin in the spirit and end in the flesh this will make him that having put his hand to the plough hee will not looke backe because hee no further lookes for comfort in the appearance of Christ then hee hath had care to walke on constantly in a good course Thus you see the point proved to you that a Christian soule hath a maine benefit by his looking for the second comming of Christ and that this is it that makes him carefull to mortifie his secret lusts that this is it that makes him carefull to purge himselfe from worldly affections that
and thrall to passion to this and that and the other lust and divers corruptions Where is I say that Repentance when I find so much sinne Where is that Faith when I find so much wavering and quaking so much aptnesse to distrust and almost to dispaire Where is it It may bee in thy heart for all thy complaining and thou maiest have it for all these exclaymings against thy selfe Tell mee when thou findest those corruptions whereof and for which thou speakest against thy selfe Dost thou allow them or not dost thou confesse them and lament them or not I confesse them indeed but with such a small deale of sorrow Is it such a sorrow as drawes thee to God and drives thee out of thy selfe such as makes thee to fall before him and judge thy selfe worthy to be damned and submit to his Justice Is it such a sorrow as makes thee confesse and then purpose amendment Such as makes thee cry to him for power and strength such as makes thee rest on him for abilitie Dost thou determine still still to amend that that still troubleth thee Dost thou still continue to fight with the lusts of thy flesh by the spirituall weapons that God hath ordained for thee I say to thee thy Repentance thy Faith thy New Obedience may be true though it be weake When a man hath a shaking Palsey hand it is a hand A sicke weake man that lies crying oh oh that can scarse turne himselfe betweene the sheetes is a man a living man A poore child that is new borne and hath nothing that discovereth reason almost but the shape of a man that poore child is a reasonable creature Faith beginneth with weake apprehensions and faint leanings on Christ. Deepe godly sorrow and other parts of Repentance may begin many times with little And amendment of life begins sometimes at a low foundation at small sinnes If it bee true and sincere and constant if thou goe on and continue in a course of daily renewing thy Repentance and Obedience and Faith and striving by Gods meanes to get the increase of these graces and to bee upright and sincere in them thou art blessed in them notwithstanding thy weaknesse take comfort in a little and be thankfull for it God will give more and the only way to get more is to take comfort in a good measure in what thou hast and the way to take comfort is to labour to increase these graces Let not the weake troubled feebled Christian bee troubled in minde as if hee had no grace because hee hath but a little as if hee did not at all keepe Christs sayings because hee keepeth them but a little Hee is a scholler in the Schoole that beginneth at Christ-Crosse-row as wee call it And hee is entred into the Colledge that beginneth but in a low booke with the first rudiments of Logicke And hee is a member of the Familie that began to bee an Apprentise but yesterday and comes not to a deepe knowledge of his Art and Mysterie but is glad to doe sorrie worke Beleeve it brethren there may bee great conceits of Repentance and beleeving and obeying that may make a man good in his owne eyes and be altogether false There may be a small measure of Repentance but if one bee humbled in the smalnesse of that measure and labour and desire and pray and begge for the increase of that measure and take paines to edifie himselfe in it by the meanes of God then it is true and upright and shall save him Therefore Rejoyce It is not with the Covenant of Grace as it was with that of Workes The Covenant of Workes the Law required perfection of Obedience to all the things prescribed a man must not only love God but love God perfectly But the Gospell satisfieth it selfe with accepting truth of endeavour to the thing required If there bee Repentance though it bee not in the full perfection if thou beleeve though not with the fullest measure of beleeving If thou Obey though not in the highest degree of obedience this Gospell this sweet this favourable gracious Doctrine giveth thee consolation enough Goe home therefore comforted in the beginnings and resolved to proceed and know that thou shalt enjoy that which Christ hath promised freedome from damnation thou shalt never see Death FINIS THE YOUNG MANS LIBERTIE AND LIMITS OR GODS IVDGEMENT ON MANS CARIAGE GEN. 8. 21. For the imaginations of mans heart are evill from his youth DAN 7. 10. The Iudgement was set and the Bookes were opened LONDON Printed by Iohn Dawson for Ralph Mabbe 1639. THE YOVNG MANS LIBERTIE AND LIMITS OR GODS IVDGEMENT ON MANS CARRIAGE SERMON XVIII ECCLESIASTES 11. 9. Rejoyce oh young man in thy youth and let thy heart cheare thee in the dayes of thy youth and walke in the wayes of thine heart and in the sight of thine eyes but know thou that for all these things God will bring thee into Iudgement SOlomon in the conclusion of this Chapter is exhorting the sonnes of men to true Religion and the better to mould and frame them to the same hee mindeth them of Death and Iudgement without which there cannot be planted in us a right care and feare of God From the seventh verse to the latter end hee hath to doe with two sorts of men First with those that were glued to this life and to the delights and pleasures there of and he bringeth them in speaking thus Truly the light is sweet and it is a pleasant thing to behold the Sunne vers 7. By light there wee are to understand the light of the Sunne shining on us while wee enjoy this mortall life This many men suppose to be a very pleasant thing and they over-much content themselves in the same These Solomon verse 8. refuteth by three Arguments The first is this that though a man live many yeares yet let him remember the dayes of darknesse that is that a time of Death will come a time when our Sunne will set and our light will turne to darknesse though wee live never so long never so sweetly never so pleasantly though we enjoy the light of the Sunne yet wee should carefully remember that darknesse abideth us Secondly saith Solomon those dayes are many His Argument is thus much Let a man consider with himselfe though he live many yeares yet notwithstanding the dayes and yeares of his life cannot be compared with the daies and yeares of his Death a man is many more yeares under the ground in the Grave then above ground walking on the face of the earth Thirdly saith Solomon All that commeth is vanitie That is if a man may enjoy the light of the Sunne and the pleasures of this life that makes his heart lightsome yet all this is vanity there is no full contentment in these things but an emptinesse in them all and no man knowes how soone hee may bee bereaved of them Now in the words we have read Solomon hath to deale with
that he is very ready and greedy of death it is the way to that I hope for saith he therefore it is sweetly spoken of an Ancient and you will acknowledge it to be a sweet sentence of that Father Saint Austin Hee that desireth to bee dissolved according to that of the Apostle and to bee with Christ Non patienter moritur Hee doth not die patiently See here is a faithfull a hopefull man and yet doth not die patiently what would the Father say Hee liveth saith he patiently the very life he liveth putteth him to his patience when he commeth to die hee dieth pleasantly he goeth away with his hope and his hope is full of immortalitie And no more for that point The nex thing I observe is concerning the Object of this hope and this is it that Christ is the Object of the Christians hope We have hope in Christ. Heare it in the generall heare it in the speciall In the generall 1 Tim. 1. 1. Saint Paul he beginneth his Epistle with Christ our hope Col. 1. 27. The riches of the mysterie of Gods grace to the Gentiles is Christ in you the hope of glory Here is Christ our hope and Christ your hope in the generall In the speciall heare it in Saint Paul heare it in the Prophets and others Saint Paul to mee to live is Christ to die is gaine Christ is to me in life and Death advantage living or dying I am Christs I have hoped in the Lord saith the Prophet David And God is my hope and hath beene my helpe even from my youth This is the generall song of the whole Church God is our hope and therefore the Prophet Iacob made an excellent Ejaculation in those blessings he gave his sonnes when he said Oh Lord I have waited for thy salvation Here was his waiting his hope for the salvation of God from the God of his salvation And so let him slay me if hee will saith holy Iob yet notwithstanding I will still trust in him Thus the faithfull have hope and their hope is in Christ. No more of it for the enlargement of it It sheweth to us in the first place this Note that A Christians wings doe mount him above all meanes What are his wings his hope Whether flyeth his hope It takes its flight up to heaven to God to the right hand of God to Christ there is his hope So then he that hath this hope being poore he flyeth not to riches for they make themselves wings and flye away from him Being weake hee flyeth not to the arme of flesh for in man there is no hope nor no confidence to bee put in Prinâ—…s in the Ballance they are lighter then vanitie it selfe sayth the Psalmist Being sicke hee flieth not to the Physitian he fleeth to these as the meanes not to rest in them to make it the maine of his aime the scope of his hope hee doth not flie thus to them but hee goeth to God that commandeth all that worketh above all against all and without all means and sanctifieth all these means Therfore wel sayth the poore man God is my help and the sick man God is my health and the weak man God is my strength and the blinde man Christis my light and even the dead man the distrest man God is my life the good man Christ is my Hope and the happie man Christ is my love And so it is to Christ that the wings of a mans Hope doth lift him up This is the first It sheweth us that the wings of Hope that is in the faithfull soule lifteth him up above all meanes No more of that Secondly observe in this object the very Crowne of a Christians comfort I say the Crowne of all his comfort and that commeth onely from this object of his hope For what is there in all the World that can comfort a man indeed besides this much lesse compared with this Begin where you will when you have gone round about you will conclude with that of the Apostle I count all things but losse and dung in comparison of Christ and all things to bee vanitie and vexation of spirit as the Preacher saith Put the case thou art a sicke man or a sicke woman and I finde thee much affected afflicted dejected cast downe in thy selfe I would faine give thee some comfort now I tell thee of the vanitie of this present life therfore being content I tell thee of the hope of a better life I tell thee of the joyes that are to be revealed I tell thee of the promises of God which hee will make good to thee if thou wilt trust in his mercie I tell thee of all the sure mercies of David as they are called and all this while I have told thee nothing at all to comfort thee till I come to this the object of this Hope which I have in hand and that is Jesus Christ in whom all Gods promises are Yea and Amen and till thou canst learne this lesson of life concerning the Lord Jesus thou hast learned nothing come and learn this and my life for thine thou art then happy He is the Way the Truth and the Life the Way and Truth and Life it selfe and whether shall I goe from thee Lord thou hast the words of eternall life I have done with that Point and so passe on to the third Wee have Hope wee have Hope in Christ wee have Hope in Christ in this life This life-time then is our hope-time that is it you learne hence Here we have the feed of Hope but the harvest of Hope that is hereafter when wee shall have in re what now we have in spe as ordinarily wee speake when wee shall have in possession what now wee haue in expectation then there will bee no more use of this Grace there hope shall cease Now it is indeed in this life time that wee sow the seedes of Prayer that wee plant the roots of Faith that wee water all of them with our hope when our joy shall spring up when the end and fruit of our faith shall come when the possession of our hope shall appeare then we have done with hope hope serveth no longer then therefore it is now in this life Hope shall end for the action of it understand that aright as Faith shall but it shall never end for the object of it that end shall last still and rest ever Now then in the interim this is the Prophets and this is the Princes and this is the Peoples posse I wayte and I wayte too and I trust the Lord over all Now is your posse time as I may call it now is the seed time wherein we sow the seeds of love of joy of hope wherein we sow the seeds of sobrietie and innocencie and chastitie and charitie and all manner of vertues whatsoever now is the time Is this so then here is the