spent her youthful dayes amongst Ruffians and debauched Companions If thou thinkest the flower of thine Age too good to give God may justly think the dregs of it too bad to receive How canst thou reasonably think that God should take pleasure in those dayes of which thou thy self wilt say Thou hast no pleasure in them Eccles 12.1 2 Sam. 19.35 'T is task sufficient for old Age to bear up under the infirmities of it Preparation for Death in old Age or sickness is usually weak and sickly like the party and proceeds rather from fear than love How kindly doth God take it when we dedicate the firstling of our years to his service Jer. 2.2 I remember thee saith God the kindness of thy youth Youthful bodies are most active and strong and so most fit for the Service of God who is a Spirit a pure Act and a living God He whose Name is I Am Exod. 3.14 cares not for such as say They will be but are not Now Courteous Reader what I have here spoken is out of a good intent not to drive any to despair but to prevent presumption Well then as Abraham rose early in the morning to sacrifice his Son Gen. 22.3 so let us early in the morning of youth sacrifice our sins or dedicate our selves both Soul and Body to God's Service 2. Ardenter 2. Put the forementioned Directions into practice Earnestly This God calls for Luk. 13.24 Strive to enter in at the strait Gate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * Cornelius a Lap. in locum Quasi in agone contendite extremas summasque vires velut agonizantes exerite Strive as Wrestlers do put to all their strength so the word signiffes We should give diligence to make our Calling and Election sure 2 Pet. 1.10 Yea all diligence v. 5. Thou hast commanded us saith David Psal 119.4 to keep thy Precepts diligently 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 valde that is with all diligence and watchfulness and earnest endeavour So Dr. Hammond in Loc. Nay we are not only to give diligence but to put forth holy violence Mat. 11.12 Luke 6.16 The twelve Tribes are said to serve God instantly day and night Acts 26.7 Orig. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with a kind of extension or vehemencie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sig Omnibus viribus vehementer prolixe liberaliter toto animo Cornel. a Lap. in 1 Pet. 1.22 St. Paul tells you what he did Phil. 3.13 14. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Like a man running a race he press'd forward stretch'd forth his Neck and Arms and ran swiftly towards the Mark. True Christians are called lively stones 1 Pet. 2.5 They are compared to stones for solidity and stability but called Lively Stones for their Zeal and Activity Lazy wishes and luke-warm desires will not serve our turn Numb 23.10 He lies under the prophetick Curse that doth the Work of the Lord negligently Jer. 48.10 All that we do for God without zeal is but opus operatum meer performance of the Work which can no more ascend to Heaven than Vapours from the Still unless there be fire under it as a worthy * Mr. Ward in Serm. on Rev. 3.19 Divine tells us Dulness Drowsiness Luke-warmness is unsutable to the work of the Lord. We should serve him with most awakened affections and most serious intentions of Spirit Deut. 11 13. Mat. 22.37 God hath threatned to spue the luke-warm out of his mouth Rev. 3.15 16. Some say that Speech is drawn from warm-water which the stomach cannot by any means brook so God cannot away with luke-warm persons Gregory somewhere saith It is better to be cold than luke-warm in Religion not because the luke-warm person sins more hainously but because he is reclaimed more hardly Dum enim se sanum putet medicinae opem non quaerit Marlor A cursed formality or customary performance of duties without fervent love to them undoes many and renders the Times so perillous 2 Tim. 3.5 Having a * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 form of Godliness but denying the Power from such turn away Let us then with Caleb follow God fully Numb 14.24 And as Barnabas exhorted Let us with full purpose of heart cleave unto the Lord Acts 11.23 As Peter and John strove which should come first to our Savious Sepulchre Joh. 20.4 so let us strive which should attain first to true mortification of sin Let us strive to out-strip one another in goodness * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This is a commendable contention The greatness of the Work calleth for our greatest endeavours We have many Duties to perform many Graces to get many Sins to subdue and conquer The manifold opposition which we meet with in our way to Heaven from the World the Flesh and the Devil should make us active 1 Cor. 16.13 Ephes 6.10 11 12 13. 1 Pet. 5.8 9. Former mispence of time should put us upon a more diligent improvement of it for the future Ephes 5.16 1 Pet. 4.3 4. Vespatian an Heathen lamented the loss of a day wherein he had done no remarkable service Heu diem perdidi was his word Alas I have lost a day We have let slip many days without doing good squandred away many precious opportunities not to be regained Let us improve time whilst we have it with the best diligence we can shortly we would be glad to have it that we might improve it If God would but vouchsafe to the damned creatures a little time of tryal here on earth again how eagerly would they accept it how holily would they spend it like those Creatures mentioned Ezek. 1.14 They would run and return as the apperance of a flash of Lightning They would Angel-like be upon the Wing ready to fly upon the hardest Errand God should send them about But alas their Glass is run and shall never be turned more The Door of Mercy is shut against them their possibilities are ended Let us be wise in time and work whilst we may for when the Night of Death comes no man can work John 9.4 Stella in Luk. 13.24 Nunc ergà poenitentiam age nè praeoccupatus die mortis quaeras locum quando invenire non possis The wise Man makes this consideration a Whetstone to Industry Eccles 9.10 Whatever thy hand finds to do do it with all thy might for there is no work nor device nor knowledge nor wisdom in the Grave whither thou goest If thy Work be not done when Death comes thou'lt be undone for ever for there will be no second Edition of thy Life to alter or amend what is done amiss Nicodemus's saying according to the flesh is true John 3.4 No man can enter the second time into his Mothers Womb and be born O then be not remiss and negligent in matters of such consequence Let us pray in good earnest repent in sober sadness let us put on Christ's Vertues by imitation and his Merits by application with as much diligence as may be Old men especially
the Poet to melt into tears saying O ubi Mors non est si jugulatis aquae What cannot make an end of us if a little congealed Water can do it Aeschylus the Tragedian was killed by a Crab-fish which fell from an Eagles talons who mistook as it was thought his bald Head for a Stone If thou stayest within doors thou art not there safe neither The House may fall upon thee as upon Job's Children Fire may burn thee a Spider may poyson thee Or thou mayest have a deadly fall from some upper Room As Ahaziah falling through a Lattess in his upper Chamber fell sick and died 2 Kings 1.2 17 compared And Eutychus falling into a deep-sleep fell down from the third lost and was taken up dead Acts 20.9 Pliny Plin. Nat. Hist lib. 7. cap. 53. reports of Emilius Lepidus that he did but hit his Toe upon the Door-sil yet though the hurt was so far from his heart he died upon it And the same Author tells us That Anacreon the Poet was choaked with the Kernel of a Grape And an Hair in a mess of Milk choaked Fabius See Dr. Abbot on Jonah 4.3 4. Lect. 26. p. 543. And we read elsewhere how a Fly in the Cup choaked Pope Adrian the 4th And Pope Victor was poysoned with Wine and one of the Emperors with the Bread he received in the Sacrament When we lie down to rest we are not sure we shall arise again in safety Sisera slept but never awaked more in this World Judg. 4.21 Benhadad being sick was confined to his Bed yet his sickness was not so destructive to take away his life therefore Hazael that treacherous Servant under pretence of doing him a kindness cunningly stifies him as you may read 2 Kings 8. chap. Furthermore we read in Scripture how Joab was slain at the Altar Zachariah in the Temple Amnon at his Table And prophane stories tell us That Carus the Emperor was slain by a Thunder-bolt so was the Emperor Anastatius Antiochus was murdered in his Coach Domitian in his Chamber Caligula in the Theatre Caesar in the Senate-house and Caracalla was put to death whilst he was about to case Nature Thus we are not safe by Land much less by Sea for there men are within a few inches of Death Qui nescit orare discat navigare The Poet said Illi robur as triplex circa pectus qui fragilem commisit pelago ratem Hor. He was a very bold man who first exposed himself to the Seas in so frail a Vessel as a Ship is How soon may it be split upon a Rock and cast forth its burden So uncertain a thing is Life that it is like a Candle carried in the open Air which every blast is ready to extinguish Thus as Seneca saith Mors ubique nos expectat tu si sapiens eris ubique eam expectabis Death waits upon us every where both at Sea and Land at home and abroad let us in every place and at all times wait for it sure I am it will be our wisdom so to do Deut. 32.29 O that they were wise that they would consider their latter end The Servants of the Lord expect it and look upon themselves as dying Creatures Abraham counts himself but Dust and Ashes Gen. 18.27 Jacob lookt upon himself as an Individuum Vagum as a Stranger or Pilgrim here to day and gone to morrow Gen. 47.9 So did the rest of the Patriarchs 1 Chron. 29.15 St. Paul durst not presume on much time but said He would do this and that if the Lord permit or if the Lord will as you may read Acts 18.21 Rom. 1.10 1 Cor. 4.19 1 Cor. 16.7 he thought himself Tenant at Will in the Clay-farm of his body So did St. James James 4.13 14 15. St. Peter lookt not to dwell long in his earthly Tenement 2 Pet. 1.14 Joseph of Arimathea erected his Tomb in his life-time in the midst of his Garden as some gather from Mat. 27.60 compared with John 19.41 that in the midst of his delights and pleasant walks he might think of Death The Heathens some of them have been very careful to preserve in their minds the thoughts of Death Plato one of the chief defined Life to be Meditatio Mortis a Meditation of Death And truly Death as the Philosopher writes of the Heart * Cor est primum vivens ultimum moâ—iens 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aristot should be the first thing that lives and last that dies in our meditation Some †Manchest Al. Mond p. 51. Philosophers had their Graves alway open before their Gates that going out and coming in they might alway think of Death And we read of one * Ibid. p. 139 140. Philostrates that lived seven years in his Tomb that he might be acquainted with it against his Bones came to lie in it And though Lewis the XI King of France of that Name gave a strict charge that none should dare to name Death within his Court Yet Philip the Father of Alexander and King of Macedon every morning had a Monitor of Mortality for a Trumpet every morning was sounded at his Chamber and these words uttered with a loud Voice by one whom he had appointed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Remember thou art a mortal Man He was willing every day to hear of Death which might any day rush in upon him Shall we by putting the thoughts of Death from us prove our selves to be worse than Heathens God forbid God as you have heard hath compared our Life in Scripture to things of short continuance And to such things as are oft in our eye that so we might not forget Death The two first Books of Moses 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nativitas 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Exitus called Genesis and Exodus should mind us of that of the Poet Nascentes morimur finisque ab origine pendet At Birth begin we life to end This end doth on that Birth depend Every Dish of Meat that comes to our Table stands as a dead Corps So true is that of Seneca Mortibus vivimus We live by the death of other Creatures The four Seasons of the Year the Garments we wear scarce any thing that we behold but may mind us of our change for all things here below ring Changes The Sun setting may mind us that ere long the Sun of our Life must set Our very houses may mind us of our long homes When we are in Bed and darkness round about us we should consider that ere long we must lie in the Grave that House of Darkness for so it is called Job 17.13 Furthermore for I would fain convince the Reader of the shortness and uncertainty of his life every degree of Life is a step to Death one day added to our lives brings us nearer unto death Your life is shorter to day than it was yesterday God threatned Adam Gen. 2.17 That in the day that he did eat the
therefore actions issuing thence cannot be perfect and consequently not meritorious Yet a true iustifying Faith is ever accompanied with purity and charity Acts 15.9 Tit. 3.8 Jam. 2.14 c. Jude 20. * Maccovius's Distinct cap. 13. de Justif Fides sola justificat non solitaria Faith alone doth justifie yet that Faith which justifies is not alone as the Eye alone seeth in the body yet the Eye which seeth is not alone in the body without the other senses Good Works are the Pulse and Breath of a lively Faith Mr. Abraham Wright's Serm. on Luk. 16.9 It is as impious to deny the necessity as to maintain the merits of good Works God hath joyned good Works and Salvation together in his Word and what God hath joyned together let no man put asunder But when we have done all we can do let us confess our unprofitableness and cast our selves upon Gods Love and Favour as the surest hold Let us build our hopes of happiness upon Christ's satisfaction only for indeed there is no other way then by this Ark to escape drowning The Church is described Cant. 8.5 leaning on her Beloved which as it betokens infinite familiarity within so likewise faithful dependance upon him Well then as Joseph said to his Brethren Ye shall not see my face he means with safety and favour except your Brother Benjamen be with you Gen. 43.5 So neither shall we comfortably see God's Face hereafter except we bring the Lord Jesus that Benjamin the Son of his right Hand Col. 3.1 Rom. 8.34 with us in the Arms of Faith Let us then act Faith upon the Lord Jesus who alone delivereth us from wrath to come 1 Thes 1.10 Thus much for the matter wherein preparation for Death consists I shall now shew you how you ought to put these Directions into practice CHAP. III. Shewing how we ought to put the forementioned Directions into practice OUR Saviour saith Luke 13.24 Many will seek to enter in at the strait Gate and shall not be able Stella on Luk. 13.24 And Stella gives this reason Quia tardè insufficientèr quaerunt because they seek not after a right manner Right means are to be used after a right manner Put then the forementioned Directions into Practice First Early Secondly Earnestly Thirdly and lastly Constantly 1. Festinanter First Early or speedily whilst young healthful and strong This God calls for Eccles 12.1 Remember now thy Creator in the dayes of thy youth God's Adverb is manè betimes or early the Devil's Verb is mane tarry till afterwards Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto the Devil more than unto God judge ye Acts 4.19 O do not put off preparation for Death till sickness Thou mayest perhaps die suddenly An Imposthume Squinancy Apolexy or some such Distemper may suddenly dispatch thee in so much that thou shalt not have time to call upon God for mercy Some that have gone to bed in good health as they thought have been found dead the next morning dead they were before they could tell what ailed them But in case God exercise thee with sickness thou wilt be very unfit to go about this great Work thy thoughts will be upon thy pain and they enquieries will be after a Remedy proper for the removing the Malady Friends about thee without any ground for it will be ready to tell thee what thou art glad to hear and willing to believe that there is great hopes of thy recovery These flatterers are miserable comforters for in case thou growest deadly sick as thou may'st do of a sudden then it is ten to one thy Will is to make Worldly things are to be disposed of for men generally are too too blame herein putting this off to extream sickness and this making thy Will takes up a considerable part of that little time allotted thee Upon this follow exclamations and outcries of near Relations together with the clamour of thy sins if Conscience be awakened enough to distract thee Impertinent visits of Friends which come only with an How do you I am sorry to see you in this condition c. do rather hinder than further Devotion And perhaps by this time through want of sleep and extremity of pain thou wilt be light-headed unfit to listen to any good counsel if given to thee as the Israelites who hearkned not to Moses for anguish of Spirit Exod. 6.9 Do not then put off this great Work till sickness no nor till old Age neither for Life is uncertain as I have shewed We know not how soon our Pulse may leave beating We can call no time ours but the present 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This day is mine and thine whose to morrow may be we know not To day then cannot be too soon to set upon this Work because to morrow may be too late I have read of Archias the Lacedemonian that whilst he was in the midst of carnal Jollity quaffing with his Companions one presented to him a Letter wherein was signified that some did lie in wait to take away his life and desired him to peruse it presently for it was a Letter of serious concernment but he carelesly replyed Seria cras let serious things alone till to morrow and that very night he was slain Oh! then reckon not of many years seeing thou art not Lord of to morrow Prov. 27.1 But if God should grant thee longer space to repent in yet he may deny thee the means of Grace or he may deny his Grace to make a good improvement of the means See what is said of Jezebel I gave her space to repent of her Fornication but she repented not Rev. 2.21 Repentance is not in our own power to be performed at pleasure it is God's-Gift Jer. 10.23 Acts 11.28 2 Tim. 2.25 And if we slight God calling upon us now who in the seasons of Grace is willing to be found of us 2 Cor. 6.2 Isa 66.5 Prov. 8.17 he may justly slight us in sickness and old age when his judgements break forth upon us We may then seek early and that early be too late to find him Prov. 1.24 c. As Jeptha said to the Elders of Gilead Judg. 11.7 Did not ye hate me and expel me out of my Fathers House And why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress So may God justly say to such as defer preparation for Death till sickness or old Age Did not ye hate me in your youthful time whilst healthful and strong and say unto me Depart from us we desire not the knowledge of thy wayes Job 21.14 Why do you now forced through fear or pain come to me in your distress Do we think God will be pleased with the Devils leavings What King will receive a cripled Rebel that hath spent the best of his strength and time under his Enemies Colours Cum nemine obtrudi potest itur ad me Ter. What Husband will receive his Wife that hath
should bestir themselves who have as we say one foot in the Grave already A * Omnis motus naturalis velotior est in fine Stone the nearer it comes to the Center the swifter it moves The nearer any come to Death the greater should their preparation be for it It is * Abel Rediv in life of Mr Perkins observed of the Birds of Norway that they having in Winter very short dayes fly swifter than other Fowl in other Countries as if principled by the instinct of Nature thriftily to improve the little light allowed them and by the swiftness of their Wings to regain the shortness of their time How speedy and earnest should old men especially be in preparing themselves for Death who if they have neglected God in their youthful dayes have a great deal of work to do in a very short time 3. Constanter 3. And lastly Prepare your selves for Death Constantly so long as life shall last This God calls for 1 Cor. 15. last verse Be constant and immoveable alway abounding in the Work of the Lord. This was David's resolution Psal 119.112 I have enclined my heart to keep thy Statutes alway even unto the end So it was Job's Job 14.14 All the dayes of my appointed time will I wait till my change come So Job 27.5 6 Till I die I will not remove my integrity from me My Righteousness I hold fast and will not let it go my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live The like did Saint Paul as you may read Acts 20.24 Phil. 3.13 14 15. 2 Tim. 4.6 7 8. God hath promised to give the Crown of Glory or Eternal Happiness to such as persevere in a Christian course of life see Rev. 2.10 so Rev. 3.11 12. Heaven is not got per saltum at one sudden leap you must set out betimes and advance forward in the race of Christianity so long as you live You must run and not be weary walk and not faint Isa 40.31 Charles the fifths Motto Ulterius becomes every Christian he must advance still forward for he that runs half the Race and then gives it over Ioseth the Wager as well as he that never set forth See what is said Ezek. 18.24 When the Righteous turneth away from his righteousness and committeth iniquity and doth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doth shall he live All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned in his trespass that he hath trespassed and in his sin that he hath sinned in them shall he die If any man draw back saith God Heb. 10.38 my Soul shall have no pleasure in him and again ver 39. They draw back unto perdition Let Christians then who expect the Crown fight manfully under Christ's Banner against the World Sin and the Devil and continue Christ's faithful Souldiers and Servants unto their lives end Let them do that in their Spiritual what Caesar is said to do in his Temporal-Warfare Nil actum credens siquid superesset agendum Lucan Pharsal Lib. 2. Be still doing as though they had done nothing till all be done Now there will be alway something for a Christian to do till Death give him his Quietus est a Writ of Ease Rev. 14.13 Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord they rest from their labours There must be no resting till death We should be Volunteers in God's Service till Death disband us When William the Conqueror landed his men in Sussex he caused all Ships to be sunk that all hope of flying back might be taken away We are here landed saith an ingenious * Dr. Boys in his Postils on Rev. 12.7 Divine in this Valley of Tears we must neither faint nor fly but fight it out valiantly till Death the last Enemy be destroyed 1 Cor. 15.26 Good Christians are like Wine full of Spirits that continues good to the last drawing yea the older they are like good Wines the better they be Lâ—k 5.39 They are compared to Trees in Scripture Psal r. 3. so Isa 61.3 called Trees of Righteousness because filled with the Fruits of Righteousness Phil. 1.11 These Trees are never past bearing They shall bring forth Fruit in old age they shall be fat and flourishing Psal 92.14 It is an honour to be thus gray-headed in Religion Prov. 16.31 The hoary-head is a Crown of Glory if it be found in the way of Righteousness God highly prizeth a Mnason an old Disciple as he was Acts 21.16 that hath served him from his youth upwards Well then let us put the former directions constantly into practice Let us pray continually 1 Thess 5.17 Let us have our * Stata tempora set-times for Prayer and at least morning and evening let us offer unto God the sacrifice of Prayer Let us daily mourn for the sins we daily commit Nay those sins which God hath pardned we should reflect upon with grief of heart and pray for a farther manifestation of pardoning Grace so did David For the one and fiftieth Psalm was pen'd by David after he had gone into Bathsheba and after Nathan had brought him the news of a Pardon 2 Sam. 12.13 Some * Mr. Smith in his Doctrine of Repentance p. 105. observe after God had cast Adam out of Paradise he set him e regione Horti over against the Garden in the very sight and view of the place where he had offended that so oft as he lookt towards the Garden he might remember his sin and lament for it Let us constantly avoid such sins as we do lament So did St. Paul Acts 24.16 Herein do I exercise my self to have alway a Conscience void of offence towards God and towards men Let us do good works constantly Gal. 6.9 2 Thes 3.13 Let us constantly put on the vertues of Christ growing in number measure and exercise of grace Let us daily act faith upon Christ If we do thus not only begin well but continue in thus doing until death we shall when we have acted the last part of our life upon the Stage of this World every one of us apart here that joyful Sentence pronounced by Christ himself Eugè bone serve Well done thou good and faithful Servant Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord Matth. 25.21 Thus you see the forementioned Directions are to be practised Early Earnestly and Constantly these three Ingredients make our Services a sweet Perfume But because we are so backward to these things I shall in the next Chapter lay down a few Considerations to quicken us to the performance of the whole and so conclude CHAP. IV. Containing certain Motives to move us to prepare for Death NO Man can truly say of mine advice touching preparation for Death as Hushai said of Ahitophel's 2 Sam. 17.7 It is not good at this time Sure I am advice to it or practice of it is never unseasonable for this is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the main business that we come into the World
healed of it but afterwards he felt many bad motions and sinful lusts stirring in him then he earnestly desired God to return to him the Head-ach again rather than suffer the peace of his Soul to be disquieted with those lusts So that you see bodily Pains and Diseases are sent by God to prevent or purge out sin But more particularly God sends sickness to prevent or purge out these following sins to name a few 1. Pride See 2 Cor. 12.7 Some by the Thorn in the flesh understand some extream pain as the Head-ach so Theophilact Some refer it to the Iliaca Passio or Wind in the small Guts See Mr. Leigh's Annot. on 2 Cor. 12.7 so Aquinas Some to the Gout or pain in the Stomach as Nazianzene and Basil are said to interpret it These or the like bodily Distempers may be well compared to a Thorn in the flesh because they are as painful to the body as if a Thorn or Splinter was thrust into the flesh This Thorn was sent o let out the wind of Pride Lest saith the Apostle I should be exalted above measure Job under his sores and sickness and other afflictions that God exercised him with confessed his vileness and abhord himself in Dust and Ashes Job 40.4 42.6 2. Worldly-mindedness God sends sickness to withdraw their heart and affections from things here below and to cause them to mount up and aspire more unto Heaven The best are apt to fall in love with this wretched world as Peter said Luke 9.33 Master it is good for us to be here God in sickness makes his servants willing to remove They see Riches and Friends cannot ease them of their pains and therefore they desire to be gone Phil. 1.23 and to be translated into the new Jerusalem where no Inhabitant shall say he is sick Isa 33.24 3. Security In health and prosperity the best are apt to forget God As David said Psal 30.6 7. In his prosperity I shall never be moved Lord by thy favour thou hast made my Mountain to stand strong but when God did hide his face and left him to the dangerous assaults of his Enemies or fury of some sickness then he was troubled and cryed to the Lord and pleaded with him in prayer as you may read in the following verses 8 9 10 11. When he casts his people on their backs in a sick-bed then especially they look upward 4. Insensibleness of others sufferings under sickness Most men are insensible of the sufferings of others like those voluptuous Epicures as if unconcerned in others miseries they are not affected with their Brethrens calamities Amos 6.3 4 5 6. Even the best are too too stoical herein whilst in Health not sufficiently sensible of the miseries that others lie under by reason of sickness But when God hath visited us with sickness then we pity those that lie under the same or the like sufferings The Poet Virgil brings in Dido speaking thus Non ignara mali miseris succurrere disco She being in misery did pitty those that were in misery David whom God had much exercised with sickness had learnt to pity others as you may see Psal 35.13 14. 5. Unthankfulness We do not whilst we are healthful and strong rightly prize health nor are we duly thankful for so great a mercy Carendo magis quà m fruendo We know the worth of things best by the want of them As God threatned to take away Corn and Wine and Oyl from Judah because she did not know i. e. thankfully acknowledge them to be Gods good Gifts Hos 2.8 9. So God many times deprives his People of health that they may learn to prize it the more and to improve it more to his glory when he sends it again 6. The sixth and last sin that sickness sent by God is a means to purge out or prevent is Forgetfulness of Death Jerusalem in prosperity remembred not her last end Lam. 1.9 The best of us in times of health too too seldom think of Death which made Moses cry out Deut. 32.29 O that they were wise that they understood this that they would consider their latter end God therefore sends sickness which is Ante-ambulo Mortis the fore-runner of Death to mind them that the King of Terrors is not far off they at such a time expect Death and look upon it as that which will certainly come Abel Redivivus in his life Bishop Andrews said oft in his sickness It must come once and why not here David in sickness saw the vanity of Man in his best state Psalm 39.5 Surely every man at his best state is altogether vanity Selah And vers 11. he warbles it over again on his doleful Harp Surely every man is vanity Selah So Moses under God's afflicting hand Psalm 90.7 saw the frailty of Man's life and therefore prayed vers 12. So teach us to number our dayes that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom Thus you see God sends sickness for the purging out or preventing of several sins in his People 2. The other end that God hath in such passages of his providence towards his Servants is for the tryal and exercise of their Graces Affliction is sent to try us Psal 66.10 11. Jer. 9.7 1 Pet. 4.12 It is both the Touchstone and Whet-stone of Grace A Feaver or some such like Distemper is as a fiery Tryal to try the truth of God's Graces in us and to set them awork in so much as the Apostle saith 2 Cor. 12.10 I take pleasure in infirmities for when I am weak then am I strong When he was weak in Body he was strong in Grace But more particularly God sends sickness to try and exercise these following Graces 1. Faith and Hope I put them both together for they are nigh of kin The Apostle speaks of God's suffering his People to be in heaviness through manifold temptations that is afflictions for the tryal of their Faith as you may see 1 Pet. 1.6 7. Job's Faith was seen and set awork under his sufferings Job 13.15 Though he slay me yet will I trust in him It is Faith indeed to trust in that God that seems to frown So hope is seen and set awork in a tempest It is compared to an Anchor Heb. 6.19 whose use is best seen in a storm 2. Patience In times of affliction there is matter for patience as well as faith to be exercised about Rev. 13.10 so 2 Thess 1.4 The Apostle saith Tribulation worketh Patience Rom. 5.3 He means It occasions the exercise of Patience James 5.11 Ye have heard of the Patience of Job saith Saint James Ye had not heard so much of his Patience had it not been for his sickness and such like afflictions which God exercised him with Sickness is the School of Patience 3. Love to God Jer. 2.2 I remember thee saith the Lord the kindness of thy youth the love of thine espousals when thou wentest after me in the Wilderness in a Land that was