Grace ◠The Eye of Faith whose object is the only begotten infinitely Glorious and mercifull Son of God Christ Jesus with all his faithful Promises numberless Merits saving and incomprehensible Graces This then O my Soul is that Sight and Light in comparison of which all other is but Darkness or as Torch-lights to the Sun By this alone a true Christian shall as much transcend the rational as the rational the sensual Creature Doth the momentary splendour of terrene things entice us to affect and prefer them And shall the everlasting and perfectly glorious Vision of Heavenly things even of Him who gave Beauty Form and Beeing to thee and all things prove less deserving less effectual Was the carnal eyes of my First Parents so over-pleased with the transitory Beauty of an earthly Fruit that they forgot their Creator whose Image they bare and entered the death threatning the breach of his Commandement though open to the fury of a double Curse exchanging the eternity of Happiness for a momentary taste And shall not the Pearless splendour of Heavenly things animate me to prepare a hand a heart to receive and taste the Manna of Souls the Fruit of a Tree of Life not guarded with a Cherubs Fiery sword but obvious to all not rooted in Earth but sprang from Heaven being grafted into Humanity that his Living Fruit might become the saving and eternal nourishment of Man O Lord I earnestly cry out with those at Capernaum Give me evermore of this Food Have mercy upon my Infirmities for being Adam◠son I have a withered hand a carnal heart which carnality 〈◊〉 enmity with thee Therefore Create in me a clean Heart and renue a right Spirit within me Relieving my Spiritual wants with this apprehensive Grace by which supernatural gift I may be made able to apply thy saving Promises with all their dependances O Adam I cannot blame thee for the loss of this Grace since thou deprivest thy Posterity of those Treasures only which thou was possest of But in thy Innocency this thou hadst not yet wert thou not therefore defective for thy created purity needed not any imputative righteousness being of it self sufficient because accepted The beauty of thy first Purity was so far from Leprosie that not the least Stain was then apparent to deface its Candor Thy Innocency void of Sin and therefore required not a Saviour Thy Soul was the Resemblance of thy Creator and therefore a pleasing and most proper object for his All-glorious sight There was without Wrath Attonement without Enmity Mediation without Debt satisfaction without Jesus Application is unnecessary Infidelity was the first means of Death Faith is the only instrument of Life By the one came our Descent to Hell through the other our Ascent to Heaven That made us Fly from God offended this makes us Run unto Him appeased Man had his first Spring in the Creation his Summer in Paradise which should ever have continued had not his meridianal height suffered a declination So shortning his happiest dayes he changed both Place and Season As after the Fall Winter ensues so did his For what are our untimely times but as a Winter quarter wherein every Tree is Fruitless we being not seemingly but really dead in Sinnes and Trespasses And if there be any Sap in the Root or Understanding it serves for no other use nourishment or comfort but to leave us without excuse If any Leaves as Moral actions and outward Professions alas these may hide from men our Nakedness producing a supposition of Fruitfulness but cannot deceive God who shall cause such Leavy Fig-trees to wither O Saviour Jesus Christ my Years increase my Life decreaseth neither know I how soon thou wilt visite me by Death or Judgment when if only as outwardly glorious thou sendest me my Portion is with Hypocrites if defective of Fruit thy sentence hath already awarded me fit for the Fire Lord I am a stem of sinfull Adam sprung from a barren Root and therefore a Plant which but Cumbers this Ground O thou which only art Lord and Husband-man of Souls so shine on me by thy favour mould and manure me with thy Grace prune me with thy Fatherly chastisements that the old Man may be rooted up and the new Man spring up and grow that so the Winter of Sin past a Spring of Faith may ensue which in thee being only fruitfully perfect I may with a happy certainty expect an Autumn of Glory Whosoever believeth in me hath everlasting life are the words of our Saviour from whose graciousness every Soul may receive infinite encouragement to pursue the condition or instrumental means of so unvaluable a gift For what is more desired than life What more abhorred than deprivation Let this offer therefore of Immortality the height and accomplishment of Mans happiness like the streams of Paradise direct thee O wandering Soul unto the Eden of Glory In the midst whereof thou shalt finde the Spring of Faith the Fountain of Life even God himself From whom alone all Graces have their right ebulition and procession for God deals to every one the measure of Faith As in the first Creation he gave a Beeing to what was not so in Mans Regeneration his immediate Word wrought the one his written Word the other Pulpits are Heavenly Conduits from whence by Earthy Vessels the Ministers Voices as in smaller Pipes the Waters of Grace are conveyed into every open Ear. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God The life of the Body is the Soul the Soul of the Soul is Faith As the Infant lives not till God hath infused a Soul so the Christian lives not without his gift of Faith O thou whose gifts are the effects of thy free Mercy not our Merit and therefore without Repentance or Changeableness thou being Wisdome it self and therefore Unalterable Omnipotent and therefore above all contradiction and resistance give to me this Seal of thy love this first fruit of thy favour and my Conversion O bestow on me the Grace I ask because thou hast given unto me Grace to ask For thy bounty is not closed up because thou hast been liberal like to Man since thy love is without measure thou therefore give me because thou hast given Thy former favours being but earnests of thy future mercies The Body of Man like to the Pool of Bethesda hath five Porches or senses through which all external pleasure and delectation enters as it were to comfort the imprisoned Soul They being as so many Cranies dimly enlightning her Dungeon that so their poor and weak expressions might make her ambitious of a perfect liberty Amongst these the seeing faculty in comparison of the rest may be stiled the beautifull Gate for its Grace and Ornament and the Bodies mirrour wherein with delight it views the perfection of it self and others So that indeed the better half of Mans temporary felicities consists in outward objects
glory when he maskt it with humanity and the same love makes him as it were dis-esteem his glory that he might confirm his Disciples The Rulers lye saying his Disciples came by Night and stole him away might perchance have been received generally as a truth Or else the believers might have proved as incredulous as Didimus Had not his bodily presence Non-plust falshood and controuled unbelief Forty Days the time appointed for his last sojourning on Earth being now expired Let my faith as it hath followed Him from Heaven so ascend with Him to Heaven The Angels that questioned the Disciples with a Why stand yee gazing did not intend the closing of the Souls eye but the bodies No act of Christ ever wanted a Witness the Foundation of Christianity thereby being as it were semented for ever Whereas all other fabulous Religions moulder away as layed with the untempered Morter of Mans devices The Wise-men and Sheepwards are Witnesses of his birth John and the multitude of his Baptization and Circumcision Pilate of his Innocency the Centurion of his Deity and Crucifixtion the Souldiers of his Resurrection and his Disciples of his Ascension The affection of Christ towards Man is like himself always the same That free and good will of his that brought Him down to suffer lifts Him up to mediate The unspeakable comfort and truth of which office since I am both unable and unworthy to express I refer my self and others to the Scripture of God Rom. 8.33 34. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect It is God that justifieth who is he that condemneth It is Christ that dyed yea rather that is risen again who is even at the right Hand of God who also maketh intercession for us Whilst the glorious Sun is clouded or eclipsed Man may with an open and undazled eye behold its luminous Orb But when free from all interpositions it shall re-ascend the top of its Meridian What seeing Organ is there that can behold it without being bleard with a review in sign of weakness or incombrance within it self as uncapable of such brightness The eternally begotten Son of the everlasting Father our Son of Righteousness and the only Son of Glory hath been made manifest to the eye of my faith whilst vail'd with an unglorified Humanity he continued his unchangable course through the darkness of suffering Cloudiness of Persecution and Eclipse of Death But now that he hath remounted his solsticial of Glory weak faith thou must with a humble and closed eye endeavour to admire which is thy homage to his Divinity what thou canst not conceive of not being discouraged as though thou hadst lost all with his bodily presence For as we possess light though the Sun be not visible his brightness being conveyed unto us in his beames So thy Saviour though corporeally absent he in his glorious rayes shines forth unto thee that thou mightest enjoy light warmth and comfort O how am I ravisht with this Vision 'T were the worst of unthankfulness to conceal such unspeakable favours With David therefore I must proclaim Mans Jubile Come hither all yee that fear God and I will tell you what he hath done for our Souls But I beseech you bring with you Stephens as well as Davids Ear else you may perhaps as blinde Men know my happiness not see it that is not to receive and apply it as your own As in the Divine Essence there is three Persons each of which is God yet not three but one God so in the Person of Christ there is a Trinity of offices each of which is proper to whole Christ as to be King Prophet and Priest not many of them the Man-hood being seperated from the God-head as some would But in all Christ being one the same and all these O these are those solacing rayes I before spake of so beneficial to pernicious Man O suffer not O Lord the Bodies middle Region my Heart to be cold and uncompact like that of the Ayr lest thy beames shine thorough and not warm me But purifie it and create in it such a solidity and soundness by faith that it may be capable of their virtue and inflamed with zeal and gratefulness for and to the glory of thee the giver Christ Jesus is the Christians Sanctuary and these his offices the three precious and unexhaustible Fountains from whence Ezechiel's healing Waters plentifully flow Ghrist Jesus is our Physician and these three are those beautiful Boxes in which the pure balme of Gilead which cures all putrified sores is inclosed Is here a Physician Is here a mundifying River Is here a most approved Balme O my Soul thou must also finde out and that by Faith a diseased Patient a deadly wound a corrupted Cancer for The whole have no need of the Physician but the sick O my Saviour is there any Man living so sound that he hath no need of thee yea sure there are some whose stincking soares which the Devil and their own pride have skinned over Others whose wounds he hath too deeply searched pouring into them instead of comfortable Balsome the deadly corrasives of desperation O Lord the nature of every one of us at the first is to be Sathans Apothecary ayding him with ingredients even from our own corruption to stupifie our sence of sin and mortifie our Souls O thou which art the only skilful and spiritual Cheruâ—gion search with thy spirit and tent with thy Law my gangrened and ulcerated Soul that I may live though with an issue For though the stopping of Bodily issues often times procure death yet my death shall stop my issue The noblest knowledge of things is from their causes not from their effects Lord make me know the state and danger of my Disease from both but from the first even my fall in Adam This self-inspection is a grace by faith conveyed to us from the Prophetick office of Christ. And ought according to my method there to be handled But the agreeableness of the Meditation to this place and the profit which by Gods grace will flow to me in the Meditation to others in the perusal makes me insert here this Anatomy of a dead Man which cannot be too large since none can enough know himself In the profundity of a Well even at mid-day a Man may view the Stars And in the Sun-shine of prosperity if our Souls fathome this our depth of misery we shall free from all impediments more perfectly apprehend our Lucifer Christ Jesus God the universal Creator being perfection it self it must needs follow that the beauty and happiness of the Creature consists in being like to him It being always remembred that what in them hath its measure degree and proportion in Him is boundless unexpressable and infinite If the impression of Gods Image in his Creatures as the Kings Image upon their Coine only makes it Royal and gives it preheminence and excellence it must needs be granted that
the three Children heard Nabuchadnezzar the one had been as free from Idolatry as the other Could Pilate have given the like attention to the Jews perswasions that David gave to Abishai the Lords anointed had not been crucified To conclude had Solomons Gallant entertained the Harlots allurements no further then Joseph his Mistresses enticements Adultery would not have proved his ruine Lord though evil words by reason of the commonness of sence will perforce enter my Eares O suffer them not to Inne in my heart lest they make thy House of Prayer a Den of Thieves To proceed though this sence of Smelling next to be searched into hath no objects which properly in themselves considered can be said to be evil yet hath it since the Fall a sinfull property and inordinate which is always ready to assist the pride and inward corruption of the heart As he is as well a Traytor that lets in the Enemy as he that fights for him So this sence by an excessive admission is often-times guilty of as much evil as the others by a depraved and actual commission The Pride and immoderation contracted by this sence is to be gathered out of the judgment pronounced by the Lord in the Prophet Esay against it where he threatens thus That it shall come to pass that in stead of sweet smells there shall be stink and in stead of a girdle a rent Lord since thou hast created this sence for pleasure Let me not by a depraved use thereof gain thy displeasure But let me by the fragrancy of the Creature be made sensible of the excelling sweetness of the Creator that so by joyning Heaven and Earth together I may enjoy thee here and hereafter now and ever The taste which next ensues was given to Adam in his Innocency for two respects First for a distinguishment of the Creatures That as the Eye so the Pallate in such a rare diversity might glorifie the Creator Secondly for pleasure sake and to prevent loathing The regulated Appetite being thereby harmlesly incited to perform and that with a temperate delight the charitable act of nourishment This was the gift and the use thereof in the state of Innocency until Adam by tasting too much so extended and wracked this sence that it could never since be well set or finde a mean The taste now enticing the appetite and the appetite again encouraging to taste the whole Man is by this means irrecoverably plunged in intemperancy Instance in the People of Sodom one of whose capital offences was fulness of bread In the rich Glutton whose immoderation hatcht by this senses provocation caused the one to forget their end the other his brother O Lord is this sense thus propense to ill O let my Soul be fed with thy grace and taste thy sweetness that so my spiritual appetite being unmeasurably enlarged it may like Moses Rod devour the carnal Lastly that I may conclude with that ubiquitary sence the hand-maid of life I mean the touch Know O fallen Man that this is no less friend than the rest to wickedness Nay to give it the due it is not only a constant Conductour of sin in all actions wherein the Body is an Agent but also is a nourisher of sin until it grow exceeding sinfull Instance this in the long-continued and tall-grown lusts of Holy David For no sooner had Pride Security and Idleness lulled asleep the gracefull warders of his Soul and let in through his wandering Eyes lust and beauty but the will captived by such Potent Enemies obeys and enjoys What Sathanisme Hypocrisie Murder and Impenitency succeeded his touch as being hatched and pampered by its sensual fruition is known to all that are read in the Scriptures As lust so covetousness is much assisted and hath a secret confederacy with this sence There being in such Midasses a certain con-naturalness betwixt their Fingers and the Gold which so forceably moves the affections of the Soul that a real fulness seems with them a want their gross Arithmatick consisting only of Addition and Multiplication O mercifull Creator are my Eyes become skilfull perspectives and representative Mirrours to bring sin neer unto my Soul Are my Eares set wide open to feast lewdness Doth my Nostrils Spider-like suck Poyson from the sweets of thy Creatures Is my taste the Cook to drunkenness and gluttony And my touch the bed-fellow and companion of all uncleanness To conclude all is my whole Body con-natural with sin an abettor and open friend to all iniquity a Load-stone cleaving rather to the base mettal of sin than to the pure and tried gold of grace Clay it is indeed both in substance and quality as being hardned and not mollified by the rayes of thy mercies pressing always to its own Element of Earth though never so often elevated by the motions of thy good Spirit towards Heaven Lord what is Man that thou art mindfull of him or the Son of Man that thou visitest him Is it not Chaff and therefore to be blown to and fro with the tempest of thy wrath Is it not stubble and therefore apt fuell for that unquenchable Fire yea undoubtedly it is this yea worse and less then all this being not only vanity but lighter than vanity so vain is every Man O wretched Adam that I am who shall deliver me from this Body of sin and death I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Lord my Soul guided by a Pillar of Fire thy spirit hath now with faint paces passed through a Vale of misery a Wilderness of sin full of temptations murmurings and rebellions It now remains that having received the Law in Mount Sinai even the sentence of Death in and against my self I now with the same Moses from Mount Nebo view the Land of Canaan the Gospel of Peace that promised possession of every true Israelite Lord let my misery though not my merit provoke thee to this mercy as being a Man naked and wounded and fallen among Thieves as being a wretch whose Navel conveying original corruption was not cut neither was my fleshly appetite suppled with the Water of Sanctification in the Day of my Nativity O pour into my gaping wounds the Oyle of consolation and the strengthening Wine of thy promises and binde them up with an humble assurance O have compassion on me and say unto me live That is forgive all my offences that am cast out into the open Fields to the lothing of my Person Cloath me also with broadered work Put a Jewel on my forehead and a beautifull Crown on my Head even the righteousness and merit of thy Son That so I may be practically enabled to meditate of these next objects of my faith viz. Satisfaction and intercession the two parts of my Saviours Priest-hood which according to order requireth my succeeding thoughts No sooner was Man created in the Image of God but
he became a Priest unto God not to offer up for himself or for others expiating Sacrifices because sin then was not for God saw every thing that he had made and behold it was very good But his sweet incense was Prayer proceeding not from want but from love and duty his Kids were the Calves of his Lips inflamed with praise and sparkling with admiration from the Altar of a pure heart an un-bloody Sacrifice But this Jubile continued not a Year a Moneth a Week I think scarcely a Day God's first Sabbath of rest I suppose was the utmost date of Mans freedome from sin For no sooner had temptation voluntary leave to enter through the sences into this holy Temple but the ambush of sin rushed out of Sathans imposture as the Grecians from their Horse and overthrew and polluted the Priest the Sacrifice and the Altar If the Clay works not according to the mind of the Potter no marvail if he bruise it to powder And if the Creature honour not the Creator 't is Justice in him to destroy it When the House of God is become a Den of Thieves the Priest of God an Idolater and servant to sin and the Altar of God dedicated to Sathan It must needs follow that the curse of God fore-threatned shall now be executed Yee shall surely die O wretched Man hath God pronounced that thou shalt die Be ascertained thou must die since his unchangable Decrees are shaddowed out unto us by the Laws of the Medes and Persians which alter not Must Man die and hath God enacted it who then can deliver us from this Body of Death Be of good comfort we have mercy for our Esther the Son of God for our Mordecay who hath without reversing qualified and fulfilled the decree of his Father Who now can lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect it is God that justifies who is he that condemneth it is Christ that dyed yea rather that is risen again who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us being the only Mediator betwixt God and Man All Priests since the fall within the Church of God were the Types of our high Priest Christ Jesus For no sooner was there a breach made betwixt God and Man the Creator and the Creature but mercy pleaded for a reconciliation and that reconciliation in Justice required a Mediator which is the Lord Jesus A principal part of whose Mediatorship is this his office of the Priesthood Before the Law typified in Melchizedeck in the Law pre-figured by Aaron and his Sons and in the Gospel really executed and fulfilled by himself The acts of this his office are chiefly two as being proportionable to the defect and necessity of Man the offendor viz. To satisfie to intercede Go forth now my Soul and bid defiance to all thy Enemies For the Shield of thy faith shall receive all their darts without any danger to thee retorting them back even into the adversaries faces Appear now with confidence before the judgment Seat of God bringing with thee to the Bar of Mercy thy Advocate Christ Jesus Thither summon Sin that Tyrant whom whilst thou weart a Traytor to thy Maker thou didst serve together with those Homicides Death and Hell Let him bring his Parent with him also even Sathan his Agent thy Accuser yea let thy own conscience be called as a Witness Lastly let the Law be prefer'd as thy Inditement Against all those let thy Saviour oppose himself and maugre their objections and accusations plead thy innocency that so thy righteousness may break forth as the light and thy judgment as the Noon-day For he shall trample thine and his Enemies under his feet and destroy them with the two-edged Sword of his Word Doth Sin challenge a right on thee Our Saviour answers That the old Man is crucified with him that the Body of Sin might be destroyed that hence-forth thou should'st not serve Sin Doth Death and Hell cry out we are thy wages The Almighty Conquerour replies O Death where is thy Sting O Grave where is thy Victory And that thou maist never hereafter fear 't is added Death and Hell shall be cast into the Lake of Fire Doth Sathan accuse thee behold thy Michael shall chase this malitious Dragon from the judgment Seat witness that voice of tryumph that the Accuser of our Brethren is cast down which accused them before our God Day and Night And as for thy conscience fear not its testimony since it ceases to accuse when Sin is not imputed For whosoever is born of God sinneth not Again a spotless and blameless conscience cannot be a blaming and condemning conscience But Christ through the eternal Spirit hath offered himself without spot to God that he might purge thy Conscience from dead works Wherefore having such an High Priest over the House of God draw thou neer with a free Heart in full assurance of Faith Lastly doth the severe justice of the Law threaten to swallow thee up strengthen and comfort thy self in Christ who hath redeemed thee from the curse of the Law being made a curse for thee for it is written cursed is every one that hangeth on a Tree c. Yea let this following immunity The Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus having made thee free from the Law of Sin and Death dismiss thy fears and silence all thy adversaries O my Saviour who art only the true Melchizedeck the compleatment of Aaron's Priest-hood and the end of the Law How much praise is thy due from me thy redeemed since to me is thy saying verified Blessed are those Eyes that see those things that I see And the Eares that hear those things that I hear Abraham saw thee in Isaac David saw thee in Solomon but I see thee in thy self yea in these and in all other thy Types I see thee also and that with much comfort and confirmation in thy Calling Vnction Bloody Sacrifice Sanctification Redemption Ascention and Intercession which were heretofore mysteriously bound up in the Levitical Priest-hood are now fulfilled and to me graciously manifested Lord Jesus since of thy free mercy thou hast made my deafness to hear and hast given me sight that was blinde for the strengthning of my faith As I have seen thee in thy types so let me see thee also in that eternal decree of thy Father So shall salvation appear Gods act and not Mans phantasie viz. Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee Thou art the Lamb slain that takes away the sins of the World Lastly let me behold the execution thereof wherein the Lord is both offered to me and accepted for me viz. This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased O my Soul what canst thou now more desire as having the Decree of God for thy Foundation the merit
and found wisdome I am understanding I have strength I love them that love me and those that seek me early shall finde me A SCRIPTVRE-CATECHISME I am the only begotten Son of the Father the brightness of his glory the express Image of his Person upholding all things by the Word of my Power I was by him as one brought up with him and I was daily his delight rejoycing always before him rejoycing in the habitable parts of his Earth and my delights were with the Sons of Men. Blessed is the Man that heareth me waiting daily at my Gates waiting at the Posts of my Doors For who so findeth me findeth life and shall obtain favour of the Lord. But he that sinneth against me sinneth against his own Soul all that hate me love death But if ye set at naught my counsel I also will laugh at your Calamity I will mock when your fear cometh when your fear comes as Desolations and your destruction comes as a whirl-wind Then shall ye call upon me but I will not answer for that you hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord Therefore shall you eat of the fruit of your own way and be filled with your own devices But who so hearkneth to me shall dwell safely and shall be quiet from fear of evil Believe in God believe also in me I and the Father am one There are three that bear record in Heaven the Father the Word and the Holy Ghost and these three are one For though there be many that are called Gods whether in Heaven or in Earth The Lord your God is one Lord and to you there is but one God the Father of whom are all things who Created the Heaven and the Earth And one Lord Jesus Christ the Saviour of the World by whom are all things and you by him And one Spirit the Holy Ghost by whom you are sanctified I am the Way the Truth and the Life the Word of God that in the beginning was with God and was God the life and light of Men while ye have light believe in the light in me the Eternal Word that was made flesh and dwelt amongst you was conceived by the Holy Ghost and made of a Woman born of the Virgin Mary of the Seed of Abraham and of the Seed of David The beloved and only begotten Son of the Father full of grace and truth This is the work of God that ye believe on me whom he hath sent that was delivered to Pontius Pilate the Governor of Judea who gave Sentence scourged me and delivered me to be Crucified who that I might sanctifie you with my own Blood Suffered without the Gate being obedient unto Death even the Death of the Cross dyed for your sins was buried and rose again the third Day according to the Scriptures for your Justification O look upon me whom you have pierced and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the Day of his fierce anger whose Soul being in an Agony in the Garden was exceeding sorrowful even unto death so that my sweat was as it were great drops of blood And I cryed out upon the Cross my God my God why hast thou forsaken me my Soul being then made an offering for sin yea sin for you and upon me the Lord laid the iniquities of you all Yet did he not leave my Soul in Hell nor suffer his holy one to see corruption To as many of you as receive me and believe on my name I will give power to become the Sons of God For I the Lord am risen indeed And am ascended unto my Father and to your Father and to my God and your God and have led Captivity Captive spoyled Principalities and Powers and made a shew of them openly tryumphing over them am received into Heaven and sit at the right hand of God having all power given me in Heaven and in Earth where I ever live to make intercession for you until I come in the Clouds in the same manner as I was taken up from you into Heaven the second time without sin unto salvation as being ordained of God to be the Judge of the quick and dead For my Father judgeth no Man but hath committed all judgment unto the Son I am the head over all things to the Church which is my Body the fulness of him that filleth all in all The House and Church of the living God The Pillar and ground of the truth As your Body is one and hath many Members and all the Members of that one Body being many are one Body so also is Christ. Therefore by one spirit be ye baptized into one body and be made to drink into one spirit the Cup of blessing which you bless is it not the Communion of my blood And the Bread which you break is it not the Communion of my Body For you being many are one Bread and one Body Wherefore let there be no schisme in the Body but let each of you as Members have the same care one for another to the increase of the body unto the edifying it self in love Be it known unto you that through me is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins and by me you that believe and are justified from all things from which ye could not be justified by the Law of Moses For God hath exalted me with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour for to give repentance unto Israel and forgiveness of sins and redemption through my blood according to the riches of his grace I am the Resurrection and the Life he that believeth in me though he were dead yet shall he live And who so ever liveth and believeth in me shall never dye For the hour cometh in the which all that are in the Graves shall hear my voice and shall come forth they that have done good unto the Resurrection of Life and they that have done evil unto the Resurrection of Damnation If you then will be my Sheep hear my voice and I will know you and you shall follow me and I will give unto you eternal life and you shall never perish neither shall any Man pluck you out of my hand My Father which gave you unto me is greater than all and no Man is able to pluck you out of my Fathers hand For God so loved the World that he gave me his only begotten Son that who so ever of you believes in me should not perish but have everlasting life If ye love me ye will keep
take away his part out of the Book of Life In Vain therefore do they worship Me who teach for Doctrines the Commandments of men drawing neer unto Me with their mouths and Honouring Me with their Lips but their Hearts is Farr from Me Ful-well they reject the Commandments of God that they may keep their own Traditions Let no man therefore Judge you in meat or drink or in respect of an Holy-day for you are dead with Me from the Rudiments of the World Neither be you subject to Ordinances such as these Touch not Taste not Handle not which things indeed have a shew of Wisdome in Will-worship and Humility and neglecting of the body not in any Honour to the satisfying of the Flesh For the Kingdom of God is not Meat and Drink but Righteousness and Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost And ye are built upon the Foundation of the Prophets and Apostles I my self being the Cheif corner Stone No man can come unto Me except the Father which hath sent Me draw him and I will raise him up at the last day All that the Father giveth Me shall come unto Me and him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out My Father which gave them Me is greater than all and no man is able to pluck them out of my Fathers hand VVoe then to the Idol Shepheards that leaveth the Flock and hath the Instruments of a Foolish Shepheard in whom now is fulfilled what I foretold by my Prophet For I will raise up a Shepheard in the Land which shall not visit those that be cut off neither shall seek the young One nor heal that which is broken nor Feed that that standeth still but he shall eat the flesh of the Fat and tear their Claws in pieces The Sword shall be upon his Arme and upon his right Eye his Arme shall be dried up and his right Eye shall be utterly darkened VVherefore rejoyce because your Names are written in Heaven And fear not them which kill the body but are not able to kill the Soul But rather fear Mee who am able to destroy both Soul and Body in Hell The Foundation of God standeth sure having this Seal the Lord knoweth who are his It is I only that giveth to him that overcometh to eate of the hidden Manna and a white Stone and in the Stone a new Name written which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it But this Diotrepsiâ— who loveth to have the Preheminence amongst them receiveth Me not neither doeth he receive the Brethren and forbideth them that would and casteth them by his own power out of the Church But he shall proceed no further for his folly shall be manifest to all Men. A Bishop then must be blameless not given to Wine no striker not greedy of filthy lucre but patient not a Brawler not covetous Even when Peter drew his Sword in a far better quarrel then his pretended Successor fights for I said unto him put up again thy Sword into his place for all they that thus without Commission from Me take the Sword shall perish with the Sword He that leadeth into Captivity must go into Captivity and he that thus killeth with the Sword must be killed with the Sword For I am righteous who have judged thus That they that have shed the blood of the Saints and Prophets shall have given them blood to drink for they are worthy This is that evil Servant which hath said in his heart my Lord delayeth his coming and doth begin to smite his fellow-servants and to eat and drink with the drunken I the Lord of this Servant will come in a Day when he looketh not for me and in an Hour that he is not aware of and will cut him asunder and appoint him his portion with Hypocrites there shall be wailing and gnashing of Teeth I am he that died unto sin once And by my own blood entred in once into the holy place having obtained Eternal Redemption for you who need not Daily as those High Priests to offer up Sacrifice for my own sins and then for the Peoples For this I did once when I offered up my self Woe to the bloody City that is filthy and polluted Mistery Babylon the great the Mother of Harlots and abominations of the Earth That saith to the wood of my Cross awake to the dumb Stone and wafer Cake it shall teach Behold it is laid over with Gold and Silver and there is no breath at all in the midst of it For although I took Bread saying This is my Body and the Cup and said This is my Blood Do this in remembrance of me And my Flesh is Meat indeed and my Blood is Drink indeed I explained my self and added Doth this offend you What and if ye shall see the Son of Man ascended up where he was before It is the spirit that quickneth the flesh profiteth nothing the words that I speak unto you are spirit and they are life Every Priest therefore of that Apostate Church which daily minister and offer up often-times the same Sacrifices which can never take away sins But after I had offered one Sacrifice for sins for ever I sat down at the right hand of God I am the Propitiation for your sins I by my self have purged your sins and by one Offering have perfected for ever those that are sanctified Yea this is the Covenant that I have made with you your sins and iniquities will I remember no more Now where remission of these is there is no more offering for sin Much-less is there need of a Purgatory-Fire to purge the Souls of any redeemed ones Enoch was translated that he should not see Death Elijah went up by a Whirl-wind into Heaven Lazarus the Beggar died and was carried by the Angels into Abraham's bosome The Thief dying was that Day with Me in Paradice And blessed are they that dye in the Lord that they may rest from their Labours and their works follow them But the wicked shall be turned into Hell Where is then to be found in God's Word this third place for the tormenting and purifying of the Saints I am he that heareth Prayer unto me shall all flesh come unto me shall the Vow be performed Wait you therefore only upon God for your Expectation is from him You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve Then not Saints and Angels as doth the Romane Whore The Woman arrayed in Purple and Scarlet colour and decked with Gold and precious Stones and Pearl having a Golden Cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her Fornication Further consider
unhappy Man had not ambition and infidelity Eclipsed the apprehensive brightness of thy understanding thou mightest have made thy Ring-leaders fall a mirrour to view thine own in O blindness the more blame-worthy the less to be pittied 〈…〉 self didst both willingly wilfully and speedily occasion 〈…〉 thy gracious God imprisoned all thy sences within his 〈◊〉 command all Judgments would have condemned thy ungrateful disobedience how much more blameable art thou that mightest have viewed it toucht it and delighted thy self with the fragrancy of that pleasant Fruit eternally without offence and yeâ— still desirest more even to tast thy Death O bitter sweet sweet in thy deceitful expectation bitter in thy accursed fruition O behold now what knowledge thou hast obtained thou knowest now the good thou hadst and hast lost the evil thou didst want and now enjoyest Momentary was thy imaginary pleasure certain and eternal thy procured curse O the Childishness of Man's perfectest age which sold the little World himself the great World about himself for such a knowledge which made him know good not more but less by knowing evil All things that are good in themselves in their first enjoying gain from us most estimation but Man here blest with the fruition of all happiness which joyntly met in him as in its Centre undervalues it even in the first possession exchanging pleasure for pain knowledge for ignorance Paradice for Hell and Life for Death But what neeâ— is there of my weak descriptions in delineating the lamentable 〈◊〉 of Man's fall Since if every Christian would but deal faithfully with himself and retire into his own Soul viewing it in thâ— state of Unregeneration he might in that too lively Picture of dâ—â—d Adam learn the chief point of wisdome to know himself I appeal to the witness of thy Conscience O Christian Reader whither thou findest not naturally the Supream faculties of thy Soul the Enemies of God and goodness the bond-slaves and willing Vassals of sin and Sathan the parts of thy Body the Members of wickedness and ready Instruments of ill Is not thy memory a magazine of evil unhospitable to goodness Thy imagination and intellect like the Northern Seas frozen with ignorance to whom the Sun of wisdome gives so dim a Light that thy highest knowledge is to know thou knowest nothing Is not wickedness the Centre of thy will towards which it moves with a natural swiftness all holy motions being contrary to its course Lastly do not generally the parts of the whole Man which did before by their concordance and harmonious obedience so sweetly express the due praise of the most glorious Creator now rebelliously jar with a hideous and cursed confusion But what need these questions I would to God every Mans unhappy experience did not affirm and ascertain this truth as there is none free from Death so none from sin the cause of Death we all alike come into this World all suck in corruption with their first breath no sooner have our Souls a Beeing but they are in a deep Consumption so that our life is but a continued dying a Prologue of Death according to that of Job 1.21 Naked came we into this World naked of goodness as well as Clothes and naked shall we return again except thou cloath us to Christ our beginnings our foundations are laid with untempered morter Can then our after-works be unlike the Original We must all say with David In â—in hath my Mother conceived me and I was shapen in iniquity 〈◊〉 the Root evil and can the Fruit be good Is the Fountain bitâ—er and can the streams be sweet Do Men gather Grapes of Thornes or Figges of Thistles Hath Adam fallen and was accursed and shall his Off-spring stand and be justified No assuredly There is none good no not one we are all wrapt up in the same condemnation O wretched Man that I am who shall deliver me from the Body of this Death I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let us now having waded in the gulph of 〈◊〉 miseries from that depth behold the height of Gods mercy â—â—y mercies O Lord are great and reach unto the Heavens and â—â—y truth unto the Clouds Thou hast delivered my Soul from â—ell my Body from Death thy Mercies are above all thy Works â—onderful are they Who can express them This World is a Monarchy the great Emperor thereof is God no admits of no Equal nor Partners in his Government Kings â—rinces and all things else are either Subjects or Subject to â—â—m nay more his Creatures For by Him were all things Created â—hich are in Heaven and which are in Earth things visible and invisible Crimes of the highest nature are only accounted Treaâ—ons in terrene States but the least breach of those general Staâ—â—tes enacted by the Earths great Law-giver is not only Capital 〈◊〉 infinitely punishable had Man offended either his Superiors 〈◊〉 Angels or his equals as Man it had been possible to have reconciled the one by submission the other by satisfaction but having traâ—sgressed the Commandement of God no created and â—nite substance can repair his ruines for infinite is his Justice inâ—nite our sins and consequently infinite our punishment Thus wretched and miserable are we in our selves by reason of our â—all and thus destitute of redress from others by reason of the â—reatness of our fault and unrecoverableness of our loss and â—â—stly O Lord do we deserve to be so since wittingly willingly and wilfully we made our selves so Of Man's Redemption by Christ. GOD is both infinitely just and infinitely merciful as his Mercy hinders not the Execution of his Justice so his Justice bounds not the extent of his Mercy Man is here infinitely indebted to God and utterly unable to pay God's Justice requires payment his Mercy places his Son as principal in the Bond who fully satisfies his Justice and repeales the Judgment pronounced against our Souls and Bodies O gracious Father in this thy Son our Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ. Thy love is infinite like thy self boundless as thy Divinity and so ineffable that the Tongues of Men and Angels are not able to express it Mercy implor'd hath its first motion or inducement from the suppliant but thy mercy first beheld us when we had no power to view thee being blinded by Sathan thy goodness raised us when we were dead and buried in sin and thy free love only procured thee to move in compassion towards us who were moved through transgression contrary to thee unvaluable and extraordinary gifts are assured although silent expressions of a fixed and ardent affection But who O Lord is able to value thy gift to declare much less apprehend thy love Friendship is reciprocal for a friend can no sooner exhibit any reality of benevolence but as it were by reflection he is presently apprehensive of the like from the receiver though not in quantity as being perhaps less able yet in quality as being
Order of Melchizedeck I say dost thou now being on Earth neerer to their reproaches and yet not further off from thy power pass over their iniquities suffering thy self to be crucified by them whom thy Justice should have crucified to be sacrificed by the wrath of them whom thy anger hadst thou come to destroy not to save should have sacrificed Was Noah Lot Moses Elisha all Prophets all Types of Thee by thee aided and made victorious over their unbelieving and insulting adversaries and why dost not thou O Lord of all Prophets being now thine own Orator and yet despised demolish Corazin or Bethsaida with other Cities of Judea either by Water or Fire O Lord thou art still the same God then thy Justice was manifested but now thy mercy is magnified as appears by that Deploration over Jerusalem where the Floods of Waters are now converted to an Inundation of Teares the Fire and Brimstone to love-burning and pittying sighes though some murmuring ask From whence hast thou this Authority others blaspheming make thee a Sabbath-breaker and esteem thee as a Conjurer a Glutton a Wine-bibber a friend of Publicans and Sinners yet hast thou not now a devouring Gulf for such Repiners Teeth of wilde Beasts for such calumniating Blasphemers unless we behold that one alone bottomless Gulf of thy mercy most extended and most deep even to Man in the depth of his misery Father forgive them for they know not what they do O Christ Did fear dead thy revenge due to those Sinners against their own Souls No fear is a duty of the Creature ruled by thee not over-ruling thee Passion is incident to inferiours and therefore below thee which hast no Superior Did want of ability smother thy anger No thy Power is not extinguished no less than â—nfinite although in thy humiliation clouded during thy pleasure Lord why did those many Legions of Heavenly Souldiers suffer thy Enemies to carry thee their General away Captive those Bonds which could not resist Sampson's force fetter the Armes of thee the Almighty who gave him strength those Nailes fasten thee to the Cross who wert as able to deliver thy self as thou wert willing to suffer O Saviour my thankful Soul by way of confession replies thus The unmeasurableness of thy love patiently swallowed up all these contumelies and reproaches for love instead of revenge thou forgavest thine Enemies instead of calling for power to destroy Man thou proclamedst his Salvation crying out It is finished the Angels when thou wert attached by Judas although within thy Call must only be admiring Witnesses of thy Patience not Executors of those Traytors Lastly thy Mercy only manacled thy hands and nailed thee to thy Cross making Thee a Transgressor by the bearing of our Sins that we might become righteous through the Imputation of thy Merits according to that of Peter Who his own Self bare our Sins in his Body on the Tree that we being dead to Sin should live in Righteousness by whose Stripes we are healed These things gracious Saviour yea infinitely more hast thou done for us which since we cannot apprehend let us with reverence admire rejoycing that we have view'd thee in thy Birth to be our Kinsman in thy Life our Example in thy Death our Saviour after Death our Resurrection and Glory Lord what art thou not unto us a Balme for our Wounds a Laver for our Souls a Sacrifice for our Sins and the Life of our Death What hast thou not suffered for us Wert thou not humbled in thy Birth persecuted all thy Life and though innocent adjudged to Death that our Nature might be exalted our Life enlarged our Guilt acquitted Wert thou not scourged disrobed Crowned with Thorns lifted upon the Cross derided athirst forsaken and slain that we might be delivered from the Judgments of thy Father clothed with thy Righteousness Crowned with thy Glory lifted up into Heaven freed from the mocks of Sathan satisfied with the sweet draughts of thy Love received of thee for ever to Live Eternally What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits towards me I will take the Cup of Salvation and call upon his Name saying Glory be to God in the Highest Peace on Earth good Will towards Men Praise and Honour and Glory and Power be unto Him that sitteth on the Throne and unto the Lamb for evermore Soli Deo Gloria A Concluding Prayer O Eternal Infinite and Everlasting God by whom all things were Created that are made and in whom we Live Move and have our Beeing I thy poor Creature humbly beseech Thee to deal graciously with me thy Servant pardoning all my Offences and passing by all the errors wants and imperfections committed in these my feeble Meditations O Lord I praise Thee for thy favourable assistance of my weakness ever confessing thy gâ—eat Goodness in my Creation the Pride Incredulity and Weakness of my Nature in Man's Fall and thy Infinite Mercy in my Redemption O let the one rejoyce me the other humble me and the last make me obediently thankful in the observant performance of all thy Commands that so I may glorifie Thee which is the end of my Beeing repent and believe in Thee who art the Resurrection of my Fall and live with Thee Eternally which is the Compleatment of my Salvation and fulfilling of my Hope which is fixt in Jesus Christ To whom with the Father and the Holy Spirit be all possible Praise Obedience and Thanksgiving now and for ever Amen Vpon several temporal Mercies Providences and Deliverances Graciously Vouchsafed By the Lord Infinite in Goodness To the most unworthy Author And to many also of his neer Relations EBENEZER HETHERTO hath GOD helped me 1 Sa. 7.12 Bethel the House of God Gen. 28.19 A Pillar of PRAISE Erected by An English JACOB unto the onely Infinite Eternal and Almighty JEHOVAH in all Sincerity Humility Reverence and filial fear Hallelujah Eternal FATHER Glorious SON and Holy GHOST Three Persons but One GOD in Essence who the HOST Of Heaven and Earth did'st make and art Goodness Power Justice Truth Love Wisdome Holiness To Thee with JACOB SAMUEL A PILLAR I ERECT to tell All Future AGES to thy PRAISE Thy MERCIES to Me all my DAYES Their 's like their Faith was of firm Stone Mine weak like Me a PAPER One O let thy Strength made Perfect be In my Great IMBECILITY Two Mites Goats Hair from Hearts most free Are JEWELS in Thy TREASURY LORD had I Men and Angels Tongues That KEY would be below the SONGS Of THANKS-GIVING I owe to THEE For what in CHRIST thou did'st for MEE From which Eternal Love forth Springs The Temporal Mercies which these Hymns Commemorate O let Free GRACE Be Adamantine and my BASE And IRON-HEART to THEE attract Seal'd by Thy SACRAMENTAL Act So shall my Person and these Sheets Which I prostrate at THY blest FEET Received be as being PERFVM'D By thy sweet SPIRIT and only
and Night else I would not have lost my sleep nor travelled all Night only to see such a transitory delight as a Horse Race where usually our precious time our wisdom and our Moneys run faster away from us than our Horses The night of Ignorance and the Moon-shine of Unsanctified Reason is of all times most dangerous to Youthful Travellers who when they dream that they are galloping on the palfrey of Pleasure towards Paradice are before they so much as think of it upon the edge yea often fall head-long into that bottomless Pit of Hell Lord thy Word saith It is not good for a Man to be alone yet Experience teaches me also that Companions in sinful Vanities are great Incendiaries Thy merciful Providence Lord at this time mad'st my Companion in Vanity the Instrument of this great Deliverance and also made thy Word good for had not my friend whose Elder Years and Experience gave him knowledge of the way and danger even in that instant of time cried out and stopt my career I had unrecoverably fallen both Horse and Man into a deep and horrible Pit even into Death Wherefore dear Lord let me hence-forth never be alone but let a truly enlightned Conscience which is my best and intimate Friend be alwayes present with me especially in the Night of Temptation to fore-warn me from falling into the dangerous Pit of Sin which to all thine is the Figure as well as the deserver of the bottomless Gulph of Hell Amen The PIT Ejaculation or Hymn on the former Subject LOrd in this Night-peece there is drawn to Life The Day-peece of our Youth wherein most rife It is for Vs to travel in the Night Of Ignorance and by the Moon-shine light Of our unhallowed reason After Sin And Pleasures till we fall are taken in Their Gulph and snares how oft in Holy Writ Is Death Hell and Affliction call'd a Pit Yea every Sin especially a Whore Which Man and Beast Soul Body doth devour What cause have I that in my Youthful Days Have scap't these dangers for to render praise To Thee Preserver of Body and Soul From Death Hell trouble and from Sins controul Thou went the Voice behind me that cryed stay Avoid each sinful Pit This is the way Conscience thou also gav'st me to fore-warn Me as a trusty Friend of every harm Wherefore I offer Soul and Body both A living Sacrifice to thee by Oath Covenanting for to serve Thee whil'st I live That doest new Life from Sin and danger give ARGUMENT Vpon God's merciful deliverance of me in Three great dangers of Drowning twice upon the River of Thames and a third time in Rutland when being a fishing alone I slipt from off a Tree into a River Soliloquium or Discourse O Incomprehensible Creator and loving Father how delightfully ravishing and comfortably supporting is the Meditation and experimental knowledge of thy gracious Omnipresence to thy Children whereas the thought and belief of it to the wicked thy Enemies is most terrible for to all such our God is a consuming Fire O Lord thou art not only the God of the Mountains and of the Vallies of the Earth but of the Rivers also and hast been mercifully present to deliver and preserve me as thou didst thy Servant David and Paul in Perils of Land and in Perils of Water else had I sunk down into the deep Waters Yea the Floods had gone over my Head and Soul as well as in these three dangers they fearfully washt my Body and Cloaths In the two distresses upon the Thames when the Water-men were all at a non-plus thy only powerful providence preserv'd steer'd and rowed me into safety In the third when my own Feet slipt and betrayed me and the Tree I held by broke and fail'd me thy Hand alone saved and drew me out of a watry muddy and perilsome Pit If every lesser mercy O Lord calls for a tribute of praise how much more such as these which are thy so suddain and opportune reprieves from Death since it is a truth although spoken by the Father of lies Skin for skin and all that a Man hath will he give for his life Wherefore since our lives preservation is the greatest corporal mercy open thou my Lips O Lord and my Mouth shall shew forth in these Lines yea sing forth thy praise for three so great deliverances in this following Psalm of Thanksgiving The TEMPEST Ejaculation or Hymn on the former Subject NOt humane Courage Wisdome did direct To use or build Boats Ships The Architect Of these our floating Chariots was the Lord Who fram'd the Earth Heavens he by his word To Noah first i' th Ark a Pattern drew Vnparallel'd that we might it renew In little which is now so often done That in one first bold Drake durst like the Sun Incircle Earth and Seas live and lie Within an Intch of Death and yet not die Vpon a spawn of one of these I plow'd The back of Themasies when loe aloud The Wind beats up a charge on Sins old Jar Retwixt these Elements Renews the War I interpos'd by chance these Combitants As strangers often fall into made Rants By which rash act the force and strokes I bore Of both Maâ—gre two seconds arm'd with Oares Who spent and wearied gave up to the Wind My wooden Fort who entring us to bind And drive along Thames jealous grew Of such bold Seasures claim'd us as her dew And enters with a troop of Waves our Hull Erects her watry Streamers fills us full With churlish Billowes ordering us to lie In her deep muddy Dungeon till we die The Wind inrag'd with this affront us tore From out her Bands and drove us to the shore Thereby declaring the third Elements right To us her Subjects as it were in spightâ— Thus far I take a Poet's liberty To shaddow forth my danger Now unty O Lord my Sailes the affections of my Soul That fill'd with thy free spirit without controle Of an unthankful calme I may lanch forth Into thy Sea of Mercy praise thy worth O Lord my Soul iâ—barkt in Flesh sailes in Continually a Sea of Lust and Sin On which the Prince of th' Aire that evil spright Blowes raiseth fearful Stormes by Day by Night Filling the Sailes of my Affections With evil Aires raising my Passions Like swelling Billowes sometimes watry Waves Of Worldly sorrow fills me then the braves Of Earthly joyes o're lades me till a Train Led by mad Anger casts them out again Next in the Whirl pool of sad doubts and fears My Bark is whirl'd about neer drown'd with tears But if a calme succeeds these stormes then he Sends forth his Sirens Women-like to me His Tritons â—errâ—ne Pleasures and Delights That harkning to their Songs and Charms I might In such security run foule upon The shelves of Lust call'd Love Presumption And Prides high Rocks or if I take not care Be swallowed up
Almighty Saviour who delivered me out of the Belly of this Whale and gave me a reprieve from Death stood by me as he did by Paul in the storm and bad me be of good comfort since Sathan the Accuser of the Saints was cast out and overcome in his Victory his Indictment and Role of my Sins conceal'd and nailed upon his Cross That my Conscience was both cleansed and pacified through the washing of his all purifying blood And that Divine Justice was satisfied to the uttermost by his active and passive obedience and sufferings he being made sin for me that I might be made the righteousness of God in him Yea that he was made unto me of God righteousness and sanctification wisdom and redemption That my life was hid in him with God And that he had given unto me Eternal Life And that when he shall appear I shall appear also with him in Glory Blessed Saviour with these Cordials thou didst thou dost revive and rejoyce my Soul and in great mercy didst answer my Prayer and restored both my mind and body to perfect health For which I bless thy name and record thy praise here and in this following Hymn The REPRIEVE Ejaculation or Hymn LOrd how uncertain full of change Is our lives state now well anon Deaths Image as though man O strange Was Natures true Camelion Our Youth and Beauty like a Flower Withers as soon as lookt upon Much like the Gourd of Jonah's Bower An one Day liv'd Hephemeron Sin is the Nimrod and the first Tyrant that did both Worlds subject To Floods Stormes Earth-quakes and accurst Mutations Wars that Royal Theft My Microcosme a witness oft Was and is still of this sad truth Shaken and under Water brought With coughs rheums even from my Youth The effect of this Earth-quake at last Like others which presage no good Was to make Chasmes and Waters cast Out of my entrails ting'd with blood At which agast I trembling fell Into a clammy and cold sweat Was wrackt with thoughts of Death and Hell Of Sin and God's dread Judgment Seat Then my Physitian Lord thou wast Stopt by opening a Vain Of thy own Blood and my Soul cast Into that Bath which cur'd my pain Thus Gallen Esculapius Thou far excel'st mad'st me all whole And by o're-coming Death for us Cur'd both my Body and my Soul Thou gavest to both new life that I Being freed from fear of shame and death Might live in thee and never die And praise thee whil'st I have my breath Thou art Lord my Catholicon A certain Cure of each Disease The only Rock I rest upon My Joy my Cordial and my Peace Amen ARGUMENT Vpon God's Fatherly and manifold goodness in delivering me from Death and giving me a merciful recovery out of five several dangerous sickness Viz. From a deadly Surfeit in my Childhood from an inclination to a Consumption for many Years in my Youth And in my elder days from a painful Cough and Plurisie From two dangerous Agues And from many other like Disasters Soliloquium or Discourse THe tremendious curse for Man's sin and rebellion against God his Creator is Death temporal and Eternal The Quarter-Master and Harbinger of Death is sickness who prepares as soon as we were born for even then we begin to die matter or food corrupt humors and innumerable diseases for this all devouring Monster together with unremovable quarters until according to the Proverb He hath eaten us out of House and home So that this our dying Life is but a living Death Lord as all have sinned in Adam so all in him are dead witness that thy just Statute and Sentence It is appointed unto all Men once to dye To which Law as acknowledging my self a sinful Son of Adam I humbly submit and have these five times entertained Deaths fore-runners or Vanguard The first of his Messengers was a short yet dangerous Surfeit in the time of my Childhood out of which by thy blessing upon the means used by a friendly Physitian I was speedily recovered The second was a continued defluxion of Rheum which caused a constant Cough and inclined me for many years in the entrance of my Manhood unto a Consumption By this correction Heavenly Father thou didst most wisely bridle order and allay the strong and indomitable Lusts of my Youth that beholding daily Death thy Sergeant at the Door I might fear to act wickedness and submit to thy Discipline This friend of Death which thy mercy and wisdome made in a sence a friend unto me by thy special providence and ordering me to use fit means was after many years space and at a time and in a place where that Disease was always before dangerously afflictive discharged also and I wonderfully and perfectly recovered The third assailant was a deadly Plurisie the consequent and usual effect of a long and violent Cough which by a terrible pain and stitch made my breathing the necessary Servant and Bellowes of Life painful which after divers Moneths suffering and fruitless use of many remedies Thou O Lord that hearest and answerest Prayer heard mine and by thy blessing upon a Plaister laid to my Stomack and a Purge didst in one Night and a Day free me from all pains Coughs and Distempers to the admiration of my self and Relations The fourth Allie and Spie of Death was a violent Ague whose eight Hours hot fits might well deserve the Name of a Feaver This ceaz'd upon me at Homby where thy providence O Lord by this thy Attachment freed me from a worse because illegal detainure These fiery Fits the very shaddows of Hell at a certain Hour every other Day for some Weeks like a well-ordered Regiment made their assaults and as so many Roman Rams or whole Cannon battered all my Rampires of Earth the out-works of Nature preparing and making a breach for their General Death to enter at But even then also O most gracious God and Father the only expert Physitian that curest both Body and Soul Thou freely without any Fee for alas I had nothing of merit to give thee Visited me and didst attend to my cry and pittied my many sighs and groans walking with me in this Fiery Furnace so that although I was often burning like Moses Bush yet I was not consumed Yea thou mad'st these Brats of sin and death instead of Destroyers my Refiners Diseases and afflictions being not punishments to thine and beginnings of Hell as to the wicked But like the Purges Vomits and Blood-lettings of a skilful and loving Father and Physician for prevention and for the cure not for the destruction of thy Children and Patients according to thy Word this shall be the fruit to take away their Sin Praised be thy Name O Lord that in much loving kindness and faithfulness hath alwayes afflicted me and didst then also after a few Weeks give me a perfect
contrariety of Providences and opposition of Sin and Sathan make more for thy Glory the Chiet Just and Soveraign end of all thy Works Who but thou O Lord who art the God of Nature canst change and unnaturalize Nature So that hungry Lyons shall not devour thy Daniel Fire shall not burn thy Three Children A Whale shall not smother and concoct thy Jonah nor the fluid Sea flow over and drown thy Israel Who but thou O Lord at this time didst forbid a Sulphur Stone to spit forth Fire at the collition and motion of the wheel of my Pistol or extinguisht its sparks with Gun-Powder that thou mightest preserve my Hand from the guilt my Conscience from the trouble my Heart from the grief and my good Name from the reproach of Man-slaughter Who but thou O Lord did cause Man with naked Swords to recoil and valiant Souldiers to turn their backs and to flie from two naked Men provoking them and in part disarmed that so Friends might not act as Enemies nor pour forth the blood and destroy the lives of one another Who was it but thou Almighty Saviour that gave a right understanding betwixt us and turned our feares and dangers into a Happy deliverance and thanksgivings Which then and now accept O Lord who at this time didst mercifully prevent my friends at other times didst powerfully restrain my Enemies from taking away my life And as thy goodness hath been continued so let my praise be perpetuated in this Memorial to future Generations even till time shall be no more Amen The INVISIBLE GVARD A Corolary Poem upon the former Subject MAn's Life is wholly unsecure Vpon him dangers do attend As Shades on Substances As sure As Sparks flie up from Foes from Friends Asleep awake early and late In Sickness Health In every State Instance Loyal Mephibosheth By slandring Ziba spoil'd the ends Murders of sleeping Ishboseth And Abner by their seeming Friends Of sick Benhadad Amasa Of healthful Ammon Sisera This Axiom oft hath been prov'd true In and by me Witness this Role Full fraught with dangers old and new And this which Mercy did controle Else had I Kill'd or Killed bin Or both without malicious sin That Leaders should by Day-light take A Palace for a Tenement That Friends like Enemies should break Ope Doors not shewing their intent Assault as Foes no words exchange But Swords and Pistols was most strange But this most wonderful of all A Fire-stone struck no sparks confer Or if it did should vainly fall Into a Bed of Gun-Powder As upon Snow that Powder drie Should be more merciful than I. That Souldiers and their Officer That fear'd not thundring Cannons Crack Should flie from naked Men as 't were Afrighted with one Pistols knack That this should end without all harme Was only God's restraining Arme. O Lord though danger is sins Lot By thy Decree like Persian Law Reversless yet this Haman's Plot 'Gainst Isr'el thou dost over-awe And by assisting Providence Vs safe-guard gives in thy defence Wherefore Purin-like Feasts of Praise I will keep Daily unto Thee Who hast been gracious all my Days In Peerless Mercies unto me That all things work as saith thy Word Good unto thine I here Record Amen ARGUMENT Vpon God's gracious preserving Me from the Infection of the loathsome and dangerous Disease of the small Pox Four times and of my Wife Six times when some Persons in the Houses in which we lived in were sick of it Soliloquium or Discourse AS Sin is the Distemper of the Soul so is Sickness of the Body both Maladies ending in Death the one Temporal the other Eternal As every Sickness is the sad effect of Sin so every Disease Herogliphical and Sumetomical of some Sin or other discovering as well as punishing it So the Tun-bellied Dropsie is both the figure and scourge of Drunkenness The inflaming Feaver of Fiery anger and passions The noisome French-Disease of filthy Lust and the fulsome Face ingraving and marring small Pox of Pride O how doth our righteous God humble affright and punish the proud wanton and beautiful Persons of our times by this Tyrant Who as the Lord's Bayliff having seiz'd their whole Bodies upon Execution for the Debt of Sin and baffled and fool'd their expected Rescuers their deified Physicians binds his Prisoners Hand and Foot unto their Beds Regards not their groans sighs and teares that falls from their late amorous and lascivious Eyes which he seales up with a scab singing off as Peasants do their Swine even unto baldness their curiously curled powdered and abused Hair swells up and greatens their Heads and Faces beyond all proportion even unto monstrousness Cloaths their Idoliz'd and beautiful Faces and Bodies instead of Silk and Tissues of curious paints promates and costly washes at first with Job-like Boiles and Ulcerated Carbuncles afterwards with a loathsome ugly and stinking temporary Leprosie and when that shakes off he brands and stigmatizes them with most dis-figuring Marks that so all may know that looks on them under whose Tyranny they have been As for their smiling and inticing Lips their false Tongues and Epycurian Throats the Instruments of Voice by all which they used to quaver and warble forth wanton Aires and deluding words He commands to silence and binds them by the strict and sore Bonds of outward and inward Tumors and Imposthumations to be dumb and quiet scarcely permitting them so much liberty as to send relief and nourishment to their almost-starved and languishing Mother-Nature O Lord hast thou no less than four times delivered my self and six times my second-self my dear Wife from this painful dangerous loathsome unsatiable and dis-figuring Malady even when it seized upon others of our Family Hast thou fore-told and fore-threatned as I humbly conceive this destructive Disease by thy Prophet Isaiah as thy most just Judgment for pride Chap. 3. Vers. 7. held forth in these words The Lord shall smite with a Scab the Crown of the Head of the Daughters of Zion and the Lord will discover their secret parts yea hast thou set down and ennumerated the many Instruments of Israel's pride and ours Vers. 18 19 20 21 22 23. A Scripture worthy to be seriously read and considered by the proud Gallants of both Sexes in our times Concluding thus Vers. 24. And it shall come to pass that instead of a sweet smell there shall be a stink and instead of a Girdle a Rent and instead of well-set Hair baldness and instead of a Stomacher a girding of Sack-cloth and burning instead of beauty Judgments that seemes to me to be the very lively Characters of the small Pox. O let me to whom thou mayest say as once my Saviour did to the Scribes and Pharisees If thou beest without sin throw the first Stone at the proud Offenders of these times After my humble and penitent acknowledgment of my manifold offences of this kind Bless and praise thy Name for these thy so often reiterated
answ 86 In particular respect of her Sences Tongue and Body 88 Christ answ 89 Of Christs Kingly Office Christs present Kingly Office 93. viz. His Government 99 His excellent person 99 His Laws 101 commended from the Author God 102 Antiquity 102 Holiness 103 His Protection 106 particularly from Satan 107 Sin 108 viz. Adams sin 109 Original 110 Actual 112 World 116 from Its 1 Dart-lust 117 2. Riches 118 3. Honours 119 4. Persecution 120 His conduct encouragement against Coveteousness 123 Sensual pleasures 124 Honour 126 Persecution 128 Death 130 Fear of Death 132 The pain and separation of soul and body 133 Comfort in the Resurrection 135 Christs Kingly Office at the last Judgment 139 Of Eternal life and Glorified state of Man in general 143 149 In particular 1. In Soul The Understanding glorified 148 The Will glorified 149 The Memory glorified 150 The Affections in general 151 In particular Love glorified 151 Fear glorified 153 Zeal glorified 156 Anger glorified 160 Joy glorified 169 2. In Body In general 164. In special Its Spiritualness 169 Its Swiftness 169 Its Splendor 171 Its Incorruptibleness Immortality 175 3. In the Senses In general 188. In particular The Sight glorified 195 The Hearing glorified 199 The Taste glorified 205 The Smelling glorified 210 Touching glorified 215 Of the Tongue the Organ of several senses 222 Twelve wonderful Actings or Works of God to be fulfilled 239 Namely 1. The raising of the Witnesses 239 2. The ruine of Rome 239 3. The ruine of the Papacy 240 4. Israels Conversion 240 5. The destruction of the great Turk 241 6. The binding of the Devil for a thousand years 241 7. The Conversion of the World 241 8. The destruction of all Christs enemies 242 9. The Saints peaceable raign for a thousand years 243 10. The destruction of Gog and Magog and of the World by fire 243 11. The day of Judgment begun with reward to Saints ends with judging the wicked 244 12. Christs Mediatory-Kingdom ends the Saints are translated to Heaven for ever 246 Errata IN the Titles of the Fourth and Fifth Pages for Death Read Faith Page 17. Line 25. f. Nebuchadonazzer Read Nebuchadnezzar p. 26. in the mergine for James r. Lamentations p. 27. l. 29. f. thus r. this p. 29. l. 6. f. affliction r. affection p. 33. l. 34. f. brawl r. crawl p. 39. l. 38. after the word Stephen add â—ye p 40 l. 28. leave out which p. 42. l. 32. f. Lunary r. Lunacy and l. 40 f. are r. were p. 48. l. 33. f. pleasure r. play sure p 49. l. 8. f. Philosophers r. Philosophies p 53. l. 12. for those excess r. whose excess p 54. l. 30 f. inordinate r. inordinacie p. 64. l. 30. f. Nature r. Natures p. 66. l 28. f. halt r. half p 85. l. 30 f. Joshua r. Josiah p. 87. l 31. f. be thy r. be to thy p. 89. l. 4. f. peculiarly r. in part p. 90. l. 17. f. exhautasting r. exhausting p. 92. l. 11. f. England r. Israel p. 105. l. 1. f. of my mind r. of mind p. 116. l. 26. add iâ— before descends p 119. l. 33. f aâ—centing â— accepting p. 130. l. 5. f. their r. these l. 40. f meat r. meal p. 134. l. 19 f. â—â—nding r. bending l. 40. f. yellowed r. Gellied p. 153. l 19. f. lights r. light p. 155. l. 15. f. eye r. eyes p. 157 l. 6. f. preservd r. preserd p. 159 l. 31. f. a spring r. aspâ—ring p. 161. l. 4. f. but its lip r. but in that life l. 22 f. Beasts r. Bâ—ats l. 24 f. thought r. thoughts p. 169 l. 20 f. Locamotion r. Locomotion l 28 f. Port r. Part p. 173 l. 12 f. immund r. immur'd p. 181 l. 9 f. the r. their p. 189 l. 3 f. substraction r. substratum l. 8 f. Elixa r. Elixar p. 193 l. 15 f. so what use r. what use p. 210 l. 17 f. Naâ—al r. Nadab p. 214 l. 26 f. with r. which p. 235 l. 30 f. to r. so p. 249 l. 13 f. I can proceed r. I cannot proceed DIVINE MEDITATIONS ON FAITH OR The Vision Exercise and Triumph of FAITH WHere the Treasure is there 's the Heart the thoughts the affections also A judicious mind is vertuously ambitious only being inamored with that whose true worth invites most its Contemplation glaneing over inferiour things with a superficial and general surview The Soul of Man is never un-imployed though often mis-imployed resembling in the perpetuity though not in the quality of its motion the ever and all-moving Creator who as he ever was so was he never idle as being a most pure act Is this true Is the mind of Man never vacant Art thou never idle O my Soul Strive then not to be idely employed that both in acting and in acting well thou maist be more like thy Maker And let the riches on which thou placest thy love be Heaven and heavenly things Where neither Moth nor rust corrupt nor Thieves break through and steal so shall such Treasure be not the Prison but the Paradise of thy heart Amongst all those precious Graces heapt up in the boundless Store-house of Gods mercy though each particular is to be admired yet are there degrees of preheminence For like as the beautiful Stones set in Aaron's Vestments the Planets amongst the lesser Stars So these three Divine Graces Faith Hope and Charity out-shine the rest attracting the eye of my Soul and as much invite my Contemplation as they necessitate my fruition These these are the Fundamental Graces Superiour to all other both in respect of the Excellency of their Object Christ Jesus and of their Subject wherein they reside a true Christian. The other viz. Temperance Fortitude c. being often-times bestowed by God on many natural Men in whom they shine with a dim Light never with a Sun-like splendor They like the Indians possessing those Treasures which Christians know best the right use of Such Diamonds being then only truly placed when set within a foile of Humility Thus my Soul through the free Grace of thy Heavenly Father hast thou exhibited to thy view and enjoying a Mine of Treasure a Heaven of Happiness Riches which exclude not but command thee to covet O follow thy Saviours Counsel be a joyful Man and industrious Merchant Part with all thy sinful Lusts Sell all thy worldly Vanities purchase this Field and Trade for these Pearls Thy affections are the price which that thou mightest disburse without delay look more seriously into their worth so shalt thou at once affect and possess them As the optick faculty is both weak and useless to us in the Discovery of things that are either too neer or too far distant and so out of the command of its Power so also if we suffer it at once distractedly to wander over several species though within the strength of its speculation it cannot give a true judgment or description of any
toward Zoar that Type of Heaven But no sooner did the Angel leave her but her eyes reversion discover her minds aversion Which her self would have seconded had not the Almighty in Favour to her Husband and in Mercy to Us made her an examplary Monument in a Pillar of Salt Next under the Law behold Saul not only a Member but chosen of God to be the Captain over his Church A man every way well qualified first for his Body his Proportion was so excellent that there was none like him amongst all the people And for his Mind it was endowed it seem'd both with Divine and Moral Vertues witness his joyning in Prophesie his performance of many Pious Duties as his Sacrifices at his Coronation his asking Counsel of God and inquiry after Sin confession and humiliation after Samuels Reproof his humility at his Election his patience and mercy at his Rejection and Defamation his Fortitude against the general and open Enemies of the Church the Ammonite his Zeal against the private and secret Enemies of Religion viz. all Witches and Wizzards Here then is a spring of Piety a profession and expression of Religion a Gourd whose glory may not only serve as a Canopy of state to Saul but as a shade to one of the Prophets A gourd indeed and so it faded For the eave of his last day ruined that frontispiece of Vertue which his whole lifes best Actions had raised towards Heaven For had he been with the Prophets and joyn'd with them in Prophesie His ignorance and wants now send him to enquire of the Devil Did he Sacrifice before to God Now behold the reward of Divination and Witchcraft are in his hand He whose custom was to ask counsel of God now seeks after a Witch and he whose seeming Zeal condemns his Righteous Son for tasting of an Honey-comb although ignorant of any restraint now contrary to his Oath and Covenant made with God without humiliation and judging of himself or confession of his fault willingly and wilfully swallows down the very gall of Sin His Humility did not more grace him when he lay buried in the peoples Stuff than his Pride did debase him when he presumed to be one of Gods Council That patience fortitude and mercy which abounded yea was extended towards others is now deficient to himself For he falls all along upon the Earth becomes sore afraid no strength is left in him and yet he refuses to Eat For having no conscience towards God no wonder if his Body wants the charity of Nature When the Creature abuses the Mercy of the Creator he must expect to taste of his Justice And when he ceases to know Himself he shall be made to know his Punishment Saul hath forgotten both his God and himself and therefore justly is he now forgotten and hears his Funeral censure pronunced by him who never spoke nor wished better to man To morrow shalt thou be with me Forewarning fore-armes not Sinners he that doubted of his Choise though from the mouth of Gods Prophet credits his refusal and death from the Devils Oracle Extraordinary Blessings are the free and voluntary gift of God and not believed of Sinners before enjoyed But his punishments are the due Burden of sins desert and therefore are expected before divulged The Soul being often-times aforehand sensible of that which the Body afterwards endures None but a false or temporary Faith hath a final cessation but such is this of Saul he now beleeves onely that he might dispair The first degree of a true Faith being usually the false ones last step God lifting up the one from the sense of judgement to the faith and sight of Mercy Sin dragging the other from the belief of punishment into the gulf of Despairation Though Saul hath his last day marked out even the morrow yet neither the love towards his Sons whose Lives bore the same date with his nor care for himself begets the least endeavour by delay or otherwise to out-live the fore-going Prophesie inevitable are the Judgements of God nay rather he hastens it shortning his flight that he might shorten his life And that sin according to its nature might have a companion he moves his Armour-bearer to be a traitour to his own Soul by example whom his precept could not force to be a traitour to his Prince For he falls upon his Sword which instead of Defence becomes a weapon of Offence So often-times God deals with the Wicked who as in life themselves are their worst Enemies so in death they prove their own Executioners Thus the Sacred Annals before and since Moses hath by the Deads example given most lively arguments to prove this falshood of the deadness of this seeming life of faith O admire here the infinite extent of the Mercy of God! who out of the carcase of this Lyon Sin this Eater Death brings forth both meat and sweetness for his Sampsons his Nazarites making the Downfal of the Fathers the Rises of the Children their Ignorance our Knowledge their faults and blindness apt spectacles to help the weakness of our sight It now remains that the holy Records of the faithful and powerful Gospel as the Eccho of the Old Testament consort in the like precedents that by so consonant an Harmony the dissonant and ungrounded judgement of the most hypocritical and temporary Believer may be convinced if not converted The purest Gold hath its Dross the best Wheat its Tares Yea the Moon is then most full of Spots when least empty of Light The Church of God in the Primitive times in its Infant Age had many who although they were deemed Members of Christ had not yet put off the Old man The Old Adam Many whose Image and outward Superscription seemed to be our Cesars yet proved to be false and unvaluable Coyn when they came to their test or exchange Witness Ananias and Sapphira a pair doubly united by Sin and Wedlock who before their trial were esteemed as Members of the True Church as Beleevers of the Apostles Doctrine and no doubt baptised in that Faith the effects of which seemed to lead them on to forsake the world for they sold their possessions to works of Charity and Piety And laid it at the Apostles feet Who would not here have parallel'd these with sincere Joses since both parties did the same duty though not with the same heart the one acting truly that Christians part which the other only play'd Mans natural light is comparatively darkness and the height of his Knowledge advantageth him only with a larger prospect of his ignorance he knowing most that confesses to know nothing The conscience of our want being the perfection of our science Only thou O Lord art the Fountain of Knowledge and Wisdom thou triest the Heart and the Reins and seest not as man seeth Shalt not thou who planted the Ear hear Thou that formed the Eye see Thou that teachest man Knowledge know Thou O
Garden rather express an excess of pain than an unwillingness to suffer rather declare his Humanity than contradict his Divinity might by these Speeches have been afresh molested and invited to a self-deliverance even in this entrance of death Further they might also thus suggest that he should not only by such 〈◊〉 giversation be freed from the present and unsupportable torment rescued from the all conquering Monarchy but also without controversie be received and acknowledged the Son of God the King of Israel Yea which is more miraculous than all the rest those that even now were impious Traitors will instantly become obedient Subjects those that ere while were execrable blasphemers will presently be changed into righteous converts those whom John rightly stiled a Generation of Vipers our Saviour a faithless Generation will in a moment be metamorphosed into believing Christians O blessed Redeemer had not our lives been more dear unto thee than thine own these Diabolical charms might have raised up such a self-love as would have forced a repreeval from death But thou O Lord searchest the heart yea thou knowest how exceeding full of hypocrisie the minds of these Men were So that if thou shouldest have descended from the Cross or sent unto them one from the dead they would neither have trusted in thee nor credited the other since they believed not Moses nor the Prophets Three hours measure out this last act of our Saviours sufferings That mass and full measure of sin which many thousand of years had treasured up must not be abolished or annihilated in an instant Why was not the infinite sufferings of Man deified though dated but for one minute of more rate price and estimation than the offences of Man mortall yea surely Wherefore then this overplus O it is the overflowing of this Fountain of love The immense disparity betwixt the offender and satisfier the Creature and Creator causeth this disproportion betwixt the debt and satisfaction Man cannot sin but finitely God cannot love but infinitely Man's actions to which his sin cleaves are finite God's Attributes one of which is his love are infinite O the depth of the riches both of the wisdome and knowledge of God! Lord grant that I being rooted and grounded in love may be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the bredth and length and depth and height and to know the love of Christ which passeth all understanding that I may be filled with the fulness of God The friendship of Man is momentary fickle and unconstant as wanting measure perseverance and a true foundation But the mercy of God expressed to Man his most unworthy Creature is the very quintessence compleatment and perfection of all other loves being not defective in quantity for in him doth all fulness dwell nor in quality for it is the love of God nor in stability for he is Alpha and Omega the beginning and the end the great Jehovah who is not changed With whom is no variableness nor shaddow of turning And lastly the cause of it is his own free grace the ground of it Jesus Christ. So that the Foundation of God standeth sure as having this seal the Lord knoweth who are his The glorious and infinite Attributes of the Almighty are so many glasses through which at distance the Creature in some sort may perceive the Majesty of the Creator Amongst which none is more usefully transparent than that of his love The mirrour of which mirrour is the passion of our Saviour The Centre of all which is this very point of his death O gracious Lord was it not enough that thou forsookest the Heaven of Heavens thy Throne of Glory to live amongst Worms on this Dunghill Earth the unworthy foot-stool of thy greatness Nay further was it not sufficient that thou endurest the stings and persecutions of those Muck-worms suffering such insects even the corruption of nature to brawle and tryumph over thee but that thou would'st also pray forgive and dye for thy Persecutors For a righteous Man perhaps some would suffer but thou dyest for sinners the just for the unjust Lord Jesus let the apprehension of thy wonderfull affection be as delightfull to the taste of my Soul as thy last draught of Gall and Vinegar was displeasant to the relish of thy pallate As thy sense of my sin and thy Fathers wrath made thee cry aloud for assistance so let the sense of thy mercy my happiness make me lift up my voice in thankfulness Yea let me conclude my hours each day of my life with that comfortable and Swan-like ditty of thine Father into thy hands I commend my Spirit Death is swallowed up in Victory O Death where is thy Sting O Grave where is thy Victory the Sting of Death is Sin and the strength of Sin is the Law But thanks be unto God which giveth us the Victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Finis coronat opus the last acts of our Saviour are not the least In the foregoing encounters he was a Combatant In these following actions a glorious and peaceful Conquerour The account cast up the compleatment concludes the operation He was buried O my Soul should thy faith be so weak-sighted as to make thy Saviours Death the utmost extent of thy prospects thou mightest then as one without hope uncomfortably weep with the Marys at the Foot of his Cross. But thanks be unto God thou mayest overlook that fear being assured that the Grave of thy Champion is not his Prison but his resting place the conclusion of the fight being the beginning of his victory Upon the Cross our blessed Saviour accepted the challenge of Death fulfilling that of the Prophet O Death I will be thy Death And here in the Sepulchre beginneth his Tryumph For No Man can enter into a strong Mans House and spoile his goods except he will first binde the strong Man and then he will spoyle his House The Grave is the Metropolis of Death which our General enters that so the place might both assure us of his Combate his Victory and add glory to his Tryumph Had'st thou O blessed Saviour been led into this Cytadel of Death as his Captive the Gives of corruption would soon have made thee his bond-slave But behold the greatness of thy Power the innocency of thy Person tramples on this last Enemy that is to be subdued and makes thy Tombe his Grave Death being swallowed up in Victory As the Suns Eclipse makes us the more acknowledge the brightness and benefit of his light so the clouding of our Saviour by death teacheth us his Disciples at once the felicity of his presence the uncomfortableness of his absence and the perfection of his Person The descents of Mans misery are the degrees to Christs victory As we in this World inherited sin so he upon Earth merited righteousness As we in the Grave are subjects to death so he in the Sepulchre makes death his subject
whatsoever piece of his workmanship hath this glorious stamp or pourtraiture erazed or defaced must needs remain useless naked and without honour To apply this to my own Soul Is it thus How miserable then and deformed is the Person of every Man by Adam with and in whom we have lost our God our selves and all our perfections Hast thou heard O my Soul of that material and obscure darkness which the Egyptians felt On thee there was and upon all natural Men there is the like obscurity Only they differ in this Man feels it not That darkness being no more empty of light than the mind of Man is vacant of the knowledge of God the worship of God and his own eternal happiness witness that of the Apostle The natural Man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness unto Him neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned that is by the light of the Spirit In Egypts deficiency of light no doubt it was a part of their torment to mistake one thing for another so in this sinfull deprivation such is the vanity of the mind that it calls good evil and evil good It takes sweet for bitter and bitter for sweet Salvation the contrary to damnation being in his understanding in the end only free from its mistake or fruition Noah was not more drunken with the strength of Wine than the understandings of wretched Men with the strength of sin to which the Prophet alludes saying They are drunken but not with Wine they stagger but not with strong Drink Neither was Eutichus more dead asleep when he fell even into Death then the prodigal Sons to whom justly God hath given the spirit of slumber Eyes that they should not see Eares that they should not hear Sin as sleep deprives Man of the true use of all those sences which should serve for the use of his Soul The Man possest in the Gospel is the miserable and true Figure of an unregenerate Soul We finde him possest with a Devil and tormented with a Legion of Devils And is not the accusing conscience of a wicked Man as a thousand Witnesses We read that he only lived unto himself avoided society the Tombes being the fittest mansions for such unsociableness His actions there were to be his own Executioner and enemy Night and Day crying and cutting himself with stones O my Soul proceed but to bring the substance to the shaddow and thou wilt confess how lively this Satanical lunary acts the tragical part of a depraved conscience Cain the first that received and took away life from Man affrighted with the terrour of his bloody conscience was forced to fear and flie the face of Man his own tongue bellowing out his own misery in that tormenting Exclamation My punishment is greater than I can bear The distempered and melancholy â—its of Saul which the Holy Ghost calls an evil spirit we are partly occasioned without doubt by the barking fury of his conscience Such Hell of minde being seldome without a Devil to add fuell to the flame and torment to the tormented Let Judas conclude all and by the conclusion of his life who went out and strangled himself preach to all the conclusion of that Soul which spurd with guilt thinks to flie from its self and from the uppermost Hell of despair leaps into the nethermost Hell of pain Bearing still about him what he shun'd even that only immortaliz'd Worm of insect sprung from corruption which then shall gnaw more furiously Eternity and despair of remedy doubling the unmeasurableness of the torture Should my thoughts now pass from the conscience some consciences would at least in their own conceits account themselves like those of Laodicea to be rich and increased with goods and to have need of nothing when as they are indeed wretched and miserable and poor and blinde and naked Therefore that we may all know that we are miserable the better to confess Gods mercy the more to thirst after his salvation we must know that there are hardned Pharaohs aswell as a despairing Judas As that Body is most dangerously diseased whose external parts the vital and animating spirits having as it were made a recess are left insensible and without feeling So that Soul is in a deadly that is damnable estate whose conscience the quickning power of the holy spirit being utterly with-drawn remains speechless and cauterized Of this condition were many before the Flood notwithstanding the preaching of righteous Noah After the Flood the Sodomites Under the Law Pharaoh and some of the Israelites in the Wilderness Under the Gospel the Scribes and Pharisees of whom our Saviour observes that God had blinded their eyes and hardned their hearts that they should not see with their eyes and be converted that he might heal them He is no friend that is not an eye a hand a tongue unto his friend to fore-see his peril and to fore-warn and assist him in danger Nor can that conscience be a faithfull inmate to the soul whose searching sight the sun-shine of the World hath bleard whose awakeing touch custome in sin hath deaded and whose sharp point and wounding edge the Devil hath rebated the delights of the Flesh prooving a Sibyls sop unto this Cerberus a Dalilah unto this Sampson That part which the Chyrurgion intends to cut off he first benums And those Persons whom the Lord determines to rescind from the visible Body of his Church he commonly hardens as were those spoken of by the Apostle whose Consciences were seared as with an hot Iron Lord let my conscience be neither like Nabal's heart dead as a stone within him Nor yet like Dives tongue tormented in merciless flames But like Peter's Cock never ceasing to crow until I weep bitterly Yea let it be my Nathan who am as David a sinner my Samuel who am disobedient as Saul So shall my conscience be unto me a happy copesmate one whose words are better unto me as a friend than her kisses as an enemy Of all the faculties of the Soul the will is most dependent its act and operation being moved by the determination or suggestion of the rest viz. the minde understanding and affections For before any thing is done by Man there is a consultation had in the Soul where after a disputation pro con at length this thing or that is agreed of to be the bonum which in due season the will as the â—ouls agent puts in execution Now there is Gods bonum such a one as we shall finde in holy Chronology exprest in the Frontispiece of every good Kings life Instance in Hezechiah He did that which was right or good in the sight of the Lord. And there is Mans bonum also so called not because positively or simply so in it self but in relation to purblinde Man who so esteemeth it Witness that sacred and historical annotation
of God for thy Salvation and the voice of God for thy acceptation Who but an experienced Christian can express the sweet of these yet how far short are his expressions of these streams of comforts which flow through the Priestly Office to every true Believer from the unexhaustible Fountain of Gods mercy What spots doth not this wash off What soares doth not this Jordan heal Yea what lameness and imperfection doth not this Bethesda cure O the consolation of Christs intercession in this imperfect state of grace Is my love weak and unstable as Water This love O Saviour is stronger than Death Is my obedience imperfect By thy obedience many are made righteous Is my zeal defective Lord Thy zeal of thy House hath eaten thee up Is my Faith small and subject to doubting O Saviour thou wilt give a blessing even to a grain of Faith as of Mustard-Seed And hast promised not to quench the smoaking Flax nor to break the bruised Reed Is my Prayer full of weakness ignorance and imperfection Thy Spirit it self maketh request for us with sighs which cannot be expressed Yea thou art entred into the very Heaven of Heavens to appear now in the sight of God ever living there to make Intercession for us To conclude Is my inherent righteousness imperfect And am I a transgressor of the Law Thy imputative righteousness is perfect and thou art a fulfiller of the Law For thou art the end of the Law for righteousness unto every one that believeth Yea that all further objections may be answered that all other defects may appear supplied behold here a gift as large as Mans wants and as full of mercy as he of sin Christ Jesus of God is made unto us wisdome and righteousness and sanctification and redemption Our Saviour Jesus Christ is the way the truth and the life that Jacob's Ladder whose foot as expressing his humanity toucheth the Earth and whose top as respecting his Divinity reacheth unto Heaven This threefold office may be considered as the parts of this Heavenly ascent Upon whose first degree my faith which is the eye the hand and the foot of the Soul hath begun to ascend It remains now that I mount the next staff belonging to his Priestly office which is satisfaction the inseparable consequent of which is Justification The parts of which forgiveness of sins and imputation of righteousness do necessarily follow the former Our mercifull High Priest and Redeemer satisfying by suffering that our sins for which he suffered might be forgiven fulfilling the Law is continually interceding that his righteousness might be to us imputed So that to our comfort and confirmation be it spoken that when faith hath gaind footing upon satisfaction and intercession it must needs have hand-hold on remission and imputation Can the Lord be less righteous than Man Doth not the cancelling of the Bond succeed the absolving of the debt The satisfaction and releasement of the Prisoner follow the not guilty of the Jury O the perfection of all the ways of God especially of this his great work towards the Children of Men wherein mercy and justice do sweetly kiss each other He being just towards Man in his fall into Death that he might be mercifull in raising him to life And that he might spare his adopted Sons he spares not his only begotten Son O what is Man that thou art mindfull of him or the Son of Man that thou visitest him To proceed Justification by some Divines made an act of Christs Kingly office is that mercifull and yet just sentential act of God the Father whereby a believer is absolved from sin and death and the inherent righteousness of Christ is imputed unto the faithfull applyer for the attaining of life everlasting Hereby waving our debt and supplying our want at once delivering us from guilt and corruption Behold here is an Olive Branch which faith the Dove of the Soul brings home unto it in the time of Gods vengeance and in the midst of the great Waters of Sin Here 's a Golden Scepter held forth by the incensed King of Kings to every faithfull and humbled Esther Now I may say to my Soul as once the multitude to the blind Man See he calls thee Not in his strong Wind by which he rents the Mountains of pride Not in his Earth-quake by which he shakes secure and presumptuous sinners No nor yet in his consuming Fire with which he devours unexcusable Hypocrites But in his mercy even with a still small voice of compassion and pardon O my Soul Thou art not come unto the Mount that burnd with Fire and that might be touched nor unto blackness and darkness and tempest nor to hear the voice of those words which voice they that heard entreated that the Word should not be spoken to them any more But thou art come to Mount Sion and to an innumerable company of Angels and to Jesus the Mediator of the new Covenant and to the blood of Sprinkling that speaketh better things than that of Abel and to God the Judge of all whom thou maist hear with comfort proclaiming Himself unto thee as once before Moses thus The Lord the Lord God mercifull and gracious long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth keeping mercy for thousands forgiving iniquity transgression and sin Forgiving sin O what good news is this unto my Soul How truly is this called the glad tidings of the Gospel Tell me yee which shall hereafter read my thoughts even from the testimony of your own Souls For only experience can make you fit Judges in this case If there be any joy like to the joy of a justified sinner Any blessing like that of David Can I consider into how fearfull an estate sin hath cast me and unto what punishment Justice hath condemned me and not from thence proportion out and acknowledge the greatness of this deliverance Doth not the truth-speaking Word of God which is neither cruel nor partial tell me that I am a sinner For there is no Man that sinneth not That I am a debtor Since we must all pray forgive us our debts That I am a condemned Person For by the offence of one judgment came upon all Men to condemnation That I am a bond-slave to death and to him that hath the Power of Death the Devil all my life time being subject to bondage That I am a dead Man For We are all dead in sins and trespasses That I am an enemy to God and Christ and lastly by nature a Child of Wrath And shall I account remission of all my offences Satisfaction of all my arrearages Liberty from servitude Life in stead of death Nay more resurrection from death no mercy Can my powerfull Enemy be made my friend and Father my irefull Judge become my Mediator and Saviour and I not highly favoured gratiously yea
of the Soul there are some conditions and estates so vitiated and overcome with maladies that they are forsaken of the Physician and left as desperate and past remedy In such a condition me-thinks I seem to be of whose heart by reason of festred corruption it may be said as Job of Leviathan That it is as firme as a Stone yea as hard as a piece of the nether Milstone of whom also thine own speech to the Jews may be verified That my heart is waxed gross and my eares are dull of hearing and my eyes are closed least at any time I should see with my eyes and hear with my eares and should understand with my heart and should be converted and thou shouldst heal me Is then Lord my heart such a Rock and the imaginations thereof wholly and continually evil How can then the pure streams of Repentance flow from thence which is the condition on my part in thy Covenant of mercy and pardon witness thy own words delivered by the Prophet Repent and turn your selves from all your transgressions so iniquity shall not be your ruine And that in thy Gospel preached by thy Apostle Repent yee and be converted that your sins may be blotted out Fear not my redeemed nor be dismaid as though any thing was impossible unto God What seems difficult because of thy nature shall be made easie through my grace Think not my Word which is the word of life shall become the savour of death unto any of mine Thou complainest that by it thou hast found thy hardness of heart which thou sayest excludes repentance and consequently pardon O be not deceived here 's no cause of despair but of hope and thankfulness since my Word hath wrought that blessed work upon thee for which I ordained it Having not only selected but prepared thee for my cure There is a reprobate and sick sort of Men I confess Who after their hardness and impenitent Hearts treasure up unto themselves wrath against the Day of wrath Such were those Jews whose insensibleness did sufficiently prove their deadness But thy Eares are bored to give my Word entrance Thy Eyes are opened to behold therein as in a Mirrour thy spots and many defects And thy Heart is agil and willing to know and accuse thy self Therefore thou shalt be converted and I will heal thee If there should be impossibilities imposed on thee in my Covenant how could I then be just And shall not the Judge of all the World do right Or if thy work should either precede or assist mine should not that act of thine though the least detract from my free mercy and make my grace no more grace O cursed be such Sathan-like pride of dust and ashes that thus lifts up it self against my omnipotency mercy and all other my attributes aspiring even unto my Throne of Glory O know that those commands proclaimed in the Old Testament by my Prophets were given as preparatives to the New What I require of thee is my due why I require it of thee is my mercy that so running from me as a Judge thou mightest run to me as a Saviour Who grants both to Jew and Gentile repentance unto life Which conversion since it hath wrought it on thee receive and apply what my mercy out of the same word hath extracted for thee Are thy thoughts only evil I will sprinkle clean Water upon thee and thou shalt be clean from all thy filthiness Is thy Heart a Stone which cannot relent I am he that turns the Rockie Heart into a Well as the Rock in Horeb into standing Water and the Flint into a Fountain of Waters Yea a new Heart also will I give thee and a new Spirit will I put within thee and I will take away thy stony Heart out of thy Flesh and I will give thee a Heart of Flesh. And I will put my Spirit within thee and cause thee to walk in my Statutes For I dwell with him that is of a contrite and humble Spirit to revive him That so all my Enemies with shame here and torment hereafter may be inforced to confess that it is I that worketh in thee both to will and to do of my good pleasure quickning those that were dead in sins and trespasses As also that I am Lord Paramount over all my Creatures Having mercy on whom I will have mercy and whom I will I harden O my Lord Thou art my refuge and strength a very present help in time of trouble How sweet are thy words unto my taste yea sweeter than Honey to my Mouth O that they were so fixed in my mind and imprinted in my memory that they might remain with me for ever But blessed Saviour this is my misery that though for the present I may rejoyce with David yet for the future I cannot promise and say with him I will not forget thy Word For whereas in my Primitive nature thou didst indue my Soul with a serviceable and faithfull memory to be as it were her treasury or magazine from whence like that wise House-holder in thy Gospel she might upon all occasions bring forth things new and old I finde that Cyttadel battered and possest by my corruptions Who have fore-closed and lodged themselves therein So that the complaint of Jeremy is verified of me as well as of that People that have forgotten Thee Days without number O Lord if the Cistern be broken where shall the thirsty be refreshed my barrenness watered what doth it avail that my Eares as Buckets do continually draw up and are filled from thee the Fountain of life with quickning promises and saving directions if the receptacle and Cistern my memory be faulty and faithless As the Body which wants the retentive faculty and vomits up its sustenance giving neither time of Chilefaction to the Stomach nor of making blood to the Livour can receive little nourishment So that Soul which retains not the spiritual Manna thy Word in the memory that there it might be disgested by Meditation and converted into practice can never thrive in holiness and live spiritually It may be for the present I may say of thy Word as Shimei of Solomon's Thy saying is good When as soon after it will be forgotten and without thy mercy prove to me as that to him death and bitterness in the end Further this holy retention is not only of excellent and necessary use in thine but also highly by thee commended required and commanded Thine own Mouth pronouncing Him to be rather blessed that bears thee in his heart than her that bore thee in her Wombe a spiritual enjoying being far above a corporal Yea for this cause and to help this dangerous defect didst thou ingrave thy Law upon Tables and commanded it to be written upon the most perspicuous places of the House And in the glorious and holy Decalogue it self thou didst
in respect of righteousness and charity towards my poor Brethren are rather like Simeon and Levy Brethren in cruelty full of iniquity and ready to shed blood So that O Lord having so many wide breaches in this Bulwark of my Soul through which mine Enemies continually enter how can I with quiet and comfort of heart relish and feed upon thy promises obey thy Commandements and cease to grieve thy holy spirit May I not justly fear the miserable lott of that wretched back-slider in thy Gospel into whom the unclean Spirit which was gone out returned bringing with him seven other Spirits worse than himself So that the last estate of that Man was worse than the beginning Wherefore sweet Jesus since thy Body as well as thy Soul suffered for me let thy Consolation Sanctification and Salvation be extended to both in me also that being not particularly but wholly thine and at one in my self and with thee I may wholly and only praise and serve thee That sin hath miserably metamorphosed thy Body and shamefully deformed mislead and corrupted thy Members is true O my well-beloved And no marvail For thou wast shapen in iniquity and in sin did thy Mother conceive thee And Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean Not one Yet be not thou discouraged nor dismaid for though thou art a Naaman I will be thy Elisha Yea to save such sinners am I come What though thou beest even white over with Sins Leprosie I am thy High Priest to heal thee and pronounce thee clean Have I cured thy Soul doubt not the cure of thy Body since all my works are perfect And if I gave freely and unaskt forgiveness of sins together with health of Body to many whilst I walkt upon Earth shall I not much more give thee spiritually both also When as I rais'd up Lazarus I could have left his Soul still spiritually dead for I give many health of Body to whom I deny Salvation But to whom I grant spiritual life as unto thee I bestow all lesser things as included in the greater So that having said unto thee as once unto the Cripple Thy Sins are forgiven thee thou maist be confident that thou art healed of thy spiritual lameness strengthened to arise from thy couch of Sin and enabled to walk in the ways of godliness towards thy heavenly home as having the Image of holiness imparted upon all thy members and the marrow thereof running throughout all thy bones The Trees root being quickened the Body thereof must needs flourish And thy Soul being sanctified all the parts of thy outward Man must needs wax green in an holy conversation and bring forth fruits unto righteousness As a Fountain at the same place cannot send forth sweet Water and bitter no more can the members and consequently the actions which as streams proceed from a regenerate Soul be polluted and impure Notwithstanding what hath been said that thou maist be firmly established and assured of this truth receive apply and lay up these my gracious and particular promises Have thine Eyes been full of Sin vanity and Idolatry thou shalt now look to thy Maker and thine Eyes shall have respect unto the holy one of Israel Art thou spiritually blinde and canst make no good use of outward objects I will anoint thy Eyes with Eye salve that thou mayst see my goodness Are thine Eares closed up to my Word Now shall the Deaf hear the words of my Book and the Eyes of the blinde shall see out of obscurity and darkness Yea thine Eares shall hear a Word behind thee saying This is the way walk thou in it when thou turnest to the right hand or to the left Further have thy Nostrils been inlets and entertainers of vanity Exhautasting the sweet of my Creatures for the serving of sinfull pride and voluptuousness Henceforth thou shalt make them serviceable to thy Soul not thy sence only but thy minde also being by them delightfully recreated imitating herein my beloved Spouse in the Canticles Who from the natural perfumes of Spices and sweet Flowers and the distilling sweetness of fragrant Lillies doth affectionately meditate of and set forth the excellencies of my Word and Ordinances and the mellifluousness of my promises and instructions Yea thou thy self also shalt be sweet unto me in thy obedience and good works which are an odour of a sweet smell a Sacrifice acceptable and well-pleasing unto God Next thou complainest that thy Pallate is naturally the Cook and factor of Epicurisme Drunkenness and Gluttony be of good chear for thou shalt now experimentally confess That Man lives not by Bread only but by every Word that proceedeth out of the Mouth of God Neither shalt thou labour any more for the Meat which perisheth but for that Meat which endureth unto everlasting life which I the Son of Man will give unto thee for my Flesh is meat indeed and my Blood is drink indeed But in this spiritual nourishment remember that it is the Spirit that quickeneth the Flesh profiteth nothing Hast thou formerly pleased and glutted thy self with dainties even to my dishonour and the abuse of my Creatures Thou shalt now hunger and thirst after righteousness and be both blessed and filled For I am the Bread of Life he that cometh to me shall never hunger and he that believeth on me shall never thirst Yea thou shalt be able to make a spiritual as well as a natural use of my Creatures chearfully and tastingly saying with my Espoused Church that in respect of my delightfull and all-surpassing graces I am as the Apple Tree amongst the Trees of the Wood and that my Fruit is sweet unto thy taste And with my Servant David that my words and judgments are sweeter than the Hony and the Hony Combe Further hath thy Touch been a snare unto thee and administred fuell to thy corruption Have thy Hands and Feet been slow in my ways but swift to commit iniquity Hath thy Tongue been silent in my praises and a ready Advocate and Pleader for Sin Know my command is gone forth and my gracious Decree is now efficatious to strengthen the weak hands and confirm the feeble knees to make the lame Man leap as an Hart and the tongue of the dumb to Sing and say Praise the Lord call upon his Name declare his doings amongst the People make mention that his Name is exalted Now shall thy hands with my Spouse in the Canticles drop with the pretious and sweet smelling Myrrh of holy and fervent endeavours shaking off their former sinfull sloath and drowsiness Now shall all those Members which thou hast heretofore yielded as Servants to uncleannesse and to iniquity be Servants to righteousness unto holiness For whilst thou weart in the flesh The motions of Sin which were by the Law did work in thy Members to bring forth fruit unto Death
a proper sence dares give this title to their Ordinances Comparatively indeed and as parallel'd with others they may boast of their equity But none in a superlative height in the abstract and truth of perfection can be said to be just but the Commandements of God which by common consent are the best rule and touchstone of all others To prove the indirectness of humane constitutions reason it self demonstrates For Man cannot be righteous that is born of a Woman much less his actions his behests as being also the off-spring of a sick brain and streams flowing from a most impure Fountain If we desire examples to confirm this we need not wander out of Divine History where we shall read of the cruel edict of a Pharaoh to drown the innocent males Of a Nebuchadnezzar to burn to Ashes religious Idoll-haters Of a Darius to devour with Lions the frequent worshippers of God Of a Herod even a second Pharaoh to offer up by death those Lambs the happy Proto-Martyrs and Contemporaries of our Saviour Should I convert my Meditation into an History as I could never want examples of Mans unjust Decrees so never Incke for my teares would supply that defect O if the bare Relation move to pitty and to mourning how great is the sorrow and anxiety of my minde that oppresses those Souls which lie under the burden of such a tyranny surely it is ineffable From hence by the rule of contraries I conclude the exceeding mirth and happiness of that People whose Laws are Maximes and Patterns to all others whose God and King is the Lord whose judgments are true and righteous altogether So that if happiness can be separated from joy then may joy be devorc'd from such a Government Wherefore as the Prophet extolls the divine quality the Statutes of the Lord are right so he omits not to point out unto us the no less gratious effect they rejoyce the heart O come therefore and let us sing unto the Lord let us make a joyfull noise unto the Rock of our Salvation for thou Lord art a great God and a great King above all Gods thy Throne is for ever and the Scepter of thy Kingdome is a righteous Scepter Thus O my Soul passing by thou hast taken a view of the beauty of those divine Laws by which Christians are governed If the Heathen Ptolomy accounted them the Jewel of his Library and at their translation into the Greek Tongue was even ravisht in the observation of their supernatural wisdome and Majesty How ought we Christians to be affected who by more than an Historical faith as I have proved look upon them as the Statutes enacted pronounced and engraven in lasting Tables by God himself and also confess them As for antiquity to be the ancientest and most venerable so for their matter the perfectest purest and most righteous of all others It remains now that thou glance over some of their effects and so proceed I have observed already their work upon the understanding They make wise the simple as also upon the affections They rejoyce the heart I will note only three affections more which they beget in us Love fear and hatred of all wickedness That they frame in us even an extasie of love the Psalmist proves by that his Pathetical expression O how I love thy Law I love thy Commandements above Gold yea above fine Gold they are sweeter also than the Hony or the Hony-Combe That they create in us an holy filial fear appears in that the holy Spirit makes it a chief motive to stir us up to the hearing of them Come yee Children hearken unto me and I will teach you the fear of the Lord. As also the confession of David My Flesh trembleth for fear of thee and I am afraid of thy judgments As fear so hatred of all wickedness springs out of this Seed-plot of grace As the offer and fruition of a most beautifull Wife is the best remedy to make a Man hate an unclean strumpet so the discovery of the pure splendor of Gods Law unvailes the nakedness and pulls off the Visard of Sin So the same Psalmist Through thy Precepts I get understanding therefore I hate every false way Lastly as these powerfull Statutes of God are thus effectual in the illumination of the understanding and the inflaming of the affection So also in the subjecting and changing the will making it of a nilling a willing will But here forget not as also in all the rest that the Law works only these effects in us as being the Scepter of Christs Government and linked with the Gospel Which considered we may confidently aver that the Prophesie is fulfilled That the Lord shall rule by his Law in the midst of his Enemies and the People shall be willing in the day of his Power Thus having viewed by the eye of faith according to the weak measure of grace given unto me my gratious Soveraign in his presence Chamber of the Prophets and also learned out of that Magna Charta that Royal Statute-Book Gods Word not only what is his revealed will and rule of Government but also the unparallel'd and excellent properties thereof I proceed to meditate of and to be instructed in those three principal actions of our King towards his natural and true subjects viz. his Protection and victory over their Enemies Correction and Remuneration of which severally and succinctly Man once the Lord of Earth a favourite of Heaven travelling from the peacefull Jerusalem of Gods gratious instructions to the accursed Jericho of his own sinfull lusts and appetite and in that way destitute of the All-mighties guide and protection fell amongst these Thieves the Devil the Flesh Sin the World and Death who having spoyled him of his greatest treasure his Graces and devested him from all his former honours leaving him not half dead but altogether Left him did I say I would to God they were in this so Thief-like But alass such is our misery that our loss concluded not but began our wretchedness and our Enemies Haman-like slaughtering us not out of gain but out of envious malice are so far from leaving us that they are always vigilant to smother even the least motions of life in us But blessed be the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath sent his only begotten Son into the Wilderness of this World clothed with our flesh and made like unto us a mercifull High-Priest who like that good Samaritan finding us thus wallowing in our own blood hath not only restored us to a new life but poured the Soveraign Oyl of his comfortable promises into our wounds Making us safe all the time of this lifes sickness under his own royal and gratious protection until his next return to our glory and all our Enemies confusion Fear not then O my Soul the strongest of thy Enemies No not that Leviathan that great Dragon that crooked Serpent King over
all the Children of pride For The Seed of the Woman hath broken this Serpents Head And the Devil shall be cast into Hell What though he be the Prince that ruleth in the Ayr for his number Legions for his strength a Principality a Power a Lion and for the depth of Policy and malice stiled the Ruler of Darkness and also the accuser of the Brethren yet know he is but a Creature and thy Saviours Vassal For By Him were all things created that are in Heaven and that are in Earth visible or invisible whether they be Thrones Dominions Principalities or Powers And he that made him can make his Sword approach unto him And though the number of fallen Angels be great yet the number of the Elect Angels its likely are far greater at least their Power greater as the issue of that great battel in Heaven if literally takeâ— illustrates So that thy eyes being opened by faith there are more that are with us than against us Christ is that Lion of the Tribe of Judah our Sampson to destroy that roaring Lion the Devil the wisdome of the Father and the light that not only enlightens our darkness but dissipates and puts to flight the darkness and subtilties of Sathan the only Mediator betwixt God and Man the Son of God the lover and friend of Men The Brother of the Brethren To conclude he it is to thy comfort whom the Father hath set at his own right hand in heavenly places far above all those Principalities and Powers and all might and dominion Who hath spoiled these Principalities and Powers and made a shew of them openly tryumphing over them even on his Cross. Therefore rejoyce yee Heavens and yee that dwell therein for now is come salvation and strength and the Kingdome of our God and the Power of his Christ For The accuser of our Brethren is cast down which accused them before God day and night Do I expect thee O my Soul to be a companion of this Heavenly Quire Why then do I hear thee utter nothing but mourning and as it were keep time with sighs Such a Song admits not of a burthen I will not bear a part with thee since in thy tears as in a mirror I see Hanibal ad portas another Enemy at thy Gates At thy Gates did I say nay entred and within thee so that now thy sobs me-thinks are vocal and articulate groaning out nothing but such sad captive complaints as these I am carnal and sold under sin O wretch that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death O my Soul though thy fear questions yet let it not make thee despair of a Deliverer say I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord whom he hath sent to be thy Saviour even in the midst of this fiery Furnace So that like those Votive Martyrs though with the Flesh thou obeyest and art invironed with sin yet with the Minde thou servest the Lord. I am not ignorant that like to the City of Ai there are behinde thee ambushes of thy first Parents transgression before thee the Armies of thy many actual offences on both hands of thee the wages of sins of commission and omission yea that the Infantry of thy in-bred and original corruptions have not only taken but begun to Fire thy out-works Yet fear not stand still and see the salvation of the Lord for these spiritual Egyptians thy Enemies which thou hast seen in this short day of thy life and travail thou shalt see no more for ever since the Chariot-wheels of their strength shall be taken off and in conclusion their selves shall be drowned and hid in that red Sea of thy Saviours pretious blood Wherefore armed with a holy and Jehu-like severity command as Joshua once the five Kings so these the heads and chief of these thy Enemies to be brought forth and let them be slain with a Christian magnanimity even with that two-edged Sword which proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord. Fear not with Gedeons stripling that Goliah-like transgression of Adam though as a second Briarius his many Armies of Pride Blasphemy Rebellion Unthankfulness Discontent Curiosity yea all manner of wickedness seem to threaten Heaven Neither quit thy ground though he brandish against thee that curse that Cherubs flaming Sword in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die Let him strike yea let the stroke wound thee and bring thee upon thy knees yea let the wound send forth floods of penitent tears for this thy fall shall be thy rise this thy humiliation thy greatest exaltation This is that Weapon that gives both death and life For this thy misery is become the object of that infinite mercy which not only rescues thee but sheathes this his mortal Sword in this thy Enemies bowels Since by Man came death by Man came also the Resurrection of the dead For as in Adam all die even so in Christ shall all be made alive And lest he should again revive as Joab did to rebellious Absalom He again pierces his heart with these three Darts As by the offence of one judgment came upon all to condemnation even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all unto justification of life for as by one Mans disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one many shall be made righteous That as sin reigned unto death even so might grace reign thorough righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. That Cloud is disperst But behold a greater storm arises even such a one as not only shakes and endangers the Battlements of a Christian conversation but blowes up the foundation When an Enemy besieges he ever is within view But if he take a Bulwork he gains possession and the loss seem irrecoverable Adams sin imputed like a furious adversary surrounds beleagures and shatters the whole Fort of Man But that Original corruption that holy David complains of as conceived and born in by propagation makes neerer approaches and undermines the Mud-walls of our Flesh taking possession of the Tryangular and chiefest Cyttadel which once yielded he fills every sconce of the sence with Armed Lusts and mounts through every Loop-hole a murdering piece which continually roares against Heaven And as for the Chief Commander Collonel and Mustar-master the understanding will and memory having put out their Eyes it makes them in the Dungeon of Ignorance grinde like Sampson at the Mill of Lust and fleshly desires Thus miserable and seemingly irrecoverable is our estate in Nature whilst our in-bred corruption that strong Man keeps the hold But let us not be discouraged for the Lord Jesus who is stronger than he is come upon him and hath overcome him taking from him all his Armour wherein he trusted and dividing his spoyles being sent by God in the likeness
of sinfull Flesh and for sin to condemn sin in the Flesh which Victory He obtained by his Death For in that he dyed he dyed unto sin once so reckon we also our selves as being baptized into his Death to be dead indeed unto sin but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord Thus being made free from Sin we are become the Servants of righteousness neither hath Sin any more dominion over us as being not under the Law which is the strength of Sin but under Grace the moving cause of our Salvation Further this total and spiritual Leprosie is in Scripture tearmed a general pollution of the whole Man In which sence how many sweet and gracious promises doth the Old Testament offer to the faith of every true Believer poynting out unto us with the Angel when in a far more despicable and desperate estate than Hagar's Ismael a Spring a Well of living Water In that day which is the day there shall be a Fountain opened to the House of David and to the Inhabitants of the Spiritual Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness And lest with that Cripple in the Gospel we should be unable to make tryal of the Virtue nay because we are with that miserable Infant in the Prophet Dead in sins and trespasses Therefore he adds he will say unto us live which agrees with his immediate Word in St. John's Gospel The dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God and they that hear shall live Nay which is more he will become our spiritual Physician and Chyrurgion to heal to wash to cleanse to circumcise to anoint us witness this his own promise viz. Then will I sprinkle clean Water upon you and yee shall be clean from all your filthiness and from all your Idols will I cleanse you a new Heart will I give you and a new Spirit will I put within you and I will take the stony Heart out of your Flesh and I will give you an Heart of Flesh and I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my Statutes and yee shall keep my judgments and do them O thou which art my Joshua my Jesus and hast cast out and destroyed my Cananitish lusts leaving only some few tributaries to try my obedience and to be as pricks in my sides that I might not sleep to death in security grant me thy strength of grace more and more to prevail over them though they have Chariots of Iron as being strong corruptions and inhabit the Valleys as being ambushed in a deep and deceitfull heart Enable me O Lord either to destroy them or to make them Hewers of Wood and Drawers of Water to the House of my God that is serviceable to thy spiritual Building and Temple which I am Let Avarice be turned into a coveting of spiritual things Excess in thy Creatures to a repletion with thy Spirit Worldly sorrow which worketh death unto godly sorrow not to be repented of Love of Earth to a love of Heaven O my gratious Physitian what â—ee have I or is great enough for this spiritual cure or rather miracle a resurrection from the dead Lord thou hast given me all therefore I have nothing to give Yet though I cannot give I will do right and render as to Caesar so unto God what is his My Soul beares thy impress thy Image and is therefore passant in Heaven Wherefore when thou pleasest embanck it there in glory The greater an offence is the more severe and weighty the punishment This rule of proportion giving both a beeing and splendor to distributive Justice Whisperers and murmurers against a State are not prosecuted with so much rigour as the openly rebellious Nor according to the judgment of truth it self shall the ignorant Servant be beaten with as many stripes as the presumptuous offender Blessed Saviour even in this maxime of humane Justice there is though in weak and faint shaddowes a glimpse and representation of thine Mans well doing and best of action being but an imperfect imitation of thee a most pure and universal act which ballances our faults and retributes to each his due weight of punishment Thus righteously judging that if causeless anger be in danger of the judgment then approbrious and disgracefull speeches such as thou fool being a further degree and an accursed fruit of the former shall be in perril of an Hell-fire So Paul because a Persecutor through ignorance received mercy when as Julian an Apostate and wilfull sinner died a Blasphemer Lord I have laid this train to blow up my self O let thy conviction in justice like a storm before a calm forego thy absolution in mercy Righteous Judge if that thy mortal sentence hath already attached me as Adam's Son as Adam's Image yea I have pleaded guilty shall not my numberless actual transgressions meriting that other curse of thy Law make me therefore as deserving thy double curse liable to a double punishment Yes surely unless miserable wretch infiniteness and eternity will not admit of an addition If one single act the breach of one Injunction that which the Papists and others though erroneously would have no sin or at the most a venial sin that which is mine not by personal commission as not then in esse but as it were by consanguinity by imputation from Adam my root fountain and transactor If this O Lord as formerly it is sufficiently evinced hath not only arraigned me at the Bar of Justice but cast me as guilty of high Treason and worthy of eternal punishment and not only me but those without the Pale of the Church unless God be mercifull to them who have not sinned after the similitude of Adams transgressions that is as some interpret actually How ponderous and excessively weighty shall my judgment appear in Justice scale How shall her Rods be converted into Scorpions How shall the same hand and power that inflicts in respect of durance an eternal yea in all respects if we measure by the Creatures weak apprehension an infinite suffering magnify it self in the augmentation of pain according to our encrease actuality and agedness of sin adding as it were infinite to infinite and making me to be unhappily so also that is capable of it and able to subsist under its just pressure O my God I walk in this my vale of misery like the Egyptians through the red Sea before me is thy clouded countenance and wrathfull indignation ready to give the watch word to my execution On the right hand and the left stand the towring and threatning Waves of my sinfull omissions commissions and deficiencies ready as the Psalmist speaks to swallow up and flowe over my Soul and behind me the pitchy darkness of horrour and punishment waites to entombe me for ever O my Saviour being thus like Abijah encompast with the Ambushes of my Enemies like fallen David immurde within his
triangle of judgments what shall I do but imitate them in their crying and conversion unto thee saying with him I have sinned I am in a great straight let me fall into the hands of thee O Lord for thy mercies are great O faith as thou hast an eye so thou hast an ear too wherefore give attention For thy King named thy Jesus because he shall save his People from their sins even he who only on Earth hath power to forgive sins makes his answer in the mouth of the Psalmist even to be the eccho of thy submissive Petition The Lord forgiveth all thine iniquities and healeth all thy diseases and redeemeth thy life from destruction and crowneth thee with loving kindness O miracle of goodness how experimentally and thankfully ought I with that penitent Saint to publish thy excelling mercy since I had no sooner said that is intended I will confess my transgression but thou forgavest me the iniquity of my sin Come hither come hither all yee true Israelites whom the sight of these Philistines and their armed Troops ready for the Battel have made you to tremble and to hide your selves Behold your Standard-Royal your Prince your true Jonathan for him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour for to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins who hath trodden the Wine-press of Gods wrath alone and of the People there was none with him And Jonathan-like with incredible pains hath assaulted the Adversaries our sins ruining their Fort viz. the curse of the Law for the strength of sin is the Law being made a curse for us where by dying he hath put to death all our Enemies according to that of the Apostle in whom we have redemption through his blood even the forgiveness of sins having made peace through the blood of his Cross in the likeness of sinfull Flesh and by sin condemning sin in the Flesh. Further he is not only the God of the Valleys but of the Mountains also having not only overcome for us our infirmities but all even our Mountainous our scarlet transgressions witness his promise though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow Again I will be mercifull to their transgressions and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more To conclude this point this his great Victory as it tryumphs over all sins so it is not confined to some times or Persons as he so it being the same in efficacy yesterday to day and for ever as testifies St. John If any Man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous he is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole World O all powerfull Victor upon whose thigh is written King of Kings Lord of Lords who art gone forth conquering and to conquer leading captivity captive and receiving gifts for Men forgiving all our trespasses and blotting out the hand-writing of Ordinances that was against us taking it away and nailing it to thy Cross who hast spoyled these Principalities and Powers and made a shew of them openly triumphing over them in it My Soul thy off-spring like Jephtha's Daughter with the melodious harmony of gratefulness and praise runs forth to meet thee my Father my Saviour earnestly desiring to be offered up unto thee as a thanksgiving and with Manoah's Angel to ascend to thy presence in the flames of pious affections Did Moses Miriam and the rest with Timbrels and dances magnify their delivery and thy Conquest over the drown'd Egyptians and shall not my Musick of gratulation be tuned to an higher key my Song be raised to a loftier pitch whose numerous Enemies thou hast drentcht not in a red Sea of Water but of thy infinitely precious Blood Did the Virgins of Israel by their penetrating acclamations as it were engrave this glorious Inscription on their Champions forehead Saul hath slain his thousands David his ten thousands How ought my ejaculatory Prayers to pierce the Heavens and meet thy eares who for my sake hast slain not thousands but millions of thousands yea millions of millions Those protections were corporal these spiritual those by mediate Instruments this by thy Self those were temporary this eternal O omnipotent goodness since my finite beeing cannot extend nor proportion an acknowledgment requisite to thy infinite merit accept as in other duties thou art pleased my desire which continually sigheth for an infinite expression And as thou hast O thou which art that Stone cut out without hands that Corner-stone of thy Church by thy self bruised the Head of the Serpent that Goliah Sathan slain and disbanded all his Troops my sins yea choakt them in the Sea of thy blood be further pleased that their gall being broke that is their guilt and bitterness extracted they may for ever be covered with those crimson waves and be sunk down deep and intomb'd into that gulf of mercy that the eye of justice may never view them nor its power raise them again to my destruction How fitly and consonant to the word of truth is the Church upon Earth called militant her Children Souldiers their life a warfare and their spiritual graces the armour of God Amongst which how aptly is faith made our Shield and prefer'd before the rest in the Apostles Discipline Above all take the Shield of Faith For whereas the breast-plate safe guards that part the Helmet secures the Head the other pieces the inferiour Members the Shield of Faith is a moving an ubiquitary defence Sometime it interposes it self as you have formerly heard to save the Head that is the understanding and the rest of the Superiour faculties from the fiery darts which those spiritual wickednesses in high places throw down upon us Sometimes it is opposed breast high in defence of the affections against the deceitfull allurements and assaults of the World as shortly shall be shewed And in the conclusion of this spiritual combat when the Enemy groveling under our Feet puts forth his mortal sting of death c. descends and receives it where fixt it carries it in tryumph to our spiritual home so that O death where is thy sting O Grave where is thy victory But of this in its place The particular Church of Israel in her transmigration into Canaan is a type of the Church Universal seeking an Heavenly Canaan and warring for her spiritual inheritance As it was with them so with us There is during our whole lives peregrination no intermission of Armes every true Christian being environed about with implacable and malicious Enemies being in respect of malice as well as local position in the midst of the World so that every one of us hath cause to groan out Davids Lamentation Woe is me that I sojourn in Meseâ—k that I dwell
be unto God who gives us the Victory through our Lord Jesus Blessed Saviour and Soveraign Now I am assured that thou art a Rock upon which Man being built by faith becomes impregnable so high that he is far above Honours battery so strong as not to be taken by the assaults of bloody Persecutions so firm as not to be betrayed by covetousness nor undermined by voluptuousness The Siege of Troy one of the longest we read of continued but ten years and then she was buryed in her ashes whereas the Christians lasts a life an age and even then ascends a tryumphant Throne of Glory upon the Necks of his Enemies Every Christians life is a Book of the Battels of the Lord thou being as well nay more the Lord of Hosts in respect of our spiritual Fights and Victories as of our corporal those Enemies flâ—shly these spiritual those weak and mortal their Principalities Powers immortal those below and numerable these from above and innumerable O thy mercy in thy assistance O thy power in thy resistance Divine Monarch as it is thy sole act and gift our victory so let it be ours to retribute to thee alone the Glory The last Enemy that is to be destroyed is Death saith the Apostle so in these Meditations But why a double death to death Hath not the Martyrs Sword mortally wounded this Serpent Yes but yet he hisses still And therefore lest he may fright the fearfull we will add more wounds that so the weakest Christian may with Moses take this Serpent into his hand Yea more which is the Miracle it shall become a Staff an assistant in his Heavenly Journey As there is a violent and enforced death such is Martyrdome so there is a natural and timely dissolution In the one we dye in and for the Lord as hath been shewed in this other we dye in and to the Lord the one is ordinary the other is extraordinary the one common the other particular with both these Heads our Enemy Death playes the Tyrant and Sin the Executioner The Sting of Death is Sin 'T is an Observation that things common and universal are less admired or feared But what more general and frequent than Death what more frightfull and astonishing This is the Coloquintida that imbitters all humane pleasures So that oft-times the burthen of Man's sweetest Song is that dolefull complaint of the Children of the Prophet Mors in olla There 's Death in the Pot. This is the Water of Marach which the Children of Men murmur to taste of which will they nill they they must drink and dye But O my Soul behold a City of refuge for thee and all that are Children of the Prophets the Israel of God behold thy true Moses hast cast Lignum Vitae into this Spring of Sin to sweeten thy draught Thy spiritual Elisha hath cast Meat into this boyling Pot even himself broken and grownd by Gods justice that so he might correct the cursed effects of this wilde Wine which God created not For He is the Bread which cometh down from Heaven that a Man may eat thereof and not dye Wouldst thou have this more illustrated and proved Hear then thy Champions challenge to this allâ—conquering Enemy O Death I will be thy death view also his courage before and in the conflict I thirst The Cup which my Father hath given me shall I not drink it Again I have a Baptisme to be baptized with and how am I streightned untill it be accomplisht Farther concerning the conflict it self hear the Psalmist in the Person of our Saviour The sorrows of Death compast me and the pains of Hell gat hold upon me I found trouble and sorrow Lastly in the conclusion of this truth that thou mayest know that Christ being raised from the Dead dyeth no more Death hath no more dominion over him that he hath abolished Death and hath brought life and immortality to light for thee and all believers through the Gospel according to the Apostle Hear his Conquest and tryumph first Proclaimed by St. Paul Death is swallowed up in victory O Death where is thy Sting O Grave where is thy Victory Then published and revealed by himself I am he that liveth and was dead behold I am alive for ever more Amen and have the Keys of Hell and Death Lastly view his right conveighed to thee in that large and royal Pattent of his Word Whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the World or Life or Death or things present or things to come all are yours and yee are Christs and Christ is Gods Again God shall wipe away all tears from your Eyes and there shall be no more Death neither sorrows nor crying neither shall there be any more pain for the former things are passed away Having thus strongly under the royal Standard of Christ Jesus entrencht thy self O my Soul against this mortal and heart-torturing adversary Let thy faith placed even upon the Platform of sanctified reason wait for to make a challenge to the stoutest assailants of the Enemy The van-curriers of whom is fear and its concomitants Pompa mortis saith one well magis terret quam mors ipsa Against these Light-Horsemen discharge this murdering piece of the Apostles Forasmuch as the Children are partakers of flesh and blood Christ also himself took part of the same that through Death he might destroy him that had the power of Death that is the Devil And deliver them who through fear of Death were all their life time subject unto bondage Examples of worthies invisibly conveighs courage into magnanimous mindes wherefore if fear renew its force and re-assault thee interpose as a strong Barracado the ejaculation of dying Jacob. O Lord I wait for thy salvation The Meditation of patient Job All the days of my appointed time will I wait untill my change come The fervent supplication of devout Paul whose desire was to depart and to be with Christ. The next assaylant and assistant of Death is grief to part with things of this life The beauty goodness and love of a Wife The youth numerousness and hopefulness of Children The fidelity affection and society of friends The hundreds thousands yea Ingots of treasure now to be left together with all the pleasures honours and pomp of the World being as so many arrowes to pierce thorow with sorrow the heart of the natural Man so many racks to his distracted Soul yea so many deaths in Death if we respect its inforc'd disunion But the devout Soul having not only a natural but a supernatural affection hath if ever then the spirit of Heavenly wisdome and spiritual discerning concerning things that differ And therefore willingly chearfully and resolutely with Mary chooseth the better part forsaking her earthly Spouse for a Heavenly the Impes of nature for the Fruits of Grace for her works follow her She voluntarily
of thy Faith who for the joy that was set before him endured the Cross despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the Throne of God Where also we shall sit together with him and be then perfectly changed into the same Image from glory to glory Thus reckoning that the sufferings of this present life even Death it self are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us Let us not faint for though our outward Man perish yet let our inward Man be renewed Day by Day being confident that our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding weight of Glory Looking as hath been shewed not at the things that are seen but at the things that are not seen for the things which are seen are temporal but the things which are not seen are Eternal Dread not then O my Darling this Lion Is not he faithfull who hath promised that he will never leave thee nor forsake thee That he will be thy guide even unto Death Or dost thou doubt his Power to whom belongs the issues from Death and at whose voice all that are in the Graves shall come forth Behold a Tree of Life indeed the spiritual Manna which do but feed on by faith and thou shalt not dye For He that eateth this Bread shall live for ever Was it with blessed Paul to live Christ and to dye is gain and shall thy cowardise and recoyling insinuate and imply a loss No let such thoughts as Impes of Sin first dye yea be annihilated since every true Believer is assured of a glorious change and an ineffable reward Corruption putting on incorruption and mortality immortality we dying no more but being made equal to the Angels For as we have been planted together in the likeness of Christs death so shall we be also in the likeness of his Resurrection Did many Worthies under the thunder of the Law and in the twilight of the Gospel as the Apostle witnesses undergo the exquisitest tortures not accepting deliverance that they might obtain a better Resurrection And shall we in this open day and Evangelical Revelation when by faith like Stephen we behold our Lord Jesus Christ standing at the right hand of God ready to receive us and having as he promised taken possession and prepared a place for us stand back like Saul And being neer our Coronation seek still to hide our selves under the rubbish of our Earthly Tabernacles No what was humility in him will be esteemed shamefull and distrustfull pusillanimity in us yea which is worse disobedience to the Almighties summons Let the wicked hang down their heads and cry to the Mountains and Rocks to cover them but let all of us that have obtained grace be faithfull be faithfull unto the death and he shall give us a Crown of Life lifting up our heads because the time of our redemption draws neer even that day of recompence when the Lord shall say well done good and faithfull Servant enter into thy Masters joy Not it into us because not enough capable but we into it that so we may be as it were swallowed up in that infinite Ocean of Glory What though the Soul and Body have been unseparable friends contemporaries in life and being associates in joy sympathisers in sorrow two in nature one in affection Do we not read of Jesse and his Darling David Of an Eliah and his beloved Elisha Of an Hanna and her long desired Samuel Of a Mordecai and his entirely affected Hester All which cheerfully consented to a disunion and separation that so the conjunction of hearts might appear inviolable which seeks not so much the presence as the happiness of each other And shall thy Soul O Earth be summoned not to play before a mortal King as David before Saul but to sing the Song of the Lamb even spiritual Hymns before the Throne of Glory Not to serve before the Arke as Samuel or to be the Paramour of an Assyrian Monarch as Esther but to be ravisht up with Eliah and Paul into Paradise To be the Eternal Spouse of Jesus Christ and to behold the splendour of God not vailed and in a type as under the Law but face to face as being changed into the same Image from glory to glory shall it I say be sent for by Gods Sergeant and thy Servant Death once unprofitable as Onesimus to Philemon but now most profitable to thee and all Saints and wilt thou delay and be unwilling to part intreating with the Levites Father-in-Law for one Day nay one Moneth or one Year longer exile from thy Heavenly home thy Crown of Glory O let such unwise and such unthrifty prorogations be far from thy thoughts farther from thy practise Rather let both Soul and Body unanimously sing the Song of Simeon and sigh out the vote of Paul crying out Oh how we desire to be dissolved That thy incompleat holiness O my Soul might be perfected and become compleat glory That thy faculties being not only unimprisoned but heightned may approve thee according to thy Saviours promise like yea equal unto the Angels in all spiritual excellencies and Heavenly Prerogatives Again how do I desire O sinfull corrupted and mortal lump of Clay thy reduction into thy first Atoms and matter that so sin which hath possest and accurst thee may dye and be intomb'd with thee as having no longer work or nourishment in thee That Heavens great Chymist the omnipotent Spirit of God may cherish encircle and hover over thee as once upon the Waters separating the pure from the impure and producing a body spotless perfect and immortal even like unto the glorious Body of thy Saviour That so being made a proportionable and capable Pallace for thy Soul thou mayest enjoy an eternal reunion with it and both an everlasting communion with God To conclude O Man Death is a necessary absolute and unchangable decree of God Therefore it is thy wisdome to make it voluntary For It is appointed unto Men once to dye saith the Apostle and then comes the Judgment Comes the judgment did I say at the mention of this word judgment my Soul recoyles again not daring to peep out of her earthly Cabbin For she knows that this general Assize is an undoubted truth an Article of her Creed annexed to that of the Ascention and Session of our Saviour at the right hand of his Father At which we left when we first entred upon the three Offices of our Lord. And therefore now it fitly and in order comes to be the practical object of our faith as being also the last act of our Saviours Kingly Office in the Kingdome of Grace This being his total victory and destruction of all his corporal and spiritual Enemies his Day of Tryumph reward and recompence to all
in its splendour but in its voluntary motion and other glorified qualities Now as he ascended so said the Angels shall he descend not step by step but as it is most like with inconceivable celerity else could not the first Century have confessed him to be at the right hand of his Father in the highest Heavens a hundred of years not being sufficient according to Astronomical discoveries to have ascended so many millions of miles Nor could the Saints after the Judgment past under the expence of many years attain those Heavenly Mansions The glorified Soul being now to re-enter reassume and to be reunited to its own body chearfully takes possession and findes it raised filled and prepared by the Almighty Power of the Creator for its habitation Not as formerly a Prison hindring and streightning its faculties and their enlarged operations by reason of Organical deficiencies but made in every part member and sence capacious and proportionate to its utmost activity Not as formerly a natural weighty dull and earthly body but a Coelestial Heavenly and spiritual body Not as formerly occasioned by the curse of sin corruptible and mortal but incorruptible and immortal Not as formerly weak and infirm especially at Death pale noisome filthy and dishonourable but powerfull and shining with glory according to the Word of Truth declared by the Apostle It is sowne in Corruption it is raised in Incorruption it is sowne in dishonour it is raised in Glory it is sowne in weakness it is raised in Power it is sowne a natural Body it is raised a spiritual Body As we have borne the Image of the Earthly so shall we bare the Image of the Heavenly for Flesh and Blood cannot inherit the Kingdome of God neither doth corruption inherit incorruption for this corruptible must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on immortality Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written Hosea the thirteenth Vers. the fourteenth Death is swallowed up in Victory From the preceding Scripture is evidently proved that the glorification of our bodies shall principally consist First in being raised spiritual and heavenly bodies Secondly in being made shining and glorious Thirdly in their being incorruptible and immortal of all which more particularly and first of their spirituality and heavenliness Our present bodies although they are compounded of the four Elements yet are made up in an unequal mixture the proportion being much less of Water than of Earth and much less of Ayre than of Water and of Fire than of Ayre Therefore our Bodies have the denomination from Earth and not from any of the rest and are called in the foregoing Text Earthly Bodies And much different in their mixture from the Bodies of Fishes Fowles Meateors This also our natural motion declares For being placed in any one of the three other Elements and left at liberty by reason of our Earthly ponderousness we violently move towards the Centre of the Earth of which we were form'd and upon which is our habitation But our state place and condition being to be changed at the resurrection of the just our bodies that shall be a live at the Lords second coming shall be changed And though the same bodies for matter and substance as saith holy Job shall be raised yet much differing from what they were before as to their mixture and qualities And therefore are said to be raised Spiritual and Heavenly Bodies A further proof whereof the Holy Spirit gives us in that Text wherein he saith the Lord Jesus Christ shall change our vile Body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious Body according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself The same witnesses the beloved Apostle in that his blessed gradation and comparison of our present and future more glorious condition Beloved now we are the Sons of God and it doth not yet appear what we shall be But we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is Whence note this Apostle or the rest did not yea could not with their then bodily eyes behold him as he was then risen from the dead he vailing his glory in condescention to their present state A second Heavenly and Spiritual quality of the Saints glorified Bodies is a swift and speedy local motion prophesied of as many interpret that place in the Prophet Isay They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength they shall mount up with Wings as Eagles they shall run and not be weary and they shall walk and not faint Which I cannot better manifest to our weak apprehensions than by comparing it to a flash of lightning which in an instant passeth from the East to West and from one Port of the vast Canopy of Heaven to the other This quality also was manifested to be in our Saviours glorified Body upon Earth like to which we shall be raised by his swift passage from Jerusalem being many score miles to a Mountain in Galilee when he was seen of five hundred Brethren at once And from Jerusalem to the Sea of Tiberius when he did eat with Peter and the rest after the great draught of Fishes And from thence to Jerusalem again at his Ascention from Mount Olivet And which is also most demonstrable by his discent from Heaven to the Aire when he spoke to and was seen of Paul in the way to Damascus which without doubt was a personal not a visional appearance since the Apostle adds that to his other personal appearances saying last of all he was seen of me which had not it been real had been but a slender proof of our Saviours Resurrection To which end he there vouches it As our Souls are now like the Angels yea Angels in the Flesh so then our Bodies as to this Spiritual quality shall be raised like our Souls That so their future union may be lasting and compleat and this Marriage may continue and be indissolveable In which respect the Apostle saith they shall be raised not only spiritual but heavenly bodies as fitted to dwell in that place which for the matter Philosophers call a Quint-essence far more refined than any or all the four Elements and which the Scripture calls the Heaven of Heavens and the Inheritance of the Saints in light O my Soul shall thy Body at that great change and resurrection of the just be raised heavenly and spiritual like the body of our Lord be pure as the Essence of Angels as speedy and quick as to motion as the lightning and fitted to inhabit Heaven Have a high value and esteem of it and make not this Vessel of honour by sinning a Vessel of dishonour the Members of Christ the Members of a Harlot the Image of God and Christ the Image of Sathan the Temple of the Holy Ghost a Stie yea
Lord makes a new Heaven and a new Earth according to his promise which I humbly conceive only extends to this Orbe of Earth and Water and to the Regions and Elements of the Aire and Fire these two last are most frequently in Scripture called Heaven That flaming and Aetherial Fire not Elementary in which the Lord Jesus shall descend and appear with the ten thousands of glorified Souls and Angels and which shall consume all the wicked that are then in the World and burn up their works shall accordingly as it is the nature and true effect and property of Fire to purge and purify each of the four Elements from all that dross and corruptible quality that hath intermixt and cleaved unto them by the righteous Judgment and curse of God for Mans sin Whence shall proceed that admirable change as to their qualities although not of their substance deserving the name in the Scripture promise of a new Heaven and of a new Earth As it is most excellently set forth by Saint Paul in these words For the earnest expectation of the Creature wait for the manifestation of the Sons of God For the Creature was made subject to vanity not willingly but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope Because the Creature it self also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the Children of God For we know that the whole Creation groaneth and travelleth in pain together untill now The Elements then are made like unto the Heavenly supream Orbes pure lucid and incorruptible Hence I infer that these four Elements being thus wonderfully changed in their qualities and made incorruptible in which respectively the several parts and ingredients of our Bodies are laid up and reserved as being naturally a part of them There must necessarily follow the same and the like change and alteration in the matter and substance of our Bodies also Whence it will follow that although the first change in the Elements is supernatural and wonderfull that in our Bodies will naturally follow as an effect from that cause Our great God as in the first Creation caused the production of all things out of their first matter as so many streams from that Fountain so in this new and second birth of things he as a rational and natural Agent produceth this excellent change in the fore-mentioned qualities of our new-raised Bodies to be a necessary and certain effect flowing from the change of the principles out of which they are compounded It being more than probable that the Resurrection of our Bodies shall immediatly succeed the making of the new Heaven and the new Earth the Saints habitation as it was in the first Creation when the Lord made the Earth and all the Creatures first before he made Man the Lord and Possessor of it and them The premisses being granted I thence conclude that as Mortality is a necessary effect and consequent of corruption so the immortality of the Body to use the Apostles phrase is as necessary an effect and consequent of incorruption For that substance that can never more be corrupted may truly be said to be everlasting and according to the Apostles expression immortal Death signifying either in sensible or vegitable Creatures a putred and evil change or alteration as also a debasing diminishing and deforming separation as being the curse and fruit of Sin and abhorrent to nature Having hitherto discoursed of this marvellous change of our Bodies at the Resurrection and given some natural reasons thereof as a Philosopher I must now as a Christian ascend higher and prove this eminent change to proceed also from a far higher and nobler cause than meer nature even from the spiritual real and mystical union of our Persons through faith and the Eternal Spirit as Members to our Head the Lord Jesus who is God-Man blessed for ever As since sin God hath enacted this to be one of the Statutes of Nature It is appointed to Men once to dye And by another Law of Nature after Death hath dissolved this Microcosme of Soul from Body Every part of the body as hath been shewed returns to its proper Element so by the Law of Christ God-Man the Eternal Word that was made Flesh it is decreed and affirmed as an indubitable truth That he that believeth in him hath everlasting life And though he were dead yet shall he live Whosoever liveth and believeth in him shall never dye From hence it is most cleer that in a spiritual sence the death of the Saints is no death they being so united by faith that although the Soul be divided from the Body and each Elementary part of the body be divided from the other yet neither Soul nor Body or any grain or part thereof can be separated from our head the Lord Jesus in whom who is eternal life is our life Though we are dead in a natural sence yet we live spiritually in and by his Spirit In which sence also the whole mystical body of Christ the universal Church and every Member thereof is said to be joyned to the Lord and is one Spirit as being by the Holy Ghost the ever-living God that fills all things the Spirit of the Father and the Son as by an unmeasurable and everlasting Ligament tyed and united to the Lord Jesus our head So that like as it is said of the Soul That it is tota in toto tota in qualibet parte So it may be said that the for ever blessed Spirit of God the Father and the Son in and by this ineffable union and in dwelling is wholly and spiritually both before and after death in our Souls and in our Bodies and in every part of them although never so far by reason of a natural death separated one from another Here note that although the Scripture declares that in God all things live move and have their being as he is their Creator and Preserver and in whom and by whom they act and have their subsistance yet the difference is very great betwixt that life of the Creatures on Earth and this life of the Saints both as to the nature and duration of it That flowing from his Almighty power and goodness as a Creator this from his Eternal love as our Father in Christ that life being temporary this life Eternal as flowing from the highest Principle our spiritual and real union unto God in Christ. For the further clearing and proof of which immortality as well of our Bodies as of our Souls consider the words of our blessed Saviour As the Father hath life in himself so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself I am the way the truth and the life because I live yee shall live also Thou hast given me power over all flesh that I should give Eternal Life to as many as thou hast given
other Members as looking upon this weak diseased and aged Body as upon an old and weather-beaten Tent. Knowing that If the Earthly House of this my Tabernacle were dissolved I have a building of God an House not made with Hands Eternal in the Heavens Groaning earnestly and desiring with the Apostle Paul to be cloathed upon with my House which is from Heaven with which if I be cloathed I shall not be found naked That this Mortality may be swallowed up of Life Let me not O Lord with the Worldling who hath his Portion only in this Life be troubled at the Knell of every passing Bell sigh at every striking of the Clock nor be afraid or unwilling to number my Days or to cast up the accompt of my years but greatly rejoyce at the end of every hour day and year as hastning my approach to and the enjoyment of Eternity Being most willing to have my Body interred that after a long time like the matter of China Vessels it may be raised and made lucid transparent and a Vessel of honour fit to be made use of in the Palace of Heaven Shall my Body be shining and glorious like the Sun let it not now O Lord be spotted with sin and changeable and inconstant in its motion and conversation like the Moon Shall it be bright like the Firmament and Stars O Lord let it be a fixt and not a falling Star nor cast down to the Earth by the Taile of the old Serpent the Devil neither let me be a Meteor and seem to out-shine others in a Religious profession and in a short time vanish only leaving behind me an hypocritical and pestilential stench like those wandering Stars to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever O gracious and mercifull Redeemer shall this corruptible put on incorruptibility and this mortal put on immortality Let this supernatural change begin here as it doth in all thy sanctified ones and let even my Body as well as my Soul be thy dwelling place and the Temple of thy holy Spirit in which let no unclean lust lurk or wicked Spirit enter Make me holiness unto thee O Lord and perfect holiness in thy fear Give thy Angels charge over me to keep me in all my ways Let them bear me up in their hands lest I dash my Foot against a Stone cause me to tread upon the Lyon and the Addar the young Lyon and the Dragon Yea let them according to thy promise be shortly trampled under my Feet Let sin dye in me by vertue of thy Death and let the life and immortality of holiness spring up and flourish in me by vertue of thy Resurrection Hast thou O Lord stiled thy Church thy Dove thy undefiled one And declared that she is fair and that there is no spot in her And is that which is spoken of thy Church applyable to every living Member thereof O thou that art the Eternal truth make good this thy Word unto thy poor Servant thy Spouse although most unworthy to wash the Feet of the Servants of my Lord. And since thou hast promised that all things shall become new And declared that those that are in thee are new Creatures and hast covenanted to give me a new Heart and a new Spirit and to take out my Heart of Stone and to give me a Heart of Flesh to pour clean Water upon me and to make me clean and hast testified that thy blood doth cleanse me from all sin and that by thy righteousness alone I am justified O let all these true and precious promises be fulfilled in me and to me So shall the incorruptibility of my Person as in respect of sin usher in and assure me of the incorruptibility of my Soul and Body in glory Let me dye daily with blessed Paul as to all the evil lusts of the Flesh that I may not dye Eternally but live everlastingly in glorified Flesh. O Lord who art the life and my life let my sinfull mortality even here put on a spiritual and heavenly immortality For thou hast proclaim'd it whil'st thou wert upon Earth That the Day comes yea now is when the Dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God and they that hear shall live even to Eternity For He that believeth in thee hath already everlasting life Let my union and communion with thee through faith and the in-dwelling of thy holy Spirit begin to make my Face to shine here as did the Face of Moses and thy Proto-Martyr Stephen since thou hast declared that a Mans wisdome maketh his Face to shine Yea we are said to shine here also in a holy conversation since thou commandest us To let our light shine before Men. And hast held forth in thy Word that the path of the just is as the shining light that shineth more and more unto the perfect Day and hast promised in thy Book That if we let not wickedness dwell in our Tabernacles our Age shall be cleerer than the Noon-day and we shall shine forth and be as the Morning Lord although I now live in the Flesh yet let me not I humbly and with importunity beseech thee live unto or after the Flesh since such are said to be dead while they live yea twice dead and pluckt up by the Roots And thou hast justly threatned that those that live after the Flesh shall dye and that Eternally But they that live in and after the Spirit shall live and that for ever and ever But since after this life there shall be no Devil to tempt no World to allure or persecute nor Sin to intice or corrupt Let me with mortified Paul desire to depart and to be with thee which is far better Yea since to live is Christ and to dye is gain Let me with perfect Job all the Dayes of this my appointed time humbly patiently and believingly wait until my glorious change come Amen Having exercised my faith and contemplation upon this ravishing and pleasing subject the glorification of the Bodies and Members of the Saints in general and in the Gross I shall now lastly proceed beseeching the assistance of his most Holy Spirit who is my light the light of Men and he who alone enlighteneth every one that cometh into the World to speak particularly though with much brevity of the glorification of the Five Sences I shall go so far as I shall receive light from the Scriptures and right reason taking that sober and lawfull liberty that is granted to all those that have meditated upon the like subjects where some things are more obscure than others and not so clearly and fully held forth in Gods Word humbly to offer what probably and rationally although not positively may be the truth as not repugnant to Scripture right reason or the Analogie
lascivious or any other evil speeches enter let my heart and Tongue hate scourge and execute thy Law upon them by a zealous and holy reproof if the Speakers be not Dogs or Swine giving them a pass and sending thâ—â— packing O blessed Lord let not the delightfull sounds of Musick nor the natural or artificial pleasing voices of any Creature be thy rival steal away in the least my time or heart from thee Nor let me with the Whore of Babylon and her Imitators carnally legally and only outwardly give thee an unwarrantable and un-Gospel-like Ear and service without my understanding and without my heart But give me to joyn with and delight to hear the Musick of the lower Heaven the Songs Psalmes and praisings of thee in the Congregations of the Saints That being trained up to have a Childs place in this blessed Chore upon Earth I may be fitted and preferred to have a Man's place in the glorious Quire of Saints and Angels in Heaven O Lord let me I beseech thee not only externally but internally hear thy voice for it is sweet that my Soul may be inwardly acquainted with the Dialect of Heaven so shall my Soul speak and answer thee in the same Angel-like Language in mental and Ejaculatory Prayers and praises here a service not only required but most acceptable to thee and with Ear and Heart hereafter hear thee and return unto thee in Soul and Body praises and glorify thee Eternally in the Heavens Amen Having in the six foregoing preliminaries in all humility declared my Opinion answered the chief objections and given the reason and ground thereof both from Scripture and the light of Nature As also shewed the necessary happy and spiritual use and end of the Saints exercise of all the Five Senses as tending much more to the glory of God and the increase of their innocent and spiritual delight compleat happiness and blessedness both in Soul and Body in that their glorified state I shall not need to add much more as concerning the sense of Tasting which undoubtedly shall as well as that of Seeing and Hearing be much meliorated and heightned in this life of Glory It being cleerly evident and agreeable to right reason that as the objects and subjects upon which this Sense shall be frequently exercised be they things potable as Waters Juices and Liquors or things edible as Roots Flowers Plants Hearbs and Fruits shall much excell not only in their powers vertues and beauty but also in their juice and relish the choicest of that kind now in being as hath been formerly evinced and illustrated by reason of their new birth and incorruptible nature so shall our senses and particularly this of the Taste be wonderfully enlarged and raised and proportionably fitted and enabled accurately to distinguish and discern of the different and innumerable excellencies as to their taste by which even now a skilfull Naturalist can give a right judgment as to their vertues of such a multitude of simples and individuals that so by the exquisitness of this sense our Souls and Bodies may not only be made the more happy and blessed but delighted in the use of Gods good Creatures as the medium and conveighance of nourishment ordained of God as formerly in Mans innocency to be usefull and subservient although not absolutely necessary to our glorious and Eternal Life we having a far more virtual and higher Root of Life for our life is hid in Christ with God And also that by the testimony of this sense both Soul and Body may be the more enlarged and lifted up in the praises admiration and adoration of the wisdome power mercy and goodness of our God the Creator giver and free restorer of such manifold and wonderfull blessings in and by his Eternally begotten and only beloved Son our Head and Spouse the Lord Jesus Christ. As for the killing or eating of the Flesh of any of the sensible Creatures I humbly conceive and that upon good grounds there shall not then be any such use of them they being now made incorruptible and in their nature as everlasting as the Elements out of which they are taken and so shall continue by vertue of this new Creation so long as it pleaseth God The food of the Saints in this new Earth being only a lightning and exonerating the fruit-bearing vegitives that so they may be continually bringing forth new harvests to the glory of their Creator not a bringing in bondage or unto destruction any of the Creatures now delivered and admitted to enjoy the glorious liberty of the Children of God This blessed state being as it were Paradise revived a new Creation and restauration of all things in this new Heaven and new Earth by the obedience merit and righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ the second Adam although much more transcending of what was lost by the fall sin and disobedience of the first Adam That last Paradise being intended in the Eternal wisdome and decree of God as I humbly conceive and seems to me now to be clearly manifested to be but the Type shaddow and figure of this all things being made by and for him who is the Heir of all things the Head and Spouse of his Church the first-fruits of them that sleep the beginning and the first-born from the dead and the first-born of every Creature and the beginning of the Creation of God I shall now conclude this subject with this monition to all true Christians not to suppose or dream here of the Poets Elysian Field or of a Turkish Paradise in this glorious state nor to be so sinfully carnal as to imagine that the sinless Souls and Bodies of the new raised and glorified Saints either shall or can abuse this Sense by any excess and make it instrumental as now to sensuality gluttony and drunkenness nor on the other extream let no Christian be so unbelievingly spiritual as contrary to Scripture that affirms the same Bodies shall be raised to deny what it asserts as an object of our faith nor so absurd and irrational as the Papists in their Doctrine of Transubstantiation to deny to our Bodies raised the properties parts and senses of which a true Body subsists thereby to destroy the true nature and essence of the Body all that are truly Saints being practically and experimentally assured that if in this life wherein we are incompast about with a Body of Sin and Death this sense and the rest may be and is spiritually made use of by us in the enjoyment of Gods good Creatures to his great praise and admiration then much more will they be beneficial and He be honoured in them by us in that our sinless condition and life of Glory O my Soul shall thy sense of Tasting be not only retained but exceedingly perfected greatly enlarged and elevated at thy Bodies Resurrection and glorious living with thy Head the Lord Jesus Christ upon the renewed Earth Shalt thou eat
and a learned Man was declared an Heretick for holding there was an Antipodes or a new World before its discovery so may possibly these my weak notions and contemplations although of a Divine subject because not heretofore searcht into by others that I know of and therefore if the Lord in his providence shall order them to come to a publick view I only recommend them to the devout perusal and judgment of holy humble regenerate and practical Christians who although in the Body do by divine Meditation as it were live out of the Body and have been so far changed into the Image of Christ and taught and renewed by his holy Spirit that they have brought their Bodies and Senses unto such a spiritual frame and exercise as is declared and exhorted to in the foregoing discourse These will rightly judge of this personal Raign of Christ with his Saints upon Earth and how uncharitably and unjustly and I may add ignorantly many in other respects learned religious and to be honoured have ignominiously and falsely branded this Doctrine as though it was New Epicureal and Sensual whereas the truth is it is a most antient and Primative Doctrine and nothing else but the declaration and affirmation of that glorious condition of Christ and his Saints that he himself the Holy Scriptures and Prophets indited and inspired by his Holy Spirit have throughout witnessed to and promised as by the Scriptures quoted in the Margin besides many others is sufficiently proved That he the second Adam should come to renew and restore all things in this lower Creation freed from the curse of sin to as good yea a far better condition than they had before the Fall When God saw every thing that he had made and behold it was very good Now did not God make this so excellent a work for his Glory and for his Creature Man to enjoy and to serve praise and glorify him in the fruition thereof and in the admiration of him in this its excellency and goodness But did any of Man-kinde but only two Adam and Eve enjoy the Earth and the Creatures thereof in their Primitive and created excellencies and that but for a Day or two How then shall God have his end the Glory of his Power wisdome and goodness and Man the enjoyment of all his liberality and bounty and be Trumpets and witnesses of his excellencies in the Creatures How shall Gods promise be fulfilled Of making a new Heaven and a new Earth and restoring all things by his Son the Heir of all things If Man I mean all the Elect in his Soul Body and Senses shall not be renewed and live personally with Christ at this Renovation of all things for a thousand years according to the Scriptures to enjoy what God hath made and Christ hath purchased for them and to admire adore and glorify him in the Primitive end use and enjoyment of them These then that deny this and in a fervent I forbear to say ignorant hast because every Age hath its measure of light would seat the raised Saints in the highest Heavens before their time and before Gods promises and great designs be fulfilled what do they else in the declining of this great truth but force themselves upon false and Allegorical expositions of cleer and literal Scriptures making ineffectual his promise yea do they not affirm contrary to that undeniable maxime that God made these Heavens and this Earth and all the wonderfull Creatures and admirable Ornaments thereof in vain as not known nor made use of by them for whom at first he created it and again renewed it I might here add many more Arguments for the defence of this truth but I shall at this time no further digress but return to my former Method of Meditation upon this glorified Sense of Feeling Referring the Reader to those most excellent Treatises of Dr. Homes Mr. Archer and many others upon this Subject O my Soul shall this Sense be not only continued but exercised upon such excellent subjects in Glory shall it with thy Body be spiritualiz'd and as to its sensability incomparably exceed what it is now O be carefull not to effeminate or pollute it disdaining to vassalage it to pride covetousness lust or vanity But as it more than all the other Senses declares and manifests thy living in the body So let it by an innocent sober chast and holy acting testify Christs living in thee The Lord Jesus hath taken off all legal impositions such as Touch not taste not but not his Gospel and Spiritual restraining Therefore abuse not nor make use of this Christian liberty which he hath purchased for thee to fulfill the Lusts of the Flesh For if thou livest after the Flesh thou shalt dye but if through the Spirit thou mortifiest the deeds of the Flesh thou shalt live Take heed of covetousness which hath not only its seat in the Eye but in the Hand desire not with Mydas in the Poet that every thing thou touchest may become Gold but remember the issue and moral of the Fable his starving and perishing in his enjoyments Neither imbrace thou the bosome of a strange Woman for he that toucheth her shall not be innocent for her ways draw neer to death and her steps take hold of Hell she being compared by the spirit of God to a deep Ditch and to a narrow Pit out of which very few get out and are delivered For although as in the Poet Ixion-like in the height of thy lustfull pleasure thou thinkest to infold in thy Armes a Juno a Goddess The conclusion will be but the grasping of an Airy Cloud nay which is far worse a Pestilential vapour an inflam'd and killing Granado O my Soul since whilst thou art in this vain World and in this sinfull body thou art incompast about with Legions of evil spirits with innumerable snares and with secret and subtile temptations which with those in the Prophet call good evil and evil good which put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter which call light darkness and darkness light abusing lawfull things and turning them out of their right Channel by excess that so they may overflow and drown the Earth again with a far more dangerous Flood than that of Water which destroyed only a temporal Life even a deluge of sin and of flaming Fire long since foretold the cause of that Fire and without true repentance of Eternal Death watch thou therefore and pray lest thou fall into temptation and this sence be adulterated by thy pride excess and luxury and made instrumental to cause those good Creatures the soft Silks of Persia the warm Furs of Muscovia the fine Wools of Britan and Segovia given thee by God to cover thy sinfull nakedness to become a covering of sin and a Banner of pride and vanity Take heed also that this sense be not bewitched and overcome through voluptuousness and corrupt thee by an
excessive idle and inordinate use of the Down-beds of England of the hot Springs of Bathe of the fresh but wanton Aire of Hide-Park of the cool Baths and Aquaducts of Italy Remember that antient but true Proverb Latet anguis in Herba made good literally and vitiously in the Egyptian Cleopatra whose lusts even her unclean and immoderate indulging of this sense procured her Soul and Bodies destruction O my Soul let this sense fulfill the end for which it was made and become as before hath been observed thy Instrument and diligent Investigator to inquire into the wonders and bounty of God in the Elements other natural things and in all thy enjoyments That in the pleasing and sober exercise of this sense both thy body may be delighted and thou maist be assisted and instructed therefrom to glorify thy great and good God in all his mercies and attributes and in all thy liberal fruitions so shalt thou be like the blessed Angels who by their spiritual sense beholding and apprehending God in all his works are thereby inlarged and unwearied in his praises and be also a Companion with them hereafter in their Heavenly Hallelujahs and Coelestial Glory O Lord my God and Saviour who hath said in thy Word which Word is truth Behold I make all things new fulfill that promisary Word I beseech thee in me renew both my Soul and Body that this sense of senses this universal sense that possesses every part and member may not seem to be alive and yet not alive as being by nature and from my birth taken with and under a dead Palsie of Sin and in danger to be made past feeling through customary offending and the frequent stroaks and sharp launcings of thy Judgments the gnawings and bitings of Conscience and of my dangerous condition Is there no Balme in Gilead Is there no Physician there Lord Jesus thou alone art my Physician thou hast undertaken my Cure thou hast begun it and wilt certainly perfect it For thou art the Author and finisher of my Faith a God of perfection and immutable therefore thy Gifts and Calling are without Repentance O be thou graciously pleased to wash both Soul and Body in that Fountain opened in the House of David for Sin and for Vncleanness even in thy own most precious healing and purifying blood For thy blood O Lord Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin and iniquity and that not only from the guilt as to Gods divine justice But from the filth of sin this my body of death and corrupt Lusts so shall I have a pure tender and feeling Conscience to avoid and eschew all evil and the like Sense of Feeling in my Body shall be so sanctified and regulated by it that neither costly pride nor penurious covetousness lustfull and itching concupiscence wastfull voluptuousness nor deceivable vanity shall vitiate corrupt or disorder it O my Lord since thou hast made a firme Covenant with me in Baptisme even an everlasting Covenant the sure mercies of David and hast contracted thy self to me in the Communion of thy Body and Blood I will now presume to say as thy Spirit hath taught me My Beloved is mine and I am his Kiss me with the kisses of thy Mouth for thy love is better than Wine Bring me into thy Banquetting-house and let thy Banner over me be love Stay me with Flaggons comfort me with Apples for I am sick of love let thy left Hand be under my Head and let thy right hand imbrace me Now I have found thee whom my Soul loveth I will hold thee and will not let thee go O set me as a Seal upon thy Heart as a Seal upon thy Arme so my love in thy strength is as strong as death Many Waters through thy grace shall not nor can quench my love neither can the Floods of Tentations Tribulations and Persecutions for thy sake drown it O let me be in thy Eyes as one that hath found favour so shall this Sense my Touch be spiritualiz'd by thee here and glorified with thee hereafter and be the Hand-maid and assistant to my Soul to distinguish and discover unto her thy bounty and goodness and all other thy excellencies in thy wonderfull works in nature and cease to be as in its unregenerate state a Pander to lust and Sathan For the works of the Flesh are Adultery Fornication Vncleanness Lasciviousness and without the new Jerusalem are Dogs and Whoremongers Lord do thou touch me with the Finger of thy sanctifying Spirit and let me lay hold and imbrace thee in the Armes of Faith and love and then this bodily sense shall be so metamorphosed by such a union and communion with thee that it shall be a real augmentation of my happiness and delight in this life and through thy free grace who proportionably rewards thy Saints receive from thee by the holy exercise of it here at the Resurrection an answerable increase of Glory Amen Having through Gods gracious assistance although in much weakness meditated and discoursed of the glorification of the Five Senses I shall conclude with the blessed and excellent use and exercise of the Tongue under which I comprehend the voice and articulate speech at our Resurrection in Glory which although not numbered amongst the Senses yet is not inferiour but transcends them all as being the Souls Orator and Interpreter to the glory of God of what is seen heard tasted smelt or touched by us And therefore it is styled by David His Glory as being that sweet and most melodious Instrument that utters and declares the wonderous works of God to his great praise and honour which is the principal end of our Creation Redemption and Glorification To this member I annex as necessary assistants the Aire Lips Teeth Throat and Lungs And as to the Speech Language or Dialect solely to be used by all the Saints at the Resurrection I humbly conceive it shall be the Primitive Hebrew Tongue as being certainly the Original Language of Adam in the Creation and before his Fall when he gave names to the Creatures according to their natures and in which God spake unto him and therefore is to be restored to us by Christ the second Adam The rise of all other Languages being a curse punishment and an effect of sin in their Original and the confusion at the building of the Tower of Babel Besides this Tongue had the great and special honour to be the Language of the Holy Ghost in the old Testament and in St. Matthew's Gospel and of our blessed Saviour the Eternal Word of God and of the blessed Angels in all their several missions and appearances throughout the Book of God So that in fine this Tongue hath the priviledge and prerogative of all other Languages and may be called the Language of the glorious Trinity Holy Angels and inspired Saints and Prophets yea the Language of Heaven I proceed next to the
of his wrath and shalt Judge amongst the Heathen and shall fill the places with the dead Bodies and wound the Heads over many Countries When thou shalt put a two-edged Sword into the Hand of thy Saints to execute vengeance upon the Heathen and punishment upon the People to bind their Kings with Chains and their Nobles with Fetters of Iron to execute the Judgment written this honour have all the Saints Yea is this thy victorious Kingdome and Government wherein righteousness peace holiness and purity shall be so greatly exercised and exalted by and under thy Saints upon Earth confirmed by thee in a Vision to thy Apostle John who declares that after Sathan was bound by thee a thousand years He saw Thrones and they to wit thy Saints sate upon them and Judgment was given unto them The Prodromus to which Sessions he saw Revelations the 19. from Verse the 11. unto the end of that Chapter And shall not both my Tongue and Heart in the certain belief that these wonderfull prophetical promises shall yea are now at the point to be made good unto thy Church and to be fulfilled praise and glorifie thee in the joyfull expectation thereof in those words which thy own Spirit Indicted on this subject and for this purpose O clap your Hands all yee People shout unto God with the voice of Tryumph for the Lord most High is terrible he is a great King over all the Earth He shall subdue the People under us and the Nations under our Feet he shall choose our Inheritance for us the excellency of Jacob whom he loved For God is the King of all the Earth sing yee praises with understanding God raigneth over the Heathen God sitteth upon the Throne of his Holiness The Princes of the People are gathered together even the People of the God of Abraham for the Shields of the Earth belongeth unto God he is greatly exalted O blessed Saviour who art that great Prophet promised by Moses yea the Lord God of the Prophets Hast thou foretold to us by them that after the binding and sealing up Sathan and all the Powers of Darkness in Hell the bottomless Pit thy Saints thy Church shall enjoy a Sabatisme a thousand years of rest and peace upon this Earth which I humbly expect when their six thousand years of trouble labour and persecution shall be expired typified and prefigured as I in all humility conceive in the Arks resting the 17. Day of the 7. Month as a Type of this rest in the six Days Creation and thy seventh Days rest and in thy appointing us a laborious Week and six Days of Work and every seventh Day to be a Sabbath a Day of rest to us and the Creatures And in the seventh Years rest to the Field and release to Servants the righteousness and holiness peace plenty and happiness of which their raign and Kingdome I but lately mentioned and evidenced by a few Scriptures of many that clearly hold it forth to us O let my Heart and Tongue in the assured faith of thy accomplishing this great work sing with joy the seventy-second Psalme The lively Prophesie of this thy peaceable Kingdome under thy Saints upon Earth under the Type of Solomon concluding with the Holy Psalmist Blessed be the Lord God of Israel who only doth wonderous works And blessed be his glorious Name for ever And let the whole Earth be filled with his Glory Amen O Lord the Judge of all the Earth hast thou promised to come unto us the second time without Sin unto Salvation but in flaming Fire to take vengeance of all that know thee not Hereby destroying them and Hypocrites together with the Apostatizing Nations called Gog and Magog as Sprung from a Scythian Root seduced from the true Faith by the deceits of Sathan at his loosing for a season The number of whom is as the Sand of the Sea and by him gathered together to incompass the Camp of thy Saints and the holy City thy true Church made up of Gentiles and Israelites Hast thou then promised a Resurrection of the Just even of all thine Elect ones and Martyrs and that They shall be Priests of God and of thee O Christ and that they shall raign with thee a thousand years For thou hast made us unto our God Kings and Priests and we shall raign upon Earth Even in that new Heaven and new Earth which thou wilt create shall our Salvation be then perfected and compleated in that first Resurrection the Redemption of our Bodies now sowen in Corruption but then raised in Incorruption sowen in dishonour but raised in Glory sowen in weakness but raised in Power sowen a natural Body but raised a spiritual Body and glorious like unto thee O Lord. For ever blessed Redeemer shall I according to Scripture-Chronology probably about twelve hundred and thirteen years hence with holy Daniel stand in the Lot at the end of the Days and in my glorified Body with the many myriades of Angels and glorious Saints upon the renewed Earth behold and enjoy thee personally a thousand years shall my Tongue then declare thy Acts and the wonders of thy love mercy and truth and praise thee with them for this thy great salvation as being in a sure possession of Glory O let my Heart and Tongue now praise thee in faith and assurance thereof Since Faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen Yea let me with thy Prophet and Apostle Tryumph over that last Enemy Death and singing say O Death where is thy Sting O Grave where is thy Victory The Sting of Death is Sin and the strength of Sin is the Law Death is swallowed up in Victory Thanks be to God which giveth us the Victory through thee our Lord Jesus Christ. O thou whose Name is called the Word of God who art the King of Kings and Lord of Lords the only Potentate to whom all Judgment is committed by the Father and who art ordained of God to be the Judge of the quick and of the dead we must therefore all appear before thy Judgment Seat when thy righteousness shall shine forth as the Light and thy Judgment as the Noon-Day in giving to every one according to their works And to all thine Elect called thy Sheep at thy right hand who are freely justified by thy righteousness according to the goodness of their thoughts words and deeds which and not any of their sins as being fully satisfied for and blotted out by thy Death and Merits shall then be remembred as being the fruits of thy own Grace That so thy Saints may be gradually rewarded according to their works not for their works both in the new Earth and highest Heavens with Eternal Life and Glory And inherit the Kingdome prepared for them before the Foundation of
the World After which act of thy remunerative Justice and thy Raign upon the renewed Earth with thy Saints a thousand years thou wilt I believe raise and Judge all the wicked called the Goats at thy left hand and the Apostate Angels according as thou hast declared in thy Word of Truth when every ungodly one shall be sentenced and punished proportionable and according to the evil of their thoughts words and actions then being all made manifest who with the Devils their Tempters and Tormenters shall by thy mighty Angels be cast into the Lake of Fire the Locall Hell unto Eternity This is the second Death O my King my Judge my Spouse shall this dreadfull time of Judgment fearfull indeed to the wicked but a most joyfull Day to the Godly certainly come upon the World according to thy Word Shall there be a long tract of time measured out in the acting and manifesting thy Judgments and magnifying the glory of thy remunerative and vindicative Justice to the World as well as there hath been a long space of proclaiming and holding forth the Golden Scepter of thy free Grace and incomprehensible love and mercy to the Sons of Men Is this truth one of the Articles of the Christian Faith and as certain to us as the Day of our death according to that unrepealable Statute It is appointed to Men once to dye and afterwards comes the Judgment Shall the Crowns dignities and rewards conferred upon thy Saints be one chief subject of praise and fill the Mouths of Men and Angels with continual Hallelujahs unto God not only whilst they rest upon the renewed Earth but also in the highest Heavens after the end of this long Day and the pouring out of thy wrath and execution of thy righteous Judgments upon wicked Men and Devils when thy glorious justice in both the parts thereof shall be finished and compleated according to that Prophesie of the Psalmist then perfectly fulfilled Verily there is a reward for the righteous Verily he is a God that judgeth in the Earth O let both my Heart and Tongue now inure themselves to this Subject since I live by faith and not by sense and sing with the Elect ones in the Revelations that prophetical Song calculated for this time saying Hallelujah Salvation and Glory and Honour and Power unto the Lord our God for true and righteous are his Judgments Praise our God all yee his Servants and yee that fear him both small and great Hallelujah for the Lord reigneth Let us be glad and rejoyce and give honour to him for the Marriage of the Lamb is come and hiâ— Wife hath made her self ready And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine Linnen clean and white for the fine Linnen is the righteousness of Saints Blessed are they that are called to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. O King of Saints and King of Nations our Almighty Saviour and Conquerer who hast fulfilled the Law satisfied Divine Justice overcome the World Crucified Sin spoiled Principalities and Powers and wilt at the Resurrection of the Just and the Redemption of our Bodies destroy our last Enemy Death and after the Judging and Hellifying of wicked Men and Devils wilt in Tryumph ascend on high with thy Elect and lead Captivity Captive that the Glory which thy Father gave thee may be given them that they may be with thee where thou art and may behold the Glory which he hath given thee and possess an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not away reserved in Heaven for us where we shall be ever with thee our Lord and see God face to face and in thee the perfections of all Creatures as in their first cause And know thee according to our measure as we are known by thee Blessed Mediator this is that time when all rule all authority and power being put down and under thee in the Kingdome of thy Saints and under thee in thy personal and glorious raign upon Earth All Enemies even Death it self being destroyed and put under thy Feet thou shalt deliver up the Kingdome so far as it is Mediatory personal and singly acted and managed by thee in thy humane appearance and Man-hood to God even the Father That so thou the Son as being also as Man the Son of God might be subject as to thy present kinde of administration unto him that put all things under thee that God may be all in all And the whole Universe and Creation both in Heaven and Earth especially thy spiritual Body thy Church may be immediately governed and influenced by him who is three in one God-blessed for ever To which mystical Body thy Spouse and Church as also to Angels thou still remainest Head and Lord for ever which being now perfectly and inherently sanctified and graciously admitted through the glorious inhabitation and communion of thy most holy and eternal Spirit to an immediate fellowship real and spiritual union although not essential with the Father Son and holy Ghost one God blessed for ever shall live eternally in the life of God and in whole and in part as respecting every individual Member and Vessel be always full yet always increasing in knowledge grace and glory as Eying and enjoying continually the Divine Nature and cast into an Ocean of infiniteness unto Eternity This is the Generation of them that seek thee that seek thy face O God of Jacob. Therefore let both my Heart and Tongue even now O Lord prepare and begin to praise thee as from Pisgath with beholding Canaan and by faith the eye of my Soul from the raised hill of holy Contemplation viewing this Saint Paul's third Heaven the Throne of God and of his glory and the many yea innumerable shining and starrified Mansions in thy Fathers house the places prepared by thee for thy Saints as also their Kingdome and State of endless glory happiness and blessedness In the ravishing Meditation of these things their translation and thy second most glorious and tryumphant Assention O let me sing and rejoyce in the words of thy Prophet David foretelling both thy Ascentions God is gone up with a shout the Lord with a sound of a Trumpet sing praises to God sing praises sing praises to our King sing praises Lift up your Heads O yee Gates and be yee lift up yee everlasting Doors and the King of Glory shall come in Who is this King of Glory the Lord strong and mighty the Lord mighty in Battel Lift up your Heads O ye Gates even lift them up ye everlasting Doors and the King of Glory shall come in Who is this King of Glory the Lord of Hosts He is the King of Glory Selah I have now by Divine assistance according to my weak-sightedness for all Men here know but in part and as in
principle thereof Page 180 181 A soliloquium upon that Duration Page 182 The Destruction of Christs enemies Page 242 E. An Ejaculation for Grace Page 21 An Ejaculation on Christs sufferings Page 30 The sinfulness of the Eyes Page 53 The sinfulness of the Ears with a contemplation on them Page 54 Of Eternal life Page 146 The destruction of Christs Enemies Page 242 F. The Fundamental graces Page 2 The definition of Faith Page 3 The means of Faith Page 21 Christ the Son of God the object of Faith Page 22 The palsie of Fear Page 50 A contemplation on Fear Page 51 Of Forgiveness of sins Page 63 Our victory over the Fear of Death Page 132 133 The affection of Fear glorified Page 153 G. Of the understanding Glorified Page 148 Of the will Glorified Page 149 A contemplation upon them both Page 150 Of the Memory Glorified Page 150 Of the Affections Glorified Page 151 Of Love Glorified Page 151 Of Fear Glorified Page 153 A soliloquium on Love and Fear Glorified Page 155 Item an Ejaculation upon them Page 155 Of Anger Glorified Page 160 Of Joy Glorified Page 162 Of the Body Glorified Page 164 Of the Senses Glorified Page 188 The destruction of Gog and Magog and the World by fire at Christs second coming Page 243 H. Honour distinguished and defined Page 5 Many good qualities spoyled by Hypocrisie exemplyfied in Saul Page 9 Hypocrisie deciphered to the life Page 13 Historical faith Page 4 A short History of the life of Christ Page 24 25 A senceless Hard-heart most dangerous Page 43 44 Christs answer to the complaint of a hard Heart Page 76 Honour one of the worlds Darts to wound souls Page 119 Of the sense of Hearing glorified Page 199 An ejaculation upon the glorification of the sense of Hearing Page 203 I. Judas described Page 16 Infidelity the first means of Death Page 20 Joy distinguished and described Page 48 No true Joy in riches Page 48 No true Joy in honours Page 48 No true Joy in pleasures Page 48 No true Joy in humane wisdom Page 49 The consolation in Christs Intercession Page 60 Of Justification Page 62 The necessity of It Page 68 Of Imputative righteousness Page 62 The Definition and Exposition of it Page 64 Christs answer to the Soul complaining against Joy Page 81 82 Christs Kingly-Office at the last Judgment Page 139 A short Application of Comfort against fear of the last Judgment Page 142 Of Joy glorified Page 162 The Conversion of Israel Page 240 The day of Judgment beginning with the rewarding of the Saints and ending with the judging of the wicked Page 244 K. The happiness of Divine Knowledg consists mostly in Fruition Page 7 Of Christs Kingly-Office now Page 93 Kings called Pastours and the Application of it Page 96 97 Of Christs Kingly-office at the last Judgement Page 139 Of Christ Victorious Kingdom Page 242 The end of Christs Mediatory Kingdom Page 246 L. Mans natural Light is comparatively darkness Page 12 A lawful and useful Love of Self Page 16 Gods Love infinitely excels mans Page 33 The commendation and corruption of Love Page 47 Christs answer to the souls complaint against Love â—1 The commendation of Gods Laws Page 101 Lust one of the Worlds darts to wound souls Page 117 Of Life Eternal Page 146 Of the affection of Love glorified Page 151 A watch to be set on the Lips Page 233 M. Miraculous faith Page 15 Mans Misery by Nature Page 41 His Mind dark as with Egytian darkness Page 41 The earthly-minded Man the only Melancholy man Page 49 Christs answer to the poor Souls complaint against its unfaithful Memory Page 78 79 Of the Memory glorified Page 150 The end of Christs Mediatory Kingdom Page 246 N. All Natural Mysteries and the Knowledge of them shall be discovered and hightened at the Resurrection Page 149 O. An Objection that God might have confirmed man as he did the fallen Angels answered Page 68 The weak Believers Objections answered Page 73 The souls Objection it cannot hear because dead answered by Christ Page 73 The souls Objection that the expressions of Comfort in Scripture are too general answered by Christ Page 73 An Objection that professors being forbidden sensual pleasures are of all men most miserable answered Page 125 P. Poverty distinguished and deciphered Page 26 Of Christs Priestly-Office Page 57 Of his Prophetical-Office Page 70 All Revelations flows thence Page 70 A Contemplation upon it Page 70 Our Protection by Christ Page 106 Persecution one of the worlds Darts to wound profession of Religion Page 120 An Expostulation touching Persecution Page 121 Against sensual Pleasures Page 124 The forbidding sensual Pleasures doth not as the Laodicean thinks make Professors of all men most miserable Page 125 An Antidote against Persecution Page 128 The ruine of the Papacy Page 240 Q. General Questions answered 1. Why God doth not in the same instant call justifie sanctifie and glorifie his Elect 2. Why God doth not build up that wide breach which sin hath made in mans Nature Page 67 R. Imputative Righteousness defined and expounded Page 64 Proofs of our right in Christs Imputative Righteousness Page 65 Riches is one of the worlds Darts to wound souls Page 118 Proofs and comfort in the Resurrection Page 135 Of the Ruine of Rome Page 239 S. The Soul is never unimployed Page 1 The sinful use of Smelling Page 54 Of Christs Satisfaction Page 61 The Souls complaint against the Senses answered by Christ Page 88 89 The commendation of the Scriptures from the Authour Antiquity and Holiness thereof Page 101 102 103 Christs protection of us from Satan Page 107 His protection of us from Sin Page 108 109 110 111 112 Against Sensual pleasures Page 124 A Soliloquium on the affections of love fear glorified Page 155 Of the Senses glorified Page 188 Of the sense of Seeing glorified Page 195 A soliloquium upon that Sense Page 197 An ejaculation upon that Sense Page 198 Of the sense of Smelling glorified Page 210 A soliloquium upon that sense of Smelling glorified Page 213 An ejaculation upon the sense of Smelling glorified Page 214 T. Temporary faith Page 8 The sinfulness of the Taste Page 55 The sinfulness of the Touch Page 55 The souls complaint against the Tongue and Christs answer to it Page 88 89 Of the sense of Tasting glorified Page 205 A soliloquium upon the glorified sense of Tasting Page 207 An ejaculation upon it Page 209 Of the sense of Touching glorified Page 215 â—n inference whether spiritual bodies as Angels may not be Tangible by spiritual humane glorified bodies at the Resurrection Page 215 216 A soliloquium upon the Touch glorified Page 218 An ejaculation upon the Touch glorified Page 220 237 Of the Tongue glorified Page 222 A soliloquium upon the Tongue glorified Page 232 Against cursing swearing and wicked or vain Talking Page 234 The destruction of the great Turk Page 241 The binding of the Devil for a Thousand years Page 241
my words Faith without works is dead therefore follow peace with all Men and holiness without which no Man shall see God And be ye doers of the Word and not hearers only deceiving your own selves Ye know the Commandments I am the Lord thy God thou shalt have no other Gods before me 2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven Image or any likeness of any thing that is in Heaven above or that is in the Earth beneath or that is in the Water under the Earth thou shalt not bow down thy self to them nor serve them c. 3. Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain c. 4. Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy six Days shalt thou labour and do all thy work but the seventh Day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God 5. Honour thy Father and thy Mother c. 6. Thou shalt not kill 7. Thou shalt not commit Adultery 8. Thou shalt not steal 9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy Neighbour 10. Thou shall not covet thy Neighbours House c. This is the great Commandment That you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul with all your mind and with all your strength and your Neighbour as your self Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that Men should do to you do ye even so to them for this is the Law and the Prophets He that believeth and is Baptized shall be saved but he that believeth not shall be damned Verily verily I say unto you except you be born again of Water and the Spirit you cannot enter into the Kingdome of God For that which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the spirit is spirit Whoso eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternal life and I will raise him up at the last day For my flesh is meat indeed and my blood is drink indeed He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me and I in him As the living Father hath sent me and I live by the Father so he that eateth me even he shall live by me I am the Bread of Life that came down from Heaven not as the Fathers did eat and are dead He that eateth this Bread shall live for ever What though I am ascended where I was before It is the spirit that quickneth the flesh profiteth nothing the words that I speak unto you are spirit and they are life I the Lord Jesus took Bread and blessed it and gave it to my Disciples and said Take eat this is my body And I took the Cup and gave thanks and gave it to them saying Drink ye all of it For this is my blood of the new Testament which is shed for many for the remission of sins This do in remembrance of me For as often as ye eat this Bread and drink this Cup you shew my Death till I come Lay up my word in your heart and in your soul And you shall teach them your Children speaking of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way when you lye down and when you rise up And you shall write them upon the Door-posts of your houses and upon your Gates That your days may be prolonged and the days of your Children in the Land as the dayes of Heaven upon Earth Blessed are ye that read and hear my words my Sheep hear my voice Yea blessed are they that hear my word and keep it Let every one of you be swift to hear slow to wrath If any of you hear my voice and open the door I will come in to him and will sup with him and he with me Wherefore he that hath Eares to hear let him hear My Mother and Brethren are ye that hear the Word of God and do it Be ye that good ground who with honest and good hearts having heard my word keep it and bring forth fruit with patience Let not the Book of my Law my Word depart out of your mouth but you shall meditate therein day and night that you may observe to do according to all that is written therein for then shall you make your way prosperous then shall you have good success Meditate also of all my works Pray without ceasing And when you pray say Our Father which art in Heaven c. Also after this manner pray ye Ask and it shall be given you seek and ye shall finde Knock and it shall be opened unto you Whatsoever ye ask the Father in my Name according to his will he will give it unto you Therefore be careful for nothing but in every thing by Prayer and Supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God But ask in faith nothing wavering And when you pray enter into your Closet and when you have shut your Door pray to the Father which is in secret and your Father who seeth in secret shall reward you openly Obey them that have the rule over you and submit your selves for they watch for your souls as they that must give an account that they may do it with joy and not with grief for that is unprofitable for you Moreover if your Brother shall trespass against any of you go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone if he shall hear thee thou hast gained thy Brother But if he will not hear thee then take with thee one or two more that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established And if he shall neglect to hear them tell it unto the Church but if he neglect to hear the Church let him be unto thee as an Heathen Man and a Publican Verily I say unto you whatsoever my Church shall bind on Earth shall be bound in Heaven and whatsoever they shall loose on Earth shall be loosed in Heaven I gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry for the edifying of my Body Let the Elders that Rule well be counted worthy of your double honour especially they that labour in word and doctrine Also they that have used the Office of a Deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree and great boldness in the faith which is in me Repent ye and be converted that your sins may be blotted out Be afflicted and mourn and weep humble your selves in my sight and I will lift you up Can Man
with thy Neighbours Wife to defile thy self with her The Adulterer and Adulteress shall surely be put to death Be not deceived neither Fornicators nor Idolaters nor Adulterers nor Effeminate nor abusers of themselves with Man-kind shall inherit the Kingdome of God Mortifie your Members which are upon the Earth fornication uncleanness inordinate affection evil concupiscence For which things sake the wrath of God cometh on the Children of disobedience And commit not Fornication as some of the Israelites committed and fell in one Day three and twenty thousand Without the new Jerusalem are Whoremongers who shall have their part in the Lake which burneth with Fire which is the second Death Out of the heart proceeds evil thoughts which are an abomination to the Lord. Wherefore hate all vain thoughts Let them not lodg within you for the thought of foolishness is sin I understand your thoughts afar off and am a discerner of the thoughts and intents of your hearts Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouths but that which is good to the use of edifying that it may minister grace to the hearers But fornication and all uncleanness let it not be once named amongst you as becometh Saints Neither filthiness nor foolish talking nor jesting which are not convenient but rather giving of thanks For because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the Children of disobedience Be not therefore partakers with them I say unto you every idle word that Men shall speak they shall give account thereof at the Day of Judgment For by thy words thou shalt be justified and by thy words thou shalt be condemned Whosoever looketh upon a Woman to lust after her hath committed Adultery with her already in his heart Wherefore with holy Job make a Covenant with thine Eyes that thou think not upon a Maid to lust after her For when thy Eye is evil thy Body also is full of darkness The Eyes of the wicked shall faile But chiefly them that walk after the Flesh in the lust of uncleanness Having Eyes full of Adultery and that cannot cease from sin and are reserved to the Day of Judgment to be punished and to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever The Night is far spent the Day is at hand therefore cast ye off the works of Darkness and put on the Armour of Light walking honestly as in the Day not in rioting and drunkenness not in Chambering and wantonness But put ye on me the Lord Jesus Christ and make not provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof For if ye live after the flesh ye shall die but if ye through the Spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live Let not Sathan who is a lyar from the beginning and the Father of lyes fill your hearts to sin against the Holy Ghost who is the Spirit of truth that ye be not strucken with sudden Death as was Ananias and Saphira Ye shall not lye one unto another but every one speak the truth with his Neighbour For ye are Members one of another For I will destroy them that speak leasing and the mouth that speaketh lies shall be stopped The Earth mourneth and fadeth away the World languisheth and fadeth away the haughty People of the Earth do languish the Earth also is defiled under the Inhabitants thereof because they have transgressed the Laws changed the Ordinance broken the everlasting Covenant I am the Mediator of the new Covenant sealed unto you in my Sacraments of Baptisme and my Supper Tread not then under foot the Son of God nor count the blood of my Covenant wherewith ye are sanctified an unholy thing nor do despight unto my Spirit of grace For vengeance is mine I will recompence yea I will judge my people It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God When thou vowest a vow unto God defer not to pay it for he hath no pleasure in fools Pay that which thou hast vowed The Lord thy God will surely require it of thee and it would be sin in thee That which is gone out of thy Lips thou shalt keep and perform to God and to Men lest thou be excluded my holy Hill and suffer alike Judgement with King Zedekiah for shall he escape that doth such things Or shalâ— he break the Covenant and be delivered Surely where the King dwelleth that made him King whose Oath he despised and whosâ— Covenant he break even with him in the midest of Babilon shall he die Thou shalt not desire thy Neighbours Wife neither shalt thou covet thy Neighbours House his Field or his Man servant or his Maid-servant his Oxe or his Ass or any thing that iâ— thy Neighbours Woe unto him that covered an evil covetousness to his House that he maâ— set his Nest on high that he may be delivereâ— from the power of evil He that maketh haâ— to be rich shall not be innocent No covetouâ— Man who is an Idolater hath any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and of God Take heed and beware of Covetousness For woe unto him that buildeth his House by unrighteousness and his Chambers by wrong Beware of Ahab's sin and his punishment No Man can serve two Masters for either he will hate the one and love the other or else he will hold to the one and despise the other Ye cannot serve God and Mammon Therefore I say unto you take no thought for your Life what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink nor yet for your body what ye shall put on Is not the life more than meat and the body than rayment For after all these things the Gentiles seek for your Heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things Wherefore having food and rayment be therewith content for I have said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee They that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and hurtful lusts which drown Men in destruction and perdition for the love of money is the root of all evil which while some coveted after they have erred from the faith and pierced themselves through with many sorrows Wherefore love not the World nor the things that are in the World if any Man love the World the love of the Father is not in him There is that scattereth and yet increaseth and there is that with-holdeth more than is meet and yet tendeth to poverty The liberal Soul shall be made fat and he that watereth shall be watered also himself There is an evil which I have seen under the Sun and
that laugh now for ye shall mourn and weep For your miseries that shall come upon you Your riches are corrupted and your Garments are Moth-eaten your Gold and Silver is cankered and the rust of them shall be a witness against you and shall eat your flesh as it were Fire ye have lived in pleasure on the Earth and been wanton ye have nourished your hearts as in a Day of slaughter Behold the Judge standeth before the Door and my coming draweth nigh when all such shall receive the reward of unrighteousness As they that count it pleasuâ—e to riot in the Day time and living in pleasure are dead whilst they are alive Spots they are and blemishes sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you feeding themselves without fear Clouds they are without Water Trees whose fruit withereth without fruit twice dead plucked up by thee roots Raging Waves of the Sea foaming our their own shame wandring Stars to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever Beloved remember the words which were spoken before of my Apostle who told you there should be mockers in these last times who should walk after their own ungodly lusts These be they who separate themselves sensual having not the Spirit Lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God These are those scoffers in these last days walking after their own lust and saying Where is the promise of his coming For since the Fathers fell asleep all things continue as they were from the beginning of the Creation Let us eat and drink for to morrow we shall die For as in the Days that were before the Flood they were eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage and knew not until the Flood came and took them all away so shall also my coming be Watch therefore and pray lest ye fall into temptation For you know not what hour your Lord doth come Therefore be you ready for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of Man cometh But if with that evil Servant you shall say in your hearts my Lord deferreth his coming and shall smite your fellow-Servants and eat and drink with the drunken I will come in an hour which you are not aware of and cut you asunder and appoint you your portion with the Hypocrites there shall be weeping and gnashing of Teeth Solomon the Preacher the Son of David King of Israel was great and increased more than all that were before him in Jerusalem who kept not from his Eyes whatsoever they desired and with-held not his Heart from any joy For his Heart rejoyced in all his Labours whose wisdome also remained with him when he looked on all the works that his Hands had wrought and the Labour he had laboured to do as is before at large enumerated by him makes this acknowledgment Behold All is Vanity and Vanity of Vanities and Vexation of Spirit and there was no profit under the Sun Therefore love not the World nor the things of the World For all that is in the World the Lust of the Flesh the Lust of the Eyes and the Pride of Life is not of the Father but iâ— of the World And the World passeth away and the Lusts therefore but he that doth the will of God abideth for ever Be ye not weary of well-doing for in due season you shall reap if ye faint not He that soweth to the Flesh shall of the Flesh reaâ— Corruption But he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting Are there any so foolish as to begin in the Spirit and to think to be made perfect in the Flesh If any Man have run well let none hinder you that you should nor obey the truth Remember Lot's Wife No Man having put his Hand to the Plough and looking back is fit for the Kingdome of God If any Man draw back my Soul shall have no pleasure in him But ye are not of them that draw back unto Perdition but of them that believe unto the saving of the Soul The back-slider shall be filled with his own ways but a good Man shall be satisfied from himself Let back-sliding Children return and I will heal their back-slidings and will love them freely When the unclean Spirit is gone out of a Man he walketh through dry places seeking rest and findeth none Then he faith I will return unto my House from whence I came out and when he is come he findeth it empty swept and garnished Then goeth he and taketh with himself seven other Spirits more wicked than himself and they enter in and dwell there And the last state of that Man is worse than the first For if after Men have escaped the pollutions of the World through the knowledge of Me the Lord and Saviour they are again intangled therein and overcome the latter end is worse with them than the beginning For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness then after they have known it to turn from the holy Commandements delivered unto them But it is happened unto them according to the true Proverb The Dog is turned to his own Vomit again And the Sow that was washed to her wallowing in the Mire I am the Vine ye are the Brances he that abideth in Me and I in him bringeth forth much fruit for without me ye can do nothing If a Man abide not in me he is cast out as a Branch and is withered and Men gather them and they are cast into the Fire and they are burned As the Father hath loved me so have I loved you continue you in my love If ye continue in my Word then are ye my Disciples indeed And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free Whoso looketh into the perfect Law of Liberty and continueth therein he being not a forgetful Hearer but a doer of the work this Man shall be blessed in his deed I am the Lord the hope of Israel all that forsake Me shall be ashamed and they that depart from Me shall be written in the Earth because they have forsaken me the Lord the Fountain of living Waters But he that endureth unto the end shall be saved If any Man see his Brother sin a sin which is not unto Death he shall ask and I will give him life for them that sin not unto Death There is a sin unto Death I do not say that he shall pray for it For it is impossible for those who were once enlightned and have tasted of the Heavenly Gift and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost and have tasted the good Word of God and the Powers of the
Ejaculation or Hymn upon the foregoing Subject O Blest Creator let my first Birth be A Figure of my second Birth to thee Sooner than many others 'T was thy grace That fir'd my heart during my youthful race And caus'd me seek the free refreshing Gales Of thy blest Spirit to cool and fill the Sailes Of its desires That from the noisome Wombe And dark some Jaile of Sin I might become A free-born Son to thee and change my place This Earth for Heaven the Birth of Sin for Grace 'T was thy free-love which did desire to see Blest Parent thy own Image born in Me. That pour'd clean Water on me washt away My Natures Blood and stench and didst allay My shivering doubts and feares by putting on Thy Lambs warm Skin the Imputation Of thy Sons righteousness that from that heat A life of grace might spring and be compleat Lord since thou mightest have made my Grave in Wombe Or by miscarrying cloâ—'d me in my Tombe Or made my life through sin a living Death A treasury of wrath Let my new Birth And life bring forth to thee the thankful fruit Of holiness So shall I Retribute Thy own in my poor Mite and to thy praise Live thankfulness sincerely all my Days Amen ARGUMENT The REMEMBRANCER A Psalm for the Lord's Day Being my thankful acknowledgment of the Lord 's many Mercies to me in my Formation and Beeing LOrd who giv'st in mercy great A seventh Day to meditate On thy works of Creation Give me grace to think upon Thy great goodness unto me Who didst bring From a nothing Me a something for to be Next that me thou hast not made As frail Flowers which quickly fade Nor a Toad a Dog a Swine Or a Creature Serpentine But a Beeing rational Fit to see And to know thee Great Creator of us all That I was no Innocent Organ-less Deficient Nor a Monster from my Birth Void of shape a shame to Earth Thus and worser had I been But thy love Was far above Such thy just reward of sin Thou art he that gav'st me light In a Land made free from night Of dark Antichristian Mists Pagans and Mahometists Where poor Infants with their breath Sucking are Infectious Air Live a Life far worse than Death Here thou didst unto me give In thy life new life to live Where so many love the Night And with Owles do hate the Light Yea like Fish in Jordan's streams Swim with ease Into dead Seas Sleep and perish in false Dreams Wherefore Lord upon thy Day I will praise thy Name for aye Till thy second Sabbath blest Gives to me Eternal Rest Where from World Sin Sathan free I shall ring And sweetly sing Hallelujah's out to thee ARGUMENT Vpon God's gracious deliverance of me from the Infection of the Plague when being a Childe I was present in my Nurses Hand at the Bed-side of one that was sick and dyed thereof whereby many of that Town were infected and dyed Soliloquium or Discourse CHaritable Visits to our Neighbours many times prove uncharitable to our selves such proved this of my self Nurse and others to the sick Bed of the Vicar of the Town by which the Inhabitants were infected and many of his Parishioners followed him not only to but into the Grave whereof many were Children Plants of my Age and standing Cruel Death as an Enemy to time and Man-kinde Saturn-like delighting to devour tender Babes as well as aged Men which his enmity our good God converts to our good that so being fore-warn'd we might be fore-arm'd and alwayes prepared to encounter him as being both the most certain and the uncertain Adversaâ—y O my Soul hath Death often by sickness and danger shaken thy Glass and lest Summons and Suppenaes at thy Door and hath the great Numberer of thy Sands and Days from time to time sent thee Repreeves with King Phillip's Motto written on the back-side of them Mortalis es Is more than three Quarters of thy Years of Life posted away in Childhood Youth Man-hood sin and vanity O let the small remainder with Solomon be thy Ecclesiastes to preach this his experimental truth to thy Children and all following Generations Vanity of Vanities all is Vanity and vexation of Spirit that so thou despising all things under the Sun mayst soar aloft and enjoy that only chief good that is above the Sun thy God in Christ blessed for ever to whom in a thankful remembrance of this great signal and primitive mercy and deliverance I humbly present this following Ejaculation and thanks-giving The ANTIDOTE Ejaculation or Hymn upon the former Subject FIâ— lazie Soul shall the Idolaters give Vnto dead Marbles praise and wilt thou live Vnthankful Shall God's Instrument thy Tongue Be tun'd to folly not unto his Song When in thy Youth an ignorant charity Led thee into Death's ambush He stood bie Could else one and the same infectious breath Preserâ—e thy Life which brought to others Death O in this mercy greater mercies see Death swallowing others swallow'd up of thee Lord since in dangers thou new life didst give Let Souls anew as well as Bodies live That fill'd with praise faith hope and fervent love Heart Tongue may bless thee here my Soul above Amen ARGUMENT Vpon a dangerous fall from a Horse when I was a Childe whereby I received three hurts one in the Head another in the Arme and a third in the Leg and upon God's mercy in my recovery thereof Soliloquium or Discourse SInful falls are a just cause of falls under Judgments my first fall in Adam could my Childhood have pleaded innocency as to all other deserved not only this but that which is infinitely worse a remediless fall into Hell The indulgency of my Parents in satisfying my childish desires and my too early venturousness together with the much mettle and ill qualities of my Horse were the external occasion of this my sad disaster which left me not only on the ground and cruelly hurt but for a time senseless and only fit to be carried in a Coach unto my Fathers House whose loving care prepared not only one to set my dislocated Bones but applyed Balsomes unto my wounds by which means through God's mercy I obtained health strength and a perfect recovery YOVTHS EMBLEME Ejaculation or Hymn upon the former Subject O Gracious God and Father let my sense Be spiritualiz'd and from each Providence As Bees from Flowers suck sweetness then I shall Praise thee for greater mercies by this Fall Which was from thee a milde Correction For Adam's and my own Transgression For hadst thou judg'd severely I had fell Not only from my Horse but into Hell O Lord me thinks by this sad fall and fate Thou mind'st me of my Vnregenerate State When I indulg'd my will and rid upon A wanton Steed my loose affection Which gave me many falls wounded my Head My Reason-Faculties yea left me Dead And hurt in Arm and Leg senceless and mad Vnfit to act or walk
forgotten Goodness and Mercy The LAMENTATION Ejaculation or Hymn upon the former Subject BRight Eye of Heaven how doth thine Ire From a smooth Brow dart forth thy Fire No Tropicks bound thy torred Zone Since Britains know no temperate one Why doth those living rayes which grace Thy Tellus brow now scorch her Face No Saturn thou yet the same heats Which gave thy off-spring life retreates Them into Death and makes them have Within themselves a wither'd Grave See how black Clouds of dust arise To blear thy Beames because the Skies Have none In Sack-cloath see thy Queen Sits having laid aside her green Her Spring-paint gone wrinkles appeares And shews her Ag'd five thousand Years Art thou not jealous for to see Thy love lye nak't forc Company Or art thou Spanioliz'd and would Through these new Inlets spie out Gold Doth Hell keep Jubill and desires Thee to shine there with lightsome Fires See Troopes of Blades whose strength did keep Whole Cities Townships scarce dare peep Or shew in Field yea in these feares Some not offending lose their Eares Whole Rivers scarce thy thirst doth bound Whilst Springs their heads hide under ground Tell me is Phaeton in place Or Daphne hath thy Twelve Moneths Race Fir'd thy Axtell for didst thou fear Our Springs hive would out-brave thy Sphear But whence this brightning hark my moan Is answer'd by a Thunders groan Wrath through that Planet burns Earth Skies Men's barren Hearts assimuliz's The Application and Petition DRead Lord I tremble and now see The cause of this Catastrophie Leaves had the Figg-Tree were prun'd Yet fruitless Vines yea like untun'd Instruments whose Notes do jar And only Briefs and Minnums are Of goodness full of stops which lie And discord makes not harmony Were the Microcosmes on which Thy love hath shin'd with a most rich Influx yet we thy Graces dew Dry up and lose both fruit and hue Lord let thy show'rs on both Worlds fall So shall thy Sun not scortch but all Things fructuate On us rain blood No evil Omen this but good On that unbowel Clouds of Rain So shall both Spring grow green again Yea once more Blood and Water shall Witness on Earth thy Peace to all Rivers shall flow then in each Place And to both prove the streames of Grace Blest Sp'rit upon these Waters move That both may yield Thee fruit praise love And those dry Chaps that want a Tongue Shall sing a close unto this Song Amen A thanksgiving for Rain after the forementioned great Drought Anno 1637 1638 1639. ARGUMENT The God that heareth Prayer heard ours And pitty seems to weep in showers The Shewer of Mercy MErcy If peace 'twixt Heaven and Vs Tell me why roars his Cannon thus Why do I hear where e're I come The Warlike Wings strike up their Drum Seest thou that Row so vastly bent As if the Centers point it meant To split through us that by one Doom The World might fall into its Tomb Or Chaos May be through Earths heart Nature two counter-poles World dart Because as some think she 's decay'd Her Poles worn out or over-way'd No drooping Soul that thunders noise Is Justice murmur 'cause my voice Prevailes with God The other sound Musters up Troops of blessings round The Orb. As for the threatning Bow It 's my Triumphant Arch no woe Portending since he means no harm Who turns the Bowes horns from his Arm. Witness those orient streaks which are The Ensigns of Earths Peace not War Since then the string is in thy power Dart up by force of love a shewer Of praise then by that Jacob's scale Let thy Soul mount with a fresh gale Take Heaven by force no danger fear 'T is freedome to be Captiv'd there Earths Jubily TEll me my Soul when did the Skies So become Morning to all Eyes Were ever teares so timely shed As these which strangely raise the Dead Mercy now puts on Justice Gown And smiles under the old Worlds frown Dame Earth grown frolick now attires Her front with liquid Pearls and desires To feast the Creatures by her lie Clear mirrons for to dress her by Young Hairs she busheth forth to hide Her baldness and like Autumes Bride Hath over her by Spike-men born A Canopie of swelling Corn. The Springs invited but she grown Feavereth to Southern Climes was gone For health yet presents her Queen By Proxie with a suit of green With which Earth spreads her lap and sets Thereon her fruits and delicates The feasts prepar'd then in each place Let us before we eat say Grace The Thanksgiving GOod God such a new World as this Deserves a second Genesis To preach thy power and love which thrice Hath made our health a Paradice O give us innocency too So place and blessing shall anew Through Christ by right of re-intaile Be ours and ours till Issue faile Lord make all Heads Fountains all Eyes Limbicks distilling like the Skies Through heat of love a weeping Rain Let hearts like Earth grow soft again So shall such mutual Harmony Shew grace as sin works sympathy And to thee Lord this truth return That Mercy melts though Justice burn Witness Earth Heaven my Heart Eyes Pen May they thus ever melt Amen ARGUMENT Vpon God's merciful restoring me to health and graciously supporting and comforting me in a fearful Agony and Apprehension of Death by reason of a dangerous Cough which caused me to spit Blood Soliloquium or Discourse AS Pride War and Contention are the ungrateful Off-spring of Peace and Plenty so are sickness and affliction the succeeding and unhappy Daughters of health and prosperity This is not only my Observation but Experiment As having the fresh Spring of my Youth after an Halcion calme and time of health on a suddain turned almost into an Autumn or Fall of that leavy beauty and greenness which my Body which is but a Tree inverted was adorned with and that by an unexpected and dangerous Spout or Cattar of Rhumetick Rain seconded with a fearful Hurricane or Thunder-storm of a rending Cough which had not God been very gracious had undoubtedly â—ink both the Pilot and Vessel my Soul and Body I pumping out through the Lungs much Water and Blood But with the Marriners in Jonah's Ship or rather with Jonah in the Whales Belly I cryed and prayed unto my God even in this Agony and preluge of Death his Serjeant wherein Pompa mortis magis â—erret quam mors ipsa As an addition to these my inward fears and terrors arising from my dangerous condition was the apprehension of my Arch Enemy and Accuser Sathan preparing and ready to prefer at the Bar of Divine Justice a long Role and Inditement of my great offences attested too by my own Conscience which is more than a thousand witnesses as also the legal and just punishment of them Hell Eternal Death and Torment I say again with all humble and reiterated thankfulness I then petitioned my
recovery by thy blessing upon the Medicine of a poor Widdow even after that the utmost endeavours of a skilful Doctor proved uneffectual The fifth and last dangerous encounter was with another Pursivant of Death a second painful and perilsome Ague From this Ague also after three very accute fits thou gavest me a happy and healthful recovery Lord what shall I render unto thee for these five most gracious recoveries and as it were new lives And for thy deliverance from many other lesser Distempers Yea what have I to return unto thee since all I am is thine and all my most spiritual Sacrifices are lame weak and sickly Lord although such were forbidden under the Law yet under thy Gospel we have a great High Priest which takes away the iniquity and infirmity of our holy things in whom thou hast declared even from Heaven that thou art well pleased with us And who is that compassionate Physician that came not to heal the whole but the sick Blessed Saviour heal now the infirmities of my Soul as thou hast done these of my Body That according to thy promise the dumb may sing and the lame may skip as the Lamb Yea open thou my Lips and my Mouth shall shew forth thy praise O Lord God what is Man that thou visistest him or the Son of Man that thou regardest him That as a Father and Nurse thou shouldest watch over us from Morning to Night and from Night to Morning That the left hand of thy gracious providence should be alwayes under my head and that the right hand of thy unchangeable and fervent love should continually imbrace me That thou shouldest lead me to Heaven by the Gates of Hell That thou shouldest wound me that thou mightest heal me Humble me that thou mightest exalt me That thou shouldest exercise me with sickness to teach me how to overcome Death The height and summ total of all sicknesses O for ever blessed be thy Name that gives me not only believingly but practically and feelingly to seal the truth of that cordial Word that saith That tribulation brings forth patience and patience experience and experience hope which makes us not ashamed Wherefore my heart which thou hast enlarged my lips which thou hast opened and my life which thou hast thus often renewed through Grace doth praise thee this Day for these and all others thy great Mercies and desires to perpetuate my thankful acknowledgment in this and the following Memorial to all Generations Amen The BETHESDA Ejaculation or Hymn on the former Subject TRue is that Axiome since the Curse Best things corrupted become worse Than others which are less refin'd By Man and Angels fall we find This truth confirm'd yea our best meatâ— Putrified are Diseases Seats Hence came my Surfeit by that food That pleas'd my tast was sweet and good This tempted me to an Excess That alwayes brings forth Putridâ—ess Which Nature striving to cast out By Vomit made me sick throughout This first assault Thou Lord withstood Of Death thus withering my Bud Of Childhood And by Friends advice Purg'd out my sickness and its rice Restoring health to me and joy To Parents grieved by my annoy All sins a surfeit and abuse Of what is good through our misuse A Lust rebelling to Excess And yet a want of Holiness Lord Vomit Purge me and supplie Thy Grace so shall I live not die Man's Life from Birth doth hasten on Towards Death by a Consumption Of moisture Radical like Lights We wast this Oyl by burning bright But Rheums and Coughs accession Addes Wings to Dissolution Such was my state for many Years Which ballanc't me 'twixt hopes and feares Vntil in Mercy thou though'st good To blesâ— the means drie up this Flood Of Mall-concocted humors So That it no more my Earth o're-flow O Lord the streames that drown'd my Soul Are wicked Lusts let Grace controle This Deluge lest it more and more Consume thy radicating store That Body Soul restor'd again May be it 'h full of Grace not wain As Art by Succors Forcers mount Waters upon a like accompt Rheum pumping Coughs raise it and Aire Above out of their place Hence are Those stiches pains and Plurisies Which us indanger and Disease Such was the cause such the effect Of my third sickness whose Aspect Prefigur'd and made way for Death By Stitches Coughs shortness of breath Yea all one Night to add to pain Thunders did roar and Lightnings flame When thus upon thy wrack I lay Lord thou didst turn my Night to Day And answered from thy glorious Throne My prayers teares my sighs and groans And blâ—st weak means refresht my Soul And on a suddain made me whole A wonder next a Miracle Was this my quick recovery Which merits Lord a Pyramid A Trophy that cannot be hid Of praise That Saints in after Days May bless love trust in thee alwayes Lord frothy Distillations Lustful Inflammations Shorten still thy Spirits breath Threatning to me a worser Death By pricks of Conscience and Heart grief O give unto my Soul relief Dry up O Lord these Springs of sin That do obstruct thy breathings in My sickly Soul Let Conscience be Freed from its pains as cleans'd by thee So shall my Soul and Body live And to Thee living praises give The Bodies Earth-quake Agues are Shaking us like a pent-up Aire Then breaking forth through our Earths pores It casts out Flames and Waters store Imbalming us with sweat as 't were To fit us for our Sepulchre Such was my two last Sicknesses Deaths prelude and a long recess Of Health which no Court-Pagentry Could flatter for to stay with me Nor yet my Office which transfer I did to God's Commissioner An all-controling Ague which Like the Familiar of a Witch Did haunt me at set-hours each Day At first till Mercy did allay And to each other chang'd my fit Lest I should be burnt up by it Here sometimes I as frozen lay Shaking for cold as Seamen say Those do neer the North pole Anon Burnt up as one i' th torrid Zone For eight Hours space at whose retreat I almost drowned was with sweat Thus alternative cold and heat Predominant were in the same seat And subject So the Scriptures tell Sinners tormented are in Hell Where weeping wailing gnashing Teeth Shew cold and heat and easless grief Out of this Aguish Hell in which I twice was cast some Years betwixt I cryed with David Jonah Then Thou savest me as thou did'st them Wherefore as they so I will bless Thee in my Heart Tongue Life and Verse O Lord I have since Life began Been sick of a Quotidian Which sometime doth me greatly shake With faithless fears which makes me quake Anon mad Anger boyles my blood Breaths out ill humors like a Flood O purge out quite this Malady And passions tune to Harmony So shall such holy temp'rament Give health to both with sweet content And fear
thus sp'rit'aliz'd shall bring No trembling but what 's good 'gainst sin Yea Anger sanctified shall still Burn up and cast out what is ill ARGUMENT Vpon my sight of a dead Corps and the Contemplation that Death is the Compleatment of all Diseases and therefore will be the Lord knows how soon notwithstanding those my former Recoveries my last and incurable Sickness but not my Conquerer since Death is swallowed up in Victory Soliloquium or Discourse WHat a lively Moniter is this dead Carkass the Daily News of Mortality hath not moved me so much as the fight of this one Trophy of Death Reports deliver things by whole sayle and from others when the Eye more feelingly gathers a truth from many particulars as being its own Judge Witness and Informer The common sounds of Death Posts through our Eares without any stop whereas the Spectacle thereof by a self-application Innes even in our Hearts The distressed Soul being fled unbodied unhoused and the battered Citadel surrendered into the Enemies possession Loe how the Successors of sin do Patrizare trampling upon these mud Walls and demolishing this Mansion of Clay The Luminaries of the Body which used to shine with a living brightness like the Gelly of a sliding Meteor lyâ— now intombed in darkness And that ruddy hue which gave the name of flesh to this whited Earth hath either changed its colour or its place Every particular Member hath now left off its motion and rests manacled in a long and a breathless sleep Yea the whole Body is made ready for its Burial lies imbalmed in a cold sweat It 's better to be in the House of Mourning than of Mirth to be humble than secure whil'st my Eye amazedly wanders over these dead Limbs methinks in them I view the true Anatomy of my own fate and read in pale Characters that immutable Decree It is appointed to all Men once to dye O Lord since this is thy will and the Law of Nature give me grace to seek out my Enemy rather than suffer my Enemy to seek out me that so my preparation may lessen both my fear and danger Since the suddain assault of ambushments annoy more than the open force of pitched Battails and the unexpectedness of death's approach terrifies and hurts more than his merciless Dart Wherefore let me dye Daily with Saint Paul that when I cease to dye I may begin to live rather than dye but once and ever with the rich Glutton in the Gospel The light of the Body is the Eye and the Eye of the Soul is Faith the one of these I must lose the other I may lose O Lord which only givest light in darkness grant that when I cease to see Vanity I may begin to view thee not through a fleshly perspective as now but spiritually in a far more excellent manner And when my Soul is divested of these Rags of Flesh and freed from her dull and sleeping Earth shall appear naked in thy Presence Cloath her with the Robes of beauty and glory as having already given her a new Name the Wedding Garment the best Robe that so when Death shall be swallowed up in Victory and the numberless automes of my dust through thy power new-molded into a Body my Soul may make a re-entry from which incorruptible and inseparable Union of Parts may proceed an Eternal perfection of Immortality and Glory Amen The TRYVMPH A Corolary Poem on the former Subject OVt-face me not Grim Death as though thy hate Ingraved in this dead Corps could make my fate Vnhappy bright Mettals ag'd with rust Are polisht best by fretting them with dust And the Refiner melts with Fire his Ore To make it purer than it was before What though a poisonous Wasp thou art as Eved Of putrid matter Death by Christ is dead Or if that Natures Lyon still thou be A Sampson's Lyon sure thou art to me Tryumph not then so proudly o're this dust As though it was not laid up here in trust Nor vainly think that this sad Chaos can Make me believe no Life because no Man Bodies are but the Souls Seat which in case She leaves we live still though we change the place The naked Grain which from the Seeds-Man's hand Falls to be buried i' th furrow'd Land Corrupts then Springs in a new forme So we Once Mortal put on Immortality Thou being but God's Chinick to reverse Man to his first Materials that his Herse May be a Phoenix Nest from whence shall rise When our Sun shines a Bird of Paradize The CIRCLE Another Corolary Poem of Mortality TEll me fond Man what Joy thou hast In Courting Pleasures or to tast These Earthly vain delights since all Add but degrees unto thy fall No sooner Nature hath begun and done Her work in thee but it 's undone Ripe Years no sooner calls thee Man But Age makes thee a Babe again Thus Circular is Mans course our Birth Derived from Dust returns to Earth Being only Statutes made of Clay Once to be viewed then thrown away Experimental Figures wherein Features Are drawn thereby to Limn out rarer Creatures ARGUMENT Vpon God's merciful Preservation of Me and my Family in health in a time of a General Sickness and Mortality which broke forth under the Vsurpation of Oliver Cromwell Soliloquium or Discourse NAtions in the Holy Scriptures are compared to Seas which have their Calmes and Stormes their Ebbes and Flowings So these have their Peace and War health and sickness in a continual Vicissitude O that these changes would prepare us for our last great certain and yet uncertain Change England and I in England bear witness to all this as having seen and experimented its truth particularly that of health and sickness when of a suddain as in the Dream of Pharaoh's Kine our flourishing health was devoured by lean and macerating Diseases Wherefore let us humbly acknowledge that the Lord alone Raigns in Heaven and in Earth that he wounds and heals he bringeth down to the Grave and raiseth up and that to God the Lord belongs the Issues of Death O Almighty Saviour thou art not only stiled in Scripture The Lord and General of animate but also of animate Hosts As of the Stars Hail Snow and of Diseases which last sort of thy Militia during his Rule that ambitiously called himself our Protector I saw quarâ—ered under thy Sergeant Major Death's Colours for many Moneths in the Towns and Houses round about my Habitation During all which time thou O Lord didst most graciously give to me and my whole Family a Protection from these troublesome and unwelcome Guests Blessing us all with a happy and un-interrupted health O most liberal and bountiful God and Father singular favours such as this calls for from me singular praises and acknowledgments since not any goodness in us above our Neighbours caused this distinguishing mercy For we were and are sinful beyond others but
Mercies and Deliverances O Lord thy many favours have so indebted me that I am a Bankrupt and unable to repay Wherefore I humbly beseech thee to seize upon all that I am and have to thy use and service yea nail my Ear to the Door of thy House that I may be thy Servant for ever so shall I still be a great gainer for thy service is perfect freedom And I had rather with King David be a Door-keeper in thy House than to dwell in the Tents of Wickedness or to sit upon the Thrones of the KINGS of the Earth Gracious God and Father let me not here forget that when thou didst thus frequently preserve us from the Infection of this Disease thou didst then at several times deliver from Death and dis-figuring Eleven of our Children even when some of them were in great danger thereof by this Malady Lord are my Children living Images and legible transcripts of my self yea self-multiplyed Then surely their Reprieves from Death and danger is mine and so to be acknowledged by me Wherefore in all Gratitude I offer them up to Thee as living Sacrifices of Praise Humbly intreating that my Sons and Daughters may be thine here in all fillial Obedience and that thou wilt please to be mine my Wife and Childrens Portion in this thy Kingdom of Grace and our Eternal Inheritance in thy Kingdom of Glory Amen The HOVSE of CORRECTION A Corolary Poem on the former Subject COme hither proud white Clay and sadly view Pride plum'd of all her Feathers in her new Denuded of her Silks and Sattins Webs of Worms Imbroideries Tissues and her rich Perfumes Her precious Jewels Pearles Her Lovers pawnes Her o're-fine Hollands Cambricks Cobweb-lawnes Her Flanders Lace all which poor Tenants wrack She carrying Farmes yea Mannors on her back This is that Day that fearful Malady In and by which the sinful Bravery Of Zion's Daughters shall be tain away As saith the Lord Their Ornaments most gay Tinklings about their Feet their Cawles round Tires Much like the Moon their Chaines Bracelets Attires Call'd Mufflers Bonnets Adornments of Legs Their Head-bands Tablets and those other dregs Of Pride their Ear-Rings and Nose-Jewels Rings Their divers sorts of Clothing Mantles Crisping-Pins Wimples fine Linnen Glasses Hoods and Vailes And whatsoever fills Prides swelling Sayles Tell me ye vaunting Nebuchadnezars Proud Herods and ambitious Caesars Ye painted Jesabels Herodiases False Delilahs and unchast Bernices Of our worst times What will you trembling say When Sergeant Pox arrests you And that Day Confines you to your Chambers binds you fast Vnto your sickly Beds long time then cast You into Burnings like to Hell next spots Your Body like a Toad confounds besots Your mind and senses makes you speechless lie Extending Tongue and Throat to strangling nie Shuts up your Eyes with Scabs denies your sight As clowding quite its Medium the Light Next he scalds-off your Absalon-like Hair That hath so oft been wanton with the Aire And nobler Creatures swells your Head and Face Big like your mindes and the Gigantick race Covers your Face with a corrupted Mud Which eats out your Complexion all that 's good And least it should a Resurrection have He buries it in Pits as in a Grave Yea your whole Body he scurffs o're with Scabs To teach you Pride shall cloth'd be with such Rags Lord hast thou me preserv'd unto this Day And my Consort from this deform'd Hidra Of pain and evils this Complication Of Maladies to Admiration Yea when thou Four and Six times visited Mine and her dwelling freely ransomed Eleven Children from dis-figuring Although the fruit of theirs and of my sin Who have been and still am most apt to be Guilty and sick of Pride Idolatrie As to all Gifts and Graces Children Wife House Land and other good things of this Life Which are thy Tallents put into my Hand To use and to repay at thy Command Not mine who now can nothing call my own But sin and its wages Hell Death Corruption O Lord accept my thankful heart thy Gift Which I return with Eyes and Hands up lift For thy Protections Ten-fold Antidote 'Gainst these infections ne're to be forgot Wherefore let my whole Man my Life my Pen Thy Praises Register for aie Amen ARGUMENT Vpon God's gracious Preservation of Me and my Wife from Poysoning or any Distemper after we had drank off a Tankard of Beer at the bottom of which we found dead a great venemous Spider Soliloquium or Discourse AS in my former Recovery from a Surfeit of Meat There was Mors in Olla Death in the Dish so here also Death lay in ambush in the Cup. For no sooner was Nature plentifully refresht but that at the sight of a great venemous Spider which lay dead at the bottom of the Por we had reason to fear that our Refresher would prove our Destroyer and our Drink our Poison At the discovery of this Enemy we were both afrighted and the more which may seem extraordinary and strange because it was dead whereas usually living not dead Adversaries are hurtful Whither this black and ugly Creature was as full of Malice as Poison and therefore burst her self in the Beer in a kind of Revenge For or as the effect of her drowning I know not nor had we time to be Coroners since our present danger did not admit of any delay as to the seeking for and taking an Antidote Our fear as is usual not neglecting or betraying such means and succors as reason offered Viz. The taking a good draught of the Oyle of Olives which by the blessing of our gracious God drown'd both our fear and danger we both remaining without the least Distemper in perfect health O Lord how true is that Proverb Latet Anguis in Herba that poysonous Asps lie covered in Cleopatra's Basket of Fruit and Flowers and that in a spiritual sense as well as corporal When hath my Soul been more in danger of the sting and venome of sin than in prosperity and in the sweet enjoyments of the lawful and necessary delights and refreshments of this life Such as Meat Drink and Cloathing Wife Children Relations great Offices and Preferments Riches Friends and Recreations Honors stately Houses and great Revenues In and under all which sin and deadly corruptions lurk and lie hid Wherefore blessed Lord and Saviour who art the power and wisdome of the Father and art by him made unto me Wisdom Teach me that in the use and enjoying of all these thy temporal blessings I may neither be superstitiously abstemious nor presumptuously secure that so whensoever I shall discover the venomous Spider of Sin lie in the bosome of any Earthly delights or refreshments I may instantly resort to my Antidote the Oyle Olive of thy Grace called in thy Word the Oyle of Gladness the Anointing So should sin break and cast out its Poison in any vicious temptation
it shall be corrected and repelled and at the worst be but as a dead Spider a mortified Lust. Blessed and praised be thou O Lord who only art the all-curing Physician and hast given to me thy sick Patient For thou comes to heal such Antidotes both for Body and Soul against both kinds of poisons for both which experimental Receipts and merciful Recoveries and Deliverances I praise thy Name with my whole Man and here declare thy gracious goodness to me and my dear Yoke-fellow in this and other thy Preservations to all that fear thee in and to all Ages Amen The PRESERVATIVE A Thankful Poem upon the same Subject AS Sathan is the Father of all Sin So Sin the Mother is of dangers and of death Both which he acts as he did first begin Vnder the specious shew of good on Earth Which though he hates yet under that disguise This Jugling Cheator ushers in his Lies Thus his deluded Agents falsly stile To save more than is meet a virtuous thrift And to be prodigal in things most vile A gentle spending and a liberal Gift Heresie they call new Light Idolatry A Medium of Worship and true Piety Pride neatness Swine-like drunkenness And beastly Gluttony good fellowship Deceit Trades mystery Voluptuousness Christian Refreshment Ruining suertiship A friendly Office murderous Duelling True Valour Justice right determining Lust and Lasciviousness his Factors name Love-Courting Amorousness Affection Hell's Patches Beauties spots Painting no stain But a good Art to help Complection Legends of Lies a pious fraud base Guile Good Language and a Complemental Stile As moral Crimes so often poenal ill Dangers and mischiefs like the Crocodile Lie cover'd under sensual Pleasures still As under Water till they Vs begâ—ile And ceize upon Thus Tomaris rich Tent Was Cyrus Sepulchre and Monument And Jael's Lordly Dish of cooling Drink Lull'd Sisera into a deadly sleep Thus Ammon Haman when they least did think Of danger Death did their own Funerals keep And the Whores Vassailes drink her filthy Wine Out of her Golden Cup of Jus Divine Sweet Lord thus also in the lawful Tast Of thy good Creature in a silver Cup I and my dearest might have drunk our last Had'st thou not seasoned our poisonousâ—Sup Elisha-like cast out by thy Command Its Venome as the Viper from Paul's hand In both fulfilling what thou promised At thy Ascention as of Faith a sigue That such of thine should not be poisoned Nor hurt by Serpents or by deadly Wine Blest be thy Name who by one act of Love Both strengthened Faith and thus preserv'd thy Dove Sin Lord of all things here 's most venomous As swell'd and badg'd with deadly poisonous Lusts. Lies in my Heart not dead but vigorous As was that Spider ready for to burst O let thy Grace by Oyle prefigured Preserve my Soul as that my Body did So shall I live here blest with sprit'all health And cast out from the bottome of my heart All spider-like vil'd thoughts dead which by stealth Creep in and poison would my better part Yea ever live to praise thee in that place Where sin shall be no more nor want of Grace Amen ARGUMENT Vpon God's merciful preservation of some of our Family from being kill'd or hurt by a Fowling-Piece full laden and unawares discharg'd by an unskilful Person carelesly medling with the Cock thereof in the Room wherein they were diversly Imployed Soliloquium or Discourse NO Person time place or Company upon Earth is free from danger not Julius Caesar who was stab'd and slain in the Senate-House of Rome although a Person as fortunate as great in a time of Peace and in a Place that was the richest and strongest Piece of the Worlds head therefore called the Capitol and in the mid'st of an Assembly of the justest gravest wisest greatest richest and valiantest Men of the whole Earth But it may be Objected that although civil Persons times places and Senates may be unsecure yet Ecclesiastical are not so and therefore they their times of Worship and Assemblies are at the least by the papal Cannon-Laws stiled and made spiritual and priviledged their Synods and Counsels sacred and their Churches and Monasteries Sanctuaries not only for themselves but for the most flagitious Persons such as Traitors and Murderers I answer that as I deny that De Jure they have any such security or priviledge so De Facto they and others have found it otherwise to their cost instance in the three Cerberus-like Heads of the Roman Catholick Church as they falsly and nonsensically call it Gregory the XII Benedict the XIII and John the XXIV all Three Elected and acknowledged Popes at one time and deposed by the Council of Constance called by the Emperor Sigismund who there chose Martin the V. Pope in their Room which Election is the present Foundation of all the succeeding Popes and their actings which if the Papists and their Champions the Jesuits deny to be legal where will they finde a Pope Papacy and Succession ever since Peter or since John the XXIV yea all actings by and since Pope Martin the V. are illegal and therefore Null If they affirm it legal then they confess their Church had three Heads or Popes at once that the Emperor of Germany hath a right to call together when he pleases a General Council that such a General Counsel hath a right to Depose Pope or Popes And lastly that he and they did lawfully then Elect their Pope without his Concave of Cardinals But leaving them this Bone to pick I proceed in my Meditations and instance together with this as a clear proof and Example besides many others like as to the Popes the sad fate of others Jewes and Pagans slain in their holy places as of Senacherib slain by his Sons in the Temple of Niscoch his God Of Queen Athaliath attached in the Temple and afterwards slain Of Joab slain by Benajath at the Horns of the Altar I might here add many more but I conceive these are sufficient to prove my assertion and to answer the Popish objection That no Ecclesiastical Persons holy times or places are free and priviledged from danger If it be lawful that is fit according to the Proverb to compare small things with great This truth and observation that all Persons times places and Companies are subject to danger was verified to our Family where Persons of the better rank and Servants being together in the Kitchin upon several employments a Fowling-piece laden with great shot Bullets or Slugs was involuntarily discharged without the hurt of any Person it 's deadly burden being by the great force of the Powder buried as in a Grave in a large Hole in the Wall That it might be a Daily remembrancer of God's gracious providence and our deliverance and excite continually our thankfulness Lord thy Word likens Mens Mouthes to Bowes or Quivers of Arrowes which many times unwarily
and unadvisedly shoot sharp Arrowes even bitter words In the same sence they may also be compared to Guns out of which Gun-powder-wits shoot forth piercing jeeres floutes and slanders to the blowing up and firing the good Names and passions of themselves and those they converse with O be thou therefore pleased to shield me in and deliver me from such Company Yea set a watch upon my Lips that I offend not with my Tongue so shall I not shoot at or be shot at by others And joyn that Mercy with this other to my Family in my Thanksgiving For which I praise thee as shall my Childrens Children when they shall read this and the rest of thy most gracious providences and merciful deliverances to me and mine Amen PROVIDENCE A Poem upon the same Subject ALl Actings here are ordered from above Although they seem excentrical to move Like Watches Wheels turn'd by a Spring unseen In this Worlds Play Dame Fortune hath no scean The Down of Snow and the white Candid Balls Of Hail do not irregularly fall Sparrowes and Haires do not upon Earth light Without Divine appointment and fore-sight No second cause prefer'd nor happy chance Did Esther to the Persian Throne advance Not Michal's wit nor Planets good Aspect Did David from the Sword of Saul protect But the Almighties presence which doth Eye And Govern all things this is Destinie Thus was a piece order'd to wound the Wall When carelesly discharg'd missing them all Within that Room unto the wonder joy Of our whole Family freed from annoy All kindes of Death are fearful most of all That which is suddain since by it doth fall Souls with Mens Bodies oft into a Tomb From whence there is no Resurrection How great was then this Mercy Lord that spar'd Some unconverted others unprepar'd For Death leaving to Vs within that Room Deep Characters of thy protection Vnto thy praise let 's raise Pyramidies And Print them here and in our memories And since thy presence only doth protect Let it produce in Vs this blest effect That we may alwayes fear to sin so shall we be Free from this double Death and Cas'alty Dreading no dangers fate or destiny Because before prepar'd to live or die Amen ARGUMENT Being a thankful remembrance and acknowledgment of the Lord 's great goodness and bounty in giving Me by one and my only Wife Sixteen Children Soliloquium or Discourse MArriage is honorable amongst all Men and the Bed undefiled not only to the Jewish but Gentile Nations Insomuch that some Common-Wealths have allotted great rewards priviledges and immunities to the Parents that in lawful Wedlock have had many Children Yea the Holy Ghost records it no doubt to the honor of Jaier the Gileadite that he had thirty Sons to whom he gave thirty Cities and of Gideon that he had three-score and ten Sons The poorest Man that hath a numerous Issue is therein more serviceable and a greater Benefactor to the Church and State than the noblest and richest Subjects that have few or none To whom the Scriptures gives this name of diminution that they are barren and dry Trees in the Vineyard of the Church and Common-wealth The consideration of which sad and unfruitful condition caused the Melancholy of Hanna the passionate speech of Rachel Give me Children or else I dye and the discontented reply to say no worse of faithful Abraham to the Lords most gracious offer and promise I will be thy Shield and thy exceeding great reward Lord what wilt thou give me since I go Childless On the other side the happiness and blessedness of fruitfulness is held forth in God's after-promise to Abraham that he should be the Father of many Nations and that his Seed should be as the Sand of the Sea-shore and the Stars of Heaven In his blessing upon Jacob in giving him Twelve Sons the Roots and Basis of that great and National Church and of his only people the Twelve Tribes of Israel This blessing as the greatest and richest of temporal good things is set in the front of the Psalmist's Song of praise that our Sons may be as plants grown up in their Youth and our Daughters may be as Corner-stones polished after the similitude of a Palace Yea it is held forth not only as a blessing too but as a discovering Character many times of a godly Man Thy Wife shall be as a fruitful Vine by the sides of thine House Thy Children like Olive-plants round about thy Table Behold that thus shall the Man be blessed that feareth the Lord. O most gracious and liberal God and Father are a numerous Issue and many hopeful Children a great blessing yea the richest of all outward temporal gifts as hath been here noted and is observed in the following Poem How great hath been thy goodness unto me and how many are my Obligations to thee that hast given me by one Wife Sixteen Olive-branches and them circumstantiated with divers remarkable favours Many have had Children but much to their grief as mournfully falling out of a living Coffin of Flesh into a dead one of Earth or expiring not long after Whereas all mine except four are in great mercy continued to me in life and health unto this Day And as for the four deceased two of them being Daughters they departed hence about the age of four years a time of much innocency The other two being a Son and a Daughter and both gracious Children slept in the Lord after they had attained unto years of discretion and therefore I have good reason in Charity to hope they are all with God in Glory Divers Persons have Children but they through their Parents error or neglect involuntarily or voluntarily which â—â—st is most to be lamented have departed hence unsealed unbaptized But the Lord hath greatly favoured me in giving me the honour to offer all but one born when I was absent in the Wars to him in Baptism with fervent prayer and thanksgiving Many have Children but they are either redundant or defective in their Members or Senses or otherwise deformed But the Lord graciously gave unto me mine perfect and well-favour'd Others have Issue but they are all of one Sex But the Lord beneficially almost equally divided my number giving me Seven Sons and Nine Daughters Several Persons have a large Progeny but they prove to be pricks in their Eyes and thorns to their sides by their wicked lives and disobedience but the good Lord blessed be his Name hath given me to see some Characters of saving Grace ingraved by his blessed Spirit in the major part of mine and some good hopes of the rest in God's good time O Lord hast thou inricht me with the best Earthly Treasures sixteen Sons and Daughters and multiplied that number of Mercies as to the many blessings Temporal Spiritual Eternal conferred upon the greater part of them already and upon the rest in that thy Sealed Covenant of