Soul-rusting pride and fashions strange Whose brood's Court Lunaticks in monthly change How many traps alluring baits do lie And rest in naked breasts for an adulterous Eye Tinctur'd by you not she knew not your toys Nor dieted her Soul with Dunghils joys Smells as foul earth your Sophistrie she fled Which makes a two-fac'd Monster with one Head An Act calls God Bungler Blush stars and Sun Art perfects that face Heaven had not well done Three things were deemed precious 〈…〉 Eye Time Faith Christs Blood for which her prayers did vie In first the second by second third she got 'Bove both Indie's treasures a surpassing lot Put to the Trial Temptations hotest flame She du'd endured stood withstood quencht orecame And from Whales belly out of sorrows Hell Of Gods supporting Grace could wonders tell O Heavenliest Art that sweet Experience She could decline Afflictions in each Tense What Present Past and future fruits they bring How Saints do sometimes sink then float and swim Yet here 's not all more Virtues could I pick To puzzle and gravel all Arithmetick Which makes me pity that poor Sâ—agyrite When he did his Ethnick Ethick Volumes write VVhere all the moral Virtues he could count The number of eleven did not surmount Our living Volum fair printed had far more Our little VVorld saith his great world was poor For whose dear sake Grammarians may define Virtue always of Gender femenine Thy death sham'd not thy life thy dearest friend On his day chose thee to him to ascend Thy green years promis'd life Virtue full grown Pronounc'd thy field was ripe fit to cut down Living each one had part of Joys in thee Dying like griefs as having from our Tree Best branch rent off O loved Spousess câ—ys one Dear Daughter another Sister Companion Kind Lady these all Friend boâ—â—â— tyed and true With love engrain'd that never chang'd the hew Thy Battel 's ended Lawrel decks thy brows Deaths livery ours the fadest Cypress boughs Had death spar'd thee a while and given leave ' Mongst us thy friends some legacies to leave Our griefs had lower ebb'd Lo I desire For Legacy some coals of thy hot fire Of Zeal to heat my freezing frigid heart Or else of thy Humility a part ' Gainst innate Pride O thou mightst well have given Thy Love divided amongst six or seven Thy worlds contempt had been an excellent gift That eight or nine amongst us might it shift And knowing our hasty spirits when thou slipt hence Why didst thou not bequeath thy Patience Thou knewst how many walk'd with that bad note Of busie scullers in anothers boat Couldst not thou say Friend take thee this bequest Handle thine own Oars that becomes the best I leave thee it ' cause I lov'd it Thus good heart Thou mighst have given us every one a part I see Death will engross say what we list He scorns our Laws will be a Monopolist I 'le not Chide fate nor curse dire destiny Nor challenge Death to field nor rage and cry O hateful Heavens when Providence will must Have the perledst Mortals once to kiss the dust Here Heart from sighs our Eyes from brackish tears Body from weakness Mind from horrid fears Can't be priviledged Earths Cushions pillows best Be stufft with thorns or life is stuck and drest VVith netles briars Blest be thy Pylat Death VVho hence from Pirats on these Seas beneath Sin Misery Vanity doth our Souls transport Into Heavens blessed Harbour Rests true Port. VVhere neither boistrous North West South or East Raises ambitious VVaves nor yet that Beast Leviathan below can Cables break Or with Temptations make our Pinnace leak VVhere we forget those Threnodies of grief VVeep watery Eyes and VVho can send relief For me Imparâ—dis'd Soul to thee once dear Assistant witness in thy assaults of fear And sore Soul-combates were Saints power to mind As mind here was I should not stay behind For reason and religion both this prove Heaven doubles Gr ce and so it doubles Love Some curious Eyes did look I should rehearse Some light-heel'd lines in a wit-woven verse VVisemen will think the match is very base To lay on cloth of Gold a Buck-rams lace Or motleys purls and edge The sobred Grave Hate feathred leightness and substantials crave Her aims o'rclimb'd the Stars who gravity Sleight neither know themselves nor her nor me Nor eare I what capriccious Judges think Who say here it flatteries mart and Oile for Ink I 'le glew these lines on envious slaunders barr And Twelve of Malice's Clients that would marr A VVorld of honesty shall empaneld be To vent galls verdict ' gainst this verity Truth fears no blasting breath come slander speak Or bite thy lips in anger till th' Heart break Had she no faults yes some thou more none 's free Adam fell once we often sometimes she VVhen Marbles moulder and pounded are to dust Yet fresh shall be the Memorial of the Just When in my Memory enrolled I find thee not Well may I doubt all virtue I hove forgot Sanctities pen writes such an Epicede Quaint'st brains mere Pernasian doth exceed Ermins are vermin base in Arms and Coat Where Grace powders not life with holy note Good Day thou hast gotten bidst us Good night Leaving thy virtuous pattern to guide us right An holy course chalks th' way to Heavenly light Let vain World dress its Carps spit spite fume laugh A Gracious life leaves fairest Epitaph The Epitaph on the Lady Mary Gryffith FRom mothers womb unto earths womb the grave Through th' Worlds desert some years I wandered have Nature gave being Grace well-being Death th' best Heavens happy Being to Soul to Body rest I lie here waiting till the last shrill-voic'd Trump Shall breath new life into this dead Clays lump Then shall be at once two Nuptials solemniz'd Of Body to Glorious Soul and both to Christ O Mortals learn of me make Christ your scope By Prayers and Tears I came to rest in Hope FINIS
tell us of taking good heed to these two things which are the complex of the whole counsel of God Acts 20. 27. Repentance towards God and Faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ Or lastly take his unum magnum his one great point of exercise To have always a Conscience void of offence towards God and towards Men. Act. 24.16 Gen. 5.12 All comes to this one to imitate Enochs holy Peripateticks to walk with God continually Many things of beauty and novelty are lookt after in this World outwardly glorious and rich things are applauded men and great persons dote upon rarity and splendors of this World and think those men are in a kind of Heaven though they be very fairly forward in a way to Hell Plato in Tâ—aeâ— Thus the glorious Tent and Tabernacle of the great Persian Kings were called Ouranoi the Heavens you have learnt better to know Christ in the Soul and the Soul in Christ to be Heaven upon Earth He that believeth hath everlasting life What a glorious vanity was that of Kings of Cusco and Mexico one of them having a glorious Garden where all the Trees Fruits Lord St. Aug. Herbs Plants Flowers according to order and greatness they have in a Garden were curiously framed in Gold and in his Cabinet all the living Creatures were known in Earth or Sea curiously fashioned and cast in Gold A princely Heathenish vanity would make his life no better then a St. Augustine calls this life A shadow in Moonshine which is little more then shadow of a shadow I know you more study to have all the fair flowers of Heaven Faith Patience Humility Meekness Love of Christ Thankfulness c. cast in a sanctified model by Gods Spirit kept in your heart and life exceeding massy gold Carlo Boccomeo Bp. of Millain Canonised for a Saint said well A Bishop should have no Garden but the holy Scriptures Go you on still to make Prayer your Garden and Flowers and by holy glorifying of God as St. Chrysostome directs Give up your five spiritual senses to wait on God continually For the Soul has spiritual seeing smelling tasting touching hearing which in their way applyed to God and his manifestations you shall not only please God but give him Musick and be his Decachorda Cithara St. Chry. in op Imperfecto in cap. 22. S. Matth. Hom. 24. his ten stringed Harp to praise him No farther will I detain you but pray for you that you may have support of Gods Spirit in your great infirmities tryals and gravid years to answer them from Heaven with grace sufficient for you and very efficient in you that when your strength of flesh and heart fails you God may come in with fresh store and assure you of Holy Asaphs viaticum that he will be the strength of your heart your portion for ever He the Guide Faher of his Israel lead you till per 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a right Christian comfortable death he bring you ad 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to an immortal life which all good Mortals wait for by Jesus Christ the blessed Purchaser and unfailing Preparer of it So prays your observant servant in the Lord. T. C. THE EPISTLE To the READER FAith and assurance the Christians Ourania is better worthy Wooing and fighting for then the Grecians Helena the one is but the subject of a worm-eaten beauty the other carries with it a decor and beauty that no old age no not Eternity it self can wrinkle or furrow with uncomeliness holy Souls find it hard in the getting and meet with 〈◊〉 task that makes them imploâ— all their shoulders and sinews foâ— the keeping of it The Labours of the Saints to fight with the Monsters that Satan sets on work against them 2 Cor. 2.11 Revel 2.24 the scruples doubts fears distempers temptations hellish methods noemata and depths of the Serpent do put a name of softness and facility upon all Hercules his labours Phil. 1.6 Phil. 4.13 sore tryals with Beasts and Men yet this is their comfort their help is more for Christ having begun his Grace will stand by them and work for them till all his Heavenly business be perfected and though the Serpent may rend the Skin and wound the flesh of the Heel yet Gods Servants shall end in capite in the Head both bruising the Head of the Serpent and being sure to have the benefit as members of Jesus Christ their Head of whom they hold The first of these Texts was addressed and dressed for the wounded Heel of a gracious Saint that was struck sick by the Serpent of which sore drinking up the moysture of her Spirits she was dangerously deeply and distressfully sick lying in the valley of the shadow of death 3 Quarters of a Year day and night combating with God about Ecclipses of his Face desertions manifestations of wrath apprehensions of hell which squeezed out frequent confessions and complaints of an estate worse then Cains an owning of the Sin against the Holy Ghost a challenging reprobation as its due portion And besides the sense of an angerful God there was continual combating with the spiteful Spiriâ— of Hell every day ready tâ— write its own Epitaph with the blackest letters of damnation and a lost Soul All these accompanied with solitude and secrecie with two three days together fasting praying and weeping till the eyes were turned into buckets and few spiritual comforters and legati pacis to be met withal save one spirit of Grace that had bound up the Soul in this Resolution Though God will not be my God yet I will die praying and seeking after him and a poor messenger of God who having but a little Oyl in his cruse by dayly dropping of it into the wound it both increased and healed with the dropping It pleased God at length to make the winter and sad weaâ—her of this storm-beaten â—â—â—l to be over end so as the flowers appeared singing of birds was come and the voice of the Turtle was heard a cheerful Soul began sweetly to sing in its Cage of Clay The sorrows were deep the comforts rose very high and as once wormwood waters were drunk in the Cellar of bitterness and the banner over the Soul seemed in â—reat letters to have it The Lord hath forsaken me Cant. 2. Isa 49.14 Now â—t is led into the Wine Cellar of of Gods promises the sweetest comforts are broached and drunk and the Lords banner of love is spread over Here Heaven out of Heaven and some of the masters joy descended down before the Soul ascended up to it After the Vesseâ— had been seasoned some months with this unknown and admirable new Wine of living comforts Largissimum quoddam caeli gremium Bernard in Cantic Ita mihi visus sim tanquam unus ex illis beatis esse O Si duresset Idem in cantic Ser. 23. the Lord by a Chariot of sickness and that a violent one
the face of Religion and cry there there Psal 35.25 Job 4.6 so would we have it Is not this the fruits of your fear confidence uprightness of your ways and your hope This is the fruits of Religion and profession it spoils all our mirth see how it makes them melancholly and pensive they are all alike unsociable and uncomfortable who will enter that path which leads to such sadness Beseech God to let thy case be no impediment to his Glory by hindring and deferring those that are without from coming in lest they dislike Religion for thy sake God has sometimes said he would do good to his Children Deut. 32.26 27. that their enemies might not have cause to lift up their Horns Call on him to do it for his own Childrens sake that are within the Church Psal 69.6 Let not them that wait on thee be ashamed for my sake O God of Hosts let not them that seek thee be confounded for my sake O God of Israel As if he said There are many weak in the the faith O Lord who trust in thâ—e and if thou fail me they will be scandalized their weakness will make them stagger and start back when they see thy Promises fail towards me how shall they trust in those Promises for themselves which they see have failed others Nay Lord rather deliver me that the weak thereby may be the more strengthened thou shalt get glory by bringing many both to praise thee and trust in thee more confidently for my sake or for thy promises gracious performance towards me Psal 66.16 They that fear thee will be glad when they see me because I have hoped in thy Word yea the righteous shall then resort unto my company I will call them and tell them what great things thou hast done for my Soul Further in thus delivering me much praise and glory shall come to thy name thanksgiving shall be sent to thee by many in my behalf who will shout for joy and say Psal 35.27 Praised be the Lord who hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant Use 3 If the comforts of the Soul be bought so dear as they will cost us the very fainting and almost failing of our Spirits let him be lesson'd who hath his Soul repleaâ— with peace and quietness in his God â—eatus es si cor tuum triplii timore repleveris ut tiâ—eas quidem pro accepta ratia amplius pro amissa nge plus pro recuperata â—rnard supra Cantic Serm. 4. to lock the Promises within his heart to cherish and keep burning that good fire lest witâ— many strong blasts of prayers he cannot get it kindled afresh when once it is somewhat quenched and dying out For this purpose it behoves those who are yet in the Sun-shine of peace and lightsomness of heart to rejoyce in God and his mercies to labour as much to keep it as ever they laboured to get it 1. To beware of sin that they fall not into any wickedness for that will devastate the Conscience and spoil its peace 2. They should cherish and make much of Gods Spirit and the joyous motions it stirs up in them Guests stay with us according to their welcome bad enteâ—tainment and neglect of them gives us their backs instead of their faces Ephes 4. Grieve not the Spirit of God 3. Keep we our hearts exercised in good things prayer hearing reading meditation those put forth our Talents we have to come in with more increase Take we heed if such good means be not used we may come to see our Candle burn dim and with perplexed hearts and sorrowing spirâ—ts as Joseph and Mary we may come to seek our Comforter and be long without him till our spirits be ready to fail in seeking because our care and diligence failed in keeping Use 4 Lastly though all the Saints of God have cryed ther spirits fail yet this may make for their exceeding comfort none of their spirits did ever yet so utterly fail but they have had their resurrection to some lively hopes who seemed hopeless We have our spiritual dejections and spirituaâ— resurrections Where is â—haâ— man and who is that Saint anâ— Servant of God that perished in waiting upon God and expecting his help Our comfort may be long in coming but at length it shall come and not deceive us either the tongue shall cry it after long waiting Mr. Gloâ—â—r Mattyr in Foâ—es Acts and â—onum He is come he iâ— come or the heart shall feel it or finde it it may be without but certainly beyond expressions It may be that the noon afternoon evening night may all hold him in the bonds of vexation but undoubtedly joy comes in the morning If it cannot be found in the beginning no nor in a long time in the proceedings yet Mark the perfect man Ps 37.37 and behold the upright for the end of that man shall be peace There are who have been brought from those desperate conclusions made in the strength of temptations Geoffry of Peronne in vita St. Bern. lib. 4. c. 3. I shall never be mermerry again so long as I live to tell the same party being strongly fill'd with new quickning hopes If I told thee before I should never in my life be joyful 2 Tim. 2. now I assure thee I shall never any more be sorrowful Though we should be so low as we were hopeless yet God must continue faithful he cannot deny himself 1 Cor. 10.13 he will not suffer us to be tempted above that we are able but will with the temptation make a way to escape that we may be able to bear it Doctr. The next request is that God would not hide his face and the reason because in the light of his countenance is life in the hiding of it is very death From Davids request that God would not hide his face see this Position That God hath his times of hiding and shewing his face to his Children and all for their good both by declared favour and seeming displeasure God leads on his Children unto blessedness All the months of the year are not alike some make the earth horrid with frosts and mists and large expences out of the Lords Treasury of Hail and Sow as in Job Job 38.22 the Lord calls â—t others make the fiel◠〈…〉 with abundance of flower 〈◊〉 fruits the Sun with his reviâ—ing heat putting life into bird bud and beast Shall we thanâ— God for May and not for March The dispensing of fair and foul seasons are both acts of Divine Providence for the good of man and beast Epiphan He that is God of the Summer is as good a God of thâ— Winter in spite of the blaspheming Manichees procuring our good in the one as well as in the other Thus is it with Man the abridgement of Gods Creation and with the holy man the object of his more special love The Sun shines not always alike on
these ways Job 36.7 Psal 34 14. Ignoras Agrippa me oculis non minus quam vâ—ce loqui solere Cajus Agrip Philo Iud de Legat. ad Câ—â—um Profecto in oculis animus habitat Plin. lib. 11. cap. 37. I will guide thee saith the Lord with mine eye And they say the seat of Love though it be in the face yet it is specially in the eye Again Gods ear is towards thee thou prayest and he hears thou beggest strength and comfort he gives the first he delays but the last he gives thee the comfort of strength makes thee able to hold out in thy trouble though he do not yet give thee the strength of comfort to get out of thy trouble Surely we want not his face and favour when we have thus his good eye and gracious ear and can say to to the Tempter Thou hast thrust sore at me that I might fall Psal 32.9 Vid. Guazzum de civil convers lib. 4. de oculorum vi in amore Sunt cordis fenestrae pedisse qui. but the Lord hath been my helper What wantest thou then of his face nothing but one word from his mouth that he would speak peace to thee and say within thee in the voice of his Spirit I am thy salvation This I know is that the Saints oft-times want Psal 118.13 Psal 35.3 Proverb 12.25 Cupiendi amoris visus est ansa Plutarch His mouth is most sweet Cant. 5.16 Cant. 2.14 that God is long silent speaks not comfort to them Heaviness having seized upon the heart of man makes it stoop but then a good word makes it glad One good word from God would build up thy Soul if he should but say Be of good chear thy sins are forgiven thee And doubtless this thou hast also he speaks to thee in his promises only Satan and thy wrestling heart drown his voice that thou canst not hear his promises speaking particularly and distinctly to thee In the mean time call and pray unto God that is a seeking of his face and howsoever for a while he stand behind the wall thou seest him darkly but through the windows and he shew himself to thee but through the lattice Cant. 2.9 yet thou shalt in good time enjoy his face of comfort more fully and have a more compleat presence of him bringing sweet consolations to thy wearied Soul Thou hast already his countenance he will grant thee the joy of that countenance I conclude with that discourse of the Father concerning Gods face If God should come saith he and with his own voice speak to you though he is not silent but speaks by his Letters and should say to man Wilst thou sin sin on do what delights thee what ever thou lovest on earth let it be thine whom thou art angry at let him perish whom thou wouldst have taken away let him be taken away whom thou wouldst stay let him be slain whom condemned let him be condemned whom possess thou mayest possess him Let none resist thee none say to thee so much as What dost thou c. Take thee abundance of all earthly things thou desirest live in them and not for a time but for ever only upon this condition thou shalt never see my face Wherefore is your heart smitten if God should say Thou shalt never see my face Behold thou shalt be full of all earthly felicity of all things all temporal good things shall flow about thee thou losest them not never forsakest them what wouldest thou have more Surely chaste fear would weep and lament yea and say Rather let all these things and this felicity be taken from me so I may but see thy face chaste fear would cry out with the Psalmist August in Psal 127. Turn us again O Lord of Hosts let thy face shine on us and we shall be saved Psal 80.19 And One thing I have desired of the Lord that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life to behold the fair beauty of the Lord and to visit his Temple Psal 27.4 O Brethren would you know where Paradise is scituate and what Quarter Heaven lies in It lies in Gods countenance and in his reconciled face and the sorest torments of Hell lie in the everlasting hiding away of Gods face O Lord we are helpless Psal 42.5 give us the help of thy countenance When we are in darkness O lift thou upon us the light of thy countenance and our darkness shall be as Noon-day When we are full of sorrow thou shalt make us full of joy with thy countenance Turn thou unto us Act 2. â—8 Psal 80. O God of our salvation cause thy face to shine and we shall be saved The end of the first Book EYE-SALVE FOR The blind World OR An Excitation to the secure World to see and fear the Judgments of God are a coming upon it when God frequently calls his Rare Saints by death to go out of it By THO. CALVERT Mr. of Arts and Minister of Gods Word in York Luke 10.42 But one thing is needful Mary hath chosen that good part which shall not be taken away from her Foelix domus beata semper congregatio est ubi de Maria Martha conqueritur Bernard in Assumpt 6. Ma. Serm 3. London Printed by Fr. Leech for Th. Passenger at the Signe of the the three Bibles upon London-Bridge 1675. EYE-SALVE FOR The blind World ESAI 57.1 The Righteous perisheth and no man layeth it to heart and merciful men are taken away none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come THe preaching King hath put this among his golden Observations Eccl. 7.8 Constet finem praecipuum esse eo semper spectandum omnia propter illum patienter ferenda Mercer comment in Eccles 7 8. That the end of a thing is better than the beginning His intended purpose therein being to animate the faint-hearted not to start back at the first as afraid of enterprising weighty matters because of an harsh entrance into them Yet the beginning of this Chapter is much better than the end it begins with Christs Legacie Peace to the Righteous but the dregs are bitter at the bottom which the ungodly shall suck up 12 last ver There is no peace saith my God to the wicked Who cares for a blasted Rose or what verdict gives the world on a righteous man in his life but this which the Prophet gives of Christ for his humane base appearance Esa 58.3 there is no form or comliness in him and when we shall see him there is no beauty that we should desire him And yet these blind Balaams when they have done Satan all his work would willingly exchange their best wages of unrighteousness for the godly mans Vineyards penny Is it not a misery to see a Soul that hath all the days of this life been drunk with the wine of worldly â—usts the body now standing upon the brink of the
grave not shaking the hands of others but wringing their own hands in a woful farewel the fingers pidling with the bed-clothes Animam quod imodo inter dentes habentem August id Epist Joan. tract 10. Aristaeas Proconnesis Hujvs animam corvi specie visam ex ore evolantem tradiderunt Plin. Hist lib. 7. Jo. Franc. Picus Mirandula praenot lib. 9. cap. 2. Maximus Tyrius Platonicus Serm. 22. and the Soul now standing upon the lips like a bird ready to take her flight and if it were visible should be seen like his soul which was said to be seen to flie out of his body in shape and colour of a Crow that then at last alas too late it should come to this sober and sad reckoning O let me die the death of the righteous and let my later end be like unto his Num. 23.10 Children when they are asleep look the prettiest the Godly man is a fool in his life yet the worlds deepest heads would be no wiser in their deaths his last sleep has form and comliness in it Our Prophet intends iâ— these words to tel us as much thaâ— under the hard shell of death hâ— findes a sweet kernel of life hâ— is taken away from evils anâ— troubles quietly to rest as if he were laid in his own Bed chamber This Prophet has many drops to comfort Gods Servants he writes like an Evangelist our Saviour and his Apostles dwelt much in his leaves for he spake the Gospels Language of consolations Verse 3. Musculus in Praefat. ad comment in Esay the New Testament has honoured him above other Prophets with quoting his Prophesie 60 times from Chapter 40. to the end of the whole Prophesie it is like Canaan full-stream'd with milk and hony almost altogether consolatory This very Chapter among the rest is not so short as sweet having goodly beams come from it First It gives a bright and clear beam to stand like a light over the grave of the Rightâ—â—â—s to let us see how they are buried in â—eace to the third verse Secondly a sharp piercing â—eam of reproos for conviction of the ungodly of divers sins mocking of the Holy Idolatry c. to the thirteenth Verse Lastly an heating beam of comfort promises of favour reconciliation and peace to stay the tears of all Zions mourners to the end of the Chapter These words otherwise may be named the short Table or view of the Child of God in his life and death 1. In his life and so he is described two ways 1. God-ward so he is righteous Life 2. Manward so he is merciful 2. In his death which we consider two ways 1. How expressed Death 2. How respected 1. Expressed two ways he is said to 1. Perish 2. Be taken away out oâ— the world 2. Respected two ways 1. Of God he respectâ— them with care to free them from the evil to come 2. Of wicked men theiâ— respect is respectlesness set out Two ways by two Phrases of careless neglect 1. They never take it to heart 2. They little consider or minde it Or more briefly the whole may be summed into these two Heads 1. Gods Judgment in the death of the Righteous taking them away to himself when he means to punish the world 2. The worlds want of judgment and consideration of Gods end of it None considers it none lays it to heart Let some light of explication make clear the words The righteous Rom. 3.10 Eccl 7.20 Righteousness is hard to finde Are there some Righteous is it not the voice of the Scripture there is none righteous no not one Not a Just man upon earth True when we name Righteousness we call to mind our lost Pearl God made man Righteous This Apple of our eye was given away for an Apple of the Tree of Knowledge If we speak of men Righteous and Just in respect of their deeds among men we mean upright and honest dealing if we speak of Righteousness in respect of God then we mean no more a righteousness of inherence that is gone but of adherence and cleaving to Christ by faith Christs Righteousness and merits are imputed to us Just and righteous is that stile holy and good men are honoured withal in the Scriptures denoting fruits of righteousness in an upright life according to that 1 Joh. 3.7 Mat. 1.19 Act. 10.22 he that doth righteousness is righteous Thus Joseph is called a Just man so Cornelius where the word Just notes the universal and general carriage in uprightness holiness and Gods fear Perisheth This word sounds harshly as to die miserably untimely but surely the righteous so perish not unless the Prophet speak after the opinion and in the phrase of the ungodly Wisd 3.2 Perishing is taken for any ordinary or natural kind of death as well as violent Job 34.15 Prov. 31.6 to him that is ready to perish that is ready to die In the sight of the unwise they seemed to die or perish and their departure is taken for misery yet to perish is expounded afterward to be nothing else but to be taken away and depart this life No man layeth it to heart No man that is very few or none mind to take care for the worlds loss of the Righteous their hearts are nothing at all moved or toucht with it Things that come near the heart most affect us To lay to heart is a common phrase in Scripture and is expounded after by the word consider It is used again verse the eleventh Thou hast not remembred me nor laid it to thy heart It seems to imply three things First to understand the thing we would consider Secondly To consider and earnestly to think of the causes and consequents of it Thirdly to be affected with it upon that consideration so as the heart joys in it if it find it good is greatly grieved and sorry for it finding it evil the affection of sorrow arising in a matter deplorable of joy in a thing comfortable So then none lays it to heart is thus much None considers at all Gods anger intended to the world in the death of the godly none repent of their sins or stand in fear of some ensuing Judgment Mic. 7.2 Psal 12.1 Significat pro natura loci vel benigne acceptum a Deo vel benignum erga alios Tarnov in Psal 4. ver 4. Merciful men The word signifies Good or kinde men and it is Translated Good or Godly in other places To shew us that Mercy is a great part of Godliness It is taken passively for one that has receiv'd mercy from the Lord or Actively for one that shews mercy to others in which acception it stands here Are taken away Colliguntur are gathered together so the Patriachs dying are said to be gathered to their fathers which is not so meant of their bodies which were it buried in Tomb purchased by their Kindred for a burial place to that family but especially it is meant of the Souls
of the faithful which in the death of their bodies are gathered to the blessed number of the righteous Heb. 12.23 glorified in Heavens gathered to the rest of the spirits of Just men made perfect This taking away or gathering may be considered doubly as a gathering out or a gathering in This is selectio potius quam collectio First A gathering out which is when there is a mixture of things good and bad together when we pick out one sort from the other it is a gathering or selecting collection As when the Net catches all kind of fishes the good are pickt out and the bad cast away Sometimes they are thus gathered when danger is likely to seize on al together then that which is good gathered out that the danger may not fall on it Thus the righteous are mixt in this world with ungodly men and the Lord picks his Children from among the rest he is preparing plagues for the world and before hand he takes care for his by gathering them out of the danger so that phrase imports from the evil to come 2. A gathering in Both these gatherings in the Parable of the Draw-net Mat. 13.47 48. which is after the picking out to lay that which is good in a better place by themselves Thus the Righteous separated from the world by death are gathered like the good fishes into a vessel by themselves into one blessed society and unmixt company into heavenly glory where no wicked men shall enter among them any more And of this gathering is this Colliguntur they are thus taken away None considering Before none laying it to heart for so they are both taken one for another Consider your ways Hag. 1.5 in Haggai in the Original is set your heart on your ways A facie mali From the evil to come From the face or presence of evil From the evil of sin lest if he should live any longer he might be infected with the sins of wicked men But the truest is from the evil of punishment Wis 4.11 wherewith God means to plague the wicked world that they may not smart with the sinners When God has a quarrel with the earths Inhabitants he takes his Children from among them that he may be revenged upon those who have provokt him Thus the meaning of the words appearing the Prophet seems to speak to his people and in them to us after this manner O how great and graceless is our security Sum and Sense of words Which careless and sinful security is plain in the verse foregoing Esa 56.12 with what hasty feet do all men run to their pleasures How blinde are we that cannot see the Land falling under the hand of the Lords severe Judgment Do we not daily see the Lord fetching away by death his dearest and holiest Servants Surely therein he would signifie to us that his intentions are to bring punishments upon us he taking his own out of the way that they may not see nor feel the vengeance which the world has deserved and shall undergo Yet where is there a man that thinks of this or lays it to heart or takes notice what the Lord is about to do when he takes the righteous from among us From the words like clay thus tempered and prepared we may make up these five Vessels 5 Conclusions or Doctrines or extract these evident Conclusions First that Righteous and holy men are also merciful men Secondly Gods most Righteous Servants must die as well as others Thirdly The Souls of the Saints in their deaths are gathered to the Lord and by the Lord into blessedness Fourthly When the Righteous go from among us some Judgment is to be feared is coming towards us Fifthly The secure wicked world is little mov'd with the removal of the Godly None considers it none lays it to heart How easily these rise we need not fly to Reasons to demonstrate it Righteous men are merciful men 1 Doct. Our Saviour hath enjoyned it them and they lay up his sayings in their hearts Luke 6.39 Be ye merciful as your Heavenly Father is merciful These have received mercy of the Lord and are thereby transformed into such a merciful and pitiful nature as his is If we should ask fire why it burns It must be answered It is the nature of fire Why doth the Sun shine It is the nature of the Sun to do so How is it the Godly man is so merciful It is the nature of him I mean the new nature that is ingrafted in Christ to be like affected to the misery of othors as he has found Christ to him These may truly say We cannot but do it the love of God constrains us to it 2 Cor. 5 14. There are no Graces poured by God into a good mans heart as water into a Tub or Pond which keeps all to it self and lets the ground be dry about it but every gracious man is a Spring a Fountain that sends forth streams to water the eatth and feeds the rivulets that flow from it When we once come to Christ the great Spring he makes us little Springs to others Zac. 13.1 Joh. 4.14 The waters that I give saith Christ shall be in him that receives it a Well springing up to everlasting life yea might some say it springs up for himself yes and for others also for out of his belly shall these waters flow to the benefit of others The woman of Samaria had no sooner drunk of this water of Christs receiving her to mercy Joh. 7.38 but it burst and flowed out of her belly in pity she laboured the salvation of her Neighbours crying earnestly on them Come and see a man c. Come and taste of that mercy which I have tasted of in Christ Joh. 4. the Prophet David has the very words of this conclusihn the Righteous is merciful and liberal that is he shews his mercy by his liberality Elsewhere he sings the Marriage song of these two in God Psal 37.21 Mercy and truth are met together and as sweet is Righteousness and Mercy Piety and Pity conjoyn'd in a Christian A sweet pair and lovely couple of young Pigeons not the offering of the poor but this Offering to the poor which the Lord loves better than a fat Bullock laid on his Altar With such sacrifices of mercy for he loves mercy better than sacrifice is God well pleased Hos 6.6 Heb. 13.16 This mercy is an holy affection of the heart sympathizing with them that are in misery and a liberal and holy action of the hand helping and refreshing those in misery Piteous affection that is the root actions of liberal distribution and relief that is the fruit which like the fruit of the Vine Judg. 9.13 chears both God and man Misery which is the object of Mercy is corporal or spiritual 1. Mercy looks at them both to the bodies sickness nakedness poverty beggery there mercy will
when they shall be fuller of â—lory and rest than ever they â—ere of troubles and miseries We are here set in a warfare Act. 3.19 asâ—aulted with fightings without and errors within 2 Cor. 7.5 Exoothen machai esoothen phoboi we are compast â—ith an unruly body of flesh we â—re laden with corporal maladies â—ains infirmities pestered with â—piritual faintings qualms and â—eak fits that if we had not betâ—er comfort brought us for the fuâ—ure to free us from these cumâ—ersom anxities a servant of God â—ere of all men most miserable but â—weet Death looses our Chains â—nd sets us free Upon this ground â—id the Holy Father build that â—ghing prayer of â—is to God Domine solve hanc tunicam ita mihi gravem ponderosam da mihi leviorem Nazianz. O Lord saith he â—elp me off loose â—nd unbuckle this â—eavy Coat meaning the flesh full of infirmitie which lies with such a pondeâ—â— pressing weight upon my shouldâ— and give me a lighter and easier gâ—ment meaning the garment eternal life so pleasant so easâ— and free from all troubles whiâ— death brings us and clothes withal If there were 〈◊〉 such Sugar at the bottom the Christians Cup and the bâ— Wine kept to the end of the Feaâ— he had the worst fate of all meâ— but he may with a patience digâ— these earthly troubles because tâ— Lambs Supper shall make amenâ— for the worlds sharp Dinner Psal 27.15 I hâ— utterly fainted saith David 〈◊〉 that I believed verily to see the goâ— ness of the Lord in the Land of thâ—â—ving That is meant of this liâ— much more may thoughts of etâ—nal life keep us from fainting Tâ— hope of death is the hope of 〈◊〉 life it is necessary we die that 〈◊〉 sorrows may die Use 2 Must the very Righteous dâ— let it lead us to consider of aâ— conclude that universal deluge Gen. 2.17 â—riginal corruption wherein all â—ankind lies drowned It is too â—rue that being made of dust sin ends us to returâ— to dust again Who will defend nature to be imâ—aculate and unwounded â—eaths Weapons could not enter â—lesh had not our original impuâ—ity weakned us and strengâ—hâ—ned â—im Man first brought sin into â—he world sin brought death Rom. 5.12 Let one be so bold as to defend naâ—ure to be untainted unless he â—an bring this Argument to â—rove it Here is one free from â—eath Ergo free from that sin We are born Heirs and Coheirs annexed with Adam of sin â—nd death Pray we and strive we against Original lust yea repent we of this sin as that which put death in office and reached the dart into his hand Use 2 This might stir us up that seeing all men even the Righteous must die that we should labour to die Righteous The Righteous mans eye is all on God in his life and Gods eye as at other times so especially is set on him at his death to fetch him to a blessed Mansion We must die but oh that that last Act were made the Axle-tree Deut. 32.29 on which all the actions of our life might turn about by continually thinking on our later end A paper newly written is kept from blotting if dust or sand be cast upon it The remembrance that we are but dust and ashes often and daily cast upon our hearts and meditations would keep us in an holy watchful course that our lives should not be stained with so many blots of impiety and neglect of Gods worship Death indeed shall come to all but our lives are that which makes death bitter or sweeâ— unto us For he shall come to the wicked and rigtheous in a different manner 1. To the wicked and unrighteous he shall come as a man of War to a man where sin lives as long as he lives where Sataâ— sways the Scepter of his Monarchy in his Soul living impenitently in fleshly lusts deaths message is astonishing to such a one Such a sinful wretch looking approaching death in the face his Conscience cries a loud 1 Kin. 21.20 1 King 14.6 Hast thou found me O mine enemy as Ahab to Elias To whom death answers with no better answer than Ahijahs to Jeroboams wife I am sent to thee with heavy tidings a hard message I have brought thee thy wages of sin which is death And then doth the desperate sinner tremble and quake Rom. 6.23 remembring how bad a life has made way for death and death to torment then too late his sins affright him and he cries out but one day longer to repent as did that man in his death O spare me Chrysaorius in morte clamabat Inducias usque mane Gregor Hom. 12. in Evang. and give me but respite and truce till the morning that I die not in my sins and for my sins O where are those many hours neglected in vanity 2. But to the Godly and Righteous Soul his appearance and face is glorious and amiable he speaks a comfortable language to him I cannot hurt thee thy Saviour has taken thy weapons from me 1 Cor. 15.55 his death was my death was my death for his Children I come but to be thy Bridge that thou mayest pass over me into eternal life So great a difference is there 'twixt the Godly and the wicked Christian get thy debts paid in Christ and thy Bond cancelled in his blood get into the croud and touch but the hem of his Garment by faith to draw vertue holiness and his righteous-making merits then shall there be no terrour in deaths Vizard that will sweeten the bitterness of the Grave unto thee and finding that thou art righteous and accepted in Christ thou mayest challenge him O death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victory O! by repentance keep thy Soul from dying and the death of the body wilâ— be a blessed prelude to immortality And so much for a general viewâ— of the necessity of death to the very righteous Doct. The Souls of the Saints at their death are gathered to the Lord and by the Lord into blessedness This Conclusion has inclusively in it two parts 1. That in this life there is a mixture of good and bad 2. That in death God gathers the Souls of the righteous into aâ— happy unmixt society by themselves Eccl. 3.20 Do not all go to one place saith Solomon yes for bodies in death the Grave is the common receptacle of good and bad a Murderer and a Martyr may be laid in one Grave together but for Souls they change Countries The Sanctum Sanctorum is for those Souls which have been Kings and Priests to God the Righteous are gathered into Heaven but the wickeâ— they shall be gathered into another place they shall be turned into Hell into the Company of all them that forget God Psa 9.17 This Phrase of being gathered together in death may be an allusion to the custom of the Jews who in death are said to be gathered to their
fierce wrath overwhelmâ— them it stays not long after hiâ— departure The Lord said before I can do nothing till thou come hitheâ— that is out of Sodom into Zoaâ— Why could the Lord do nothing while Lot was there Because 1. Either Lot with his prayers bound the Lords hands as it were that he should not smite 2. Or because the Lord will not destroy the righteous with the wicked Justice indeed crys against sinners Tumble them down into the Sea of thy wrath Mercy then stands up and saith nay Aut Serva aut fepata but rather save them for the righteous sakes or at least free them from the vengeance let not the Wheat be burnt with Chaff The like is manifest iâ— Josiah he is like Wheat among Tares The Lord purposes to burn the sinful Tares with a judgment but he first plucks up the Wheat from that evil to come I will gather thee to thy fathers and thou shalt be gather-into thy Grave in peace 2 Kings 22.20 and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place Josiah goes and Judgment comes When the Leaves fall fast off the Trees then we say Winter is at hand so when we see not Leaves only but the fruitfullest branches even righteous men cut off from the Tree of this life we may judge there is some Wiâ—ter-weather of Judgements aboâ— to fall on the World Reason We may take Solomons reasoâ— Righteousness exalts a nation Prov. 14.34 bâ— sin is a reproach to any people If thâ— Righteous and righteousness coâ—tinue in it it is likely to flourisâ— but if nothing but sin and sinneâ— be left wrath is not far off 〈◊〉 cannot prosper Weeds are fence about in a Garden for the Herâ— sake and wicked men may than God for the holy men that liâ— among them for they are bettâ— unto them than the Roman Tutelâ— Gods wrath is held off for the sakes they build Walls abouâ— the place where they dwell wiâ— their Prayers and Righteouness Q. It may be demanded Câ— there no wrath seize on a natioâ— or place or people while tâ— righteous are alive and remaâ— among them A. Yes But not upon tâ— righteous in that nation it is nâ— wrath to them and if it do fall upon the people or place First it is a long time deferred and kept off it comes not till after Gods long patience even for their sakes 2. When it comes it comes not so sore the cup of Gods fury is cast in a lesser mould and he puts in fewer dreggs gathers less Gall and Wormwood to imbitter it for their sakes 3. It continued the shorter for their sakes God sounds a reâ—â— at the sooner to the Hosts of his wrath for their prayers Esay 62.9 7. that are continually sounding in his Ears They will not let him alone untill he let the land alone and pull back his wrath Neither doth the death of the Righteous foretel Judgments but besides that look at their usage in the world and it will prove the best Almanack to prognosticate it fair or foul weather that is likely to come on the Church or Common-wealth Look we into the Skie of the Righteous it is an infallible Astronomy if their Skie be fair if the righteous and holy be advanced and honoured with high places either in Church or Weal-publick it is a sign of fair Weather God means a blessing to that land for they will maintain truth and equity that they shall like streams run in the streets when God means to bless a people he sets up such even Aegypt shall not want a blessing whilest Joseph is the Governour See Iere. 22.3 4. 2 Chron. 9.1 On the contrary if the Skie be lowring if good men be the dispised Branches of the Land if they that fear God be not set up and honoured but wicked Heads and Governours not fearing God get all the power into their hands foul-weather cannot be far off the Lord has a purpose to punish that people When aâ— King arose that knew not Joseph and he was not in favour in the Egyptian Court as before then the Egyptian Sun declined towards setting and not long ofter wrath fell on them and rooted them out in sore plagues and drowning in the Red Sea King Solomon has long since observed it who had the best insight into matters of kingdoms Pro. 22.2 When the Righteous are in Authority the people rejoyce God smiles upon that Land But when the wicked bear rule the people mourn some Judgment lies at the door The Application of this and the last conclusion shall be joyned together Doct. 5 The secure wicked world is little or nothing moved with the removal of the Godly None considers none lay it to heart and says to himself Sure these are taken away from some evil to come Our consideration is never so much to seek as in matters 'twixt God and us In a private loss of a dear friend we can mourn and take on and lay it to heart but in a publick dammage where Gods Church is cast into danger there we fear not at all take no care for it When we see one great stone after another fall out of the Wall we consider it and say This Wall will not stand long The righteous the best and strongest stones of ouâ— wall Esay 26.11 are dayly falling and dropping into the Grave and yet no man regards it sensual security still makes the land drunk It is the Lords complaint that we have no eyes his Judgments are far out of our sight Lord when thy hand is lifted up Jer. 5.4 they will not see Surely these are poor and foolish peole for they know not the way of the Lord nor the judgement of their God It is the plague of the world that they shall have Eyes and see not and hearts which consider not the things of God Has the World neither Eyes nor Heart yes but none for God These things are hid from their eyes and far from their Hearts Their Eyes and their Hearts are but for their coveteousness and for to purvey for these earthly things Jer. â—2 17 The Reasons among many may be judged these Reas 1 There is an evil disease of deep-sleep and security lies upon the World Am. 6.3 Esay 28.15 whereby they mind nothing of this nature and are prone to put far from them the evil day making covenants with death 2. Act. 17.21 There is the Athenians disease of curiosity which makes us inquire after novelties and the Lords dealings are altogether neglected not thought upon The Lord in Judgment suffers it 1 The. 5.4 that evils may overtake the wicked before ever they thought on them The righteoâ—s are not regarded in their lives Job 12.4 and therefore are dispised and little consideration had of them in their deaths So far are the ungodly from thinking they are taken away from evil to come that they lay it another