clean and pure that they cannot suffer the sight of iniquity and sin it is that which doth most afflict and grieve him Therefore when St. Paul had advis'd the Ephesians That no corrupt Communication should proceed out of their mouth but that which is good to the use of edifying that it may minister Grace unto the hearers he adds immediately after Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption And if there be any that are not moved with the presence of such a Glorious Person let him tremble at this fearful threatening If any destroy the Temple of God God will destroy him 1 Cor. 3. 12. There was two Tables of Stone in the Ark of God's Covenant where God himself had written his Law which he gave to his People by the Ministry of Moses 1 Kings 6. Seeing that the God of all mercy hath chosen thy Soul to be his Sanctuary and the pavillion of his Glory his Sacred Commandments must be there engraven upon the Table of thy Heart thou must be moved with an earnest desire for the service of God and for an exact conformity to his Holy Will that we may be able to say to you what St. Paul said to the Christians of his days Ye are manifestly declared to be the Epistle of Christ written not with Ink but with the Spirit of the living God not in Tables of Stone but in fleshly Tables of the Heart And that you may say with the Royal Prophet My God my Delight hath been to do thy Will thy Law is within me 2 Cor. 3. 13. Let us represent to our selves continually the great and many Obligations that we have to fear God to love him and to serve him he is the most perfect of all Beings he is perfection it self infinitely lovely so that if there were neither Hell to punish us nor Heaven to reward us he ought to be served and reverenc'd because of Himself and of his Divine Perfections This consideration causeth Jeremiah to break forth into these lofty expressions Who would not fear thee O King of Nations for to thee doth it appertain forasmuch as among all the Wise Men of the Nations and in all their Kingdoms there is none like unto thee Jer. 10. 14. Whilst we are travelling here below we are not capable of such an high and Celestial Meditation it belongs only to the Angels whom God hath invested with Light and Glory and to the Heavenly Spirits whom he hath admitted to the contemplation of his Face Let us therefore seriously consider the Blessings and Favors which we have received from this great God who hath created us in his own Image and who hath made us to be the Master-pieces of all his inferior Wonders He hath placed in us a breviation of all the Beauties and Perfections of the World he hath given us a Being as to the Sun Moon and Stars A Life like the Plants Sence as to the Animals Understanding as to the Angels In short he hath infused into this Body fashioned with his own fingers an immortal Soul of an Heavenly Substance a beam of his Glory and a living Image of his Godhead My Soul therefore bless the Lord and all that is within me bless his Holy name my Soul bless the Lord and forget not all his benefits Psal 103. 15. It is for mans sake that God hath stretched out the Heavens established the Earth poured out the waters and prescribed Limits to the roaring Sea It is for Man's sake that this Gracious Creator hath adorned the Heavens with such a number of Beautiful Stars that he hath given to the Moon its unconstant Motions with its wonderful influences that he hath setled in the Sun such a bountiful source of Light and that he hath appointed the unvariable succession of the seasons of the Days Months and Years It is for Man's advantage and lawful recreation that so many Birds sing and fly in the open Air that such prodigious numbers of Fishes swim in the Seas and Rivers that the Earth is beautified with so many delicate Flowers that it brings forth so many wholsome Herbs and pleasant Fruits that it nourisheth so many kinds of Animals and engenders in its Bowels Gold Silver and precious Stones In a word it is for Man's sake that God hath created the World and hath filled it full of so many Riches and beautified it with so many excellent Perfections Therefore it is no wonder if the Royal Prophet is ravished into an Holy Admiration and bursts forth into these expressions O God what is mortal Man that thou art mindful of him or the Son of Man that thou dost regard him Thou hast made him a little lesser than the Angels thou hast Crowned him with Glory and Honor Thou hast establish'd him Governor over the Works of thine Hands Thou hast put all things under his Feet the Sheep and the Oxen the Beasts of the Fields the Birds of the Heavens and the Fishes of the Sea If the example of this great Prophet hath not power sufficient to stir you up and perswade you to the fear and worship of God by the consideration of the wonderful Works of the Creation Hear what the Angel declares who took his slight through the middle of the Heavens having the Eternal Gospel in his hand Fear God and give him Glory worship him that liveth for ever and ever for he hath made the Heaven and the Earth the Sea and the Fountains of Waters 16. We have not only in God our Life Motion and Being but he hath not left himself without witness in doing good and sending Rains from Heaven fruitful seasons filling our hearts with Food and Joy He doth nourish us with his Manna and gives us to drink of his abundance he overshadows us with his Protection and enlightens us with his Heavenly Fires He hath always his Eyes open to our Miseries and his Ears to our Sighs and Groans He is always near them that call upon him yea them that call upon him faithfully Let us therefore say as David I love the Lord because he hath heard the voice of my Supplication for he hath enclined his Ear unto me therefore will I call upon him all the days of my life Psal 14. Psal 116. 17. Meditate often upon the advantages that are common to thee with the rest of Christians and upon the Blessings and Favours which God hath vouchsafed to thy Person in particular Remember how many times he hath sent his assistance from above how he hath wrought Miracles to deliver thee from the Evils that did threaten thee Consider how liberal he hath been to thee in the whole course of thy life what admirable and noble means he hath employed to crown thee with his most precious Favors then thou wilt say with Jacob O God I am not worthy of the least of all the Mercies and of all the Truth which thou hast shewed unto thy servant Gen. 32. And with David Many
before we have well thought whither we be mortal or no Therefore we are sooner surprized and astonished at its approaches and we become like the foolish Israelites that trembled and fled before Goliah because they were not accustomed to behold him 3. We have too great confidence and depend too much upon second Causes we look upon Death as a thing that happens by chance or as an evil that may be prevented or at least put away from us for a time whereas we should be fully perswaded that God hath determined and appointed not only Death it self but also all the causes and means by which it commonly happens Therefore we are often fill'd with displeasure and reduced to murmure and repine against God we grin and bite the stone instead of adoring in all humility that wise Hand that casts it In a word when ever Death comes to us we are ready to say to it as the Devils to our Saviour Wherefore art thou come to torment us before the time Matth. 3. 4. We are too much wedded to these earthly vanities we are inseparable from the World we would willingly make here our abode for ever and cannot abide to hear that Death will remove us Our unlawful affections have no bounds and we often spend our selves in the pursuance of the miserable advantages of the Earth When we come almost to the end of our life and of our mortal journey it is then that many of us are most earnest to make a large provision of Worldly Vanities we build stately dwellings and sumptuous Palaces at that very moment when we should think of nothing but of building our Tomb and preparing our Winding-sheet We have so violent a passion for all the advantages of this life that to separate us from them it is to pluck out our Hearts and tear our tenderest Bowels When Death comes to our Bedside and offers to pull us out we are ready to say as the Sluggard in the Proverbs A little sleep a little slumber a little folding of the hands Prov. 6. When our Divine Bridegroom knocks at our Gates we are scarce willing to abandon our Delights as the Spouse in the Canticles what saith the Worldling Must I leave my sumptuous Palaces my pleasant Dwellings and my delightful Gardens Must I relinquish all this rich Tapestry these precious Moveables and all these rare and exquisite Ornaments that enrich my Parlors Chambers and Closets Must this unmerciful Death divest me so soon of all my Offices and Dignities and hinder me from a full and peaceable enjoyment of all these Riches and Treasures Must it ravish from me in an instant all my Delights and satisfactions Is there no remedy but must I be pluckt from the embraces of my beloved Wife from the sight of my dear Children and from the sweet company of all my friends Must I receive no more the services of my Domesticks When we are in this miserable disposition it is no wonder if death is terrible to us and if it causeth us to resent the sharpness of its sting for as Absalom when he was hanging by the hair of his Head in a Tree of the Forrest Joab took three Darts and struck him through the Heart thus when our affections are too much wedded and entangled with the World and its vanities and fill'd with the expectation of earthly contentments it is then that they are miserably exposed to all the Darts and violent attempts of Death 5. Another principal cause of the fear of Death is our ill Life We give our selves over to the vices debaucheries and licenciousness of this unhappy Age we suffer our selves to be corrupted by ill company and carried away with the Torrent of vicious Customs It is therefore no wonder if death fills our Souls with apprehensions for it comes to us armed with our sins and is preceded by the remorse of Conscience and horror of our Crimes How came it to pass that such a terrible astonishment fell upon King Belshazzar when he saw the fingers of an hand writing upon the Wall of his Palace the Sentence of his doom Dan. 5. It was because he did profane the Holy Vessels of God's House and because he did riot in the company of lascivious Women Wherefore did Felix tremble when he heard St. Paul discourse of Justice Temperance and of Judgement to come Acts 24. It was because he was a wicked Varlet given over to all manner of filthy and unjust living Thus because we profane the Members of our Body that are as the Vessels of Gods Sanctuary and House and because our life is vicious and disorderly we can't abide to hear death mention'd and when it comes to us we are ready to speak to it in Felix's language to St. Paul Depart for this time So that the love of Sin and the fear of Death are as two Sisters that hold one another by the hands or rather they are as Twins that are born and dye together As the Prophet Amos said to the Israelites Ye put for away the evil day and cause the seat of violence to come near Amos 6. So may we say to the Men of this age Ye put far from you the day of Death as much as you are able and draw near to all manner of Impurity Covetousness Ambition Pride Vanity Usury Rapine Violence Envy Malice and such like Soul-plagues You don't only draw near to these abominable Vices but you do also worse to lodge them in your Bowels and to plant them in your Hearts Certainly we may very well apply to all vicious persons what the Prophet Jeremy tells of Jerusalem Her filthiness is in her skirts she remembreth not her last end Lam. 1. 6. I have taken notice of another imperfection in us we mistrust the Providence of God and know not how to repose our selves upon his Fatherly Care we have a too worthy esteem of our selves and of our own sufficiency We can't resolve to dye because we fancy our selves very useful in the world and that our Death would bring a considerable loss to the Church of God to the State or to our Family 7. Because the Soul and Body are linkt together in a very strict union we can't imagine how they can be separated without great and unspeakable pangs our infidelity is so great that we can't rest satisfied upon the promise of God who engages to succor us in our distress and to deliver us from all our troubles Is 50. It is true Jacob's Ladder that reaches from the Earth to Heaven doth fill us with admiration but it seems most difficult and uneasy to ascend Paradice is Rich Glorious and Delightful to the uttermost but its Gate is strait and choakt up with Thorns and Bryers 8 I judge that one of the chief causes of the fear of death is because we look upon God as a most severe and merciless Judge inflamed with anger and fury against us and armed with vengeance Whereas we should consider and acknowledge him to be a
borrowed and what we enjoy as long as it pleaseth the lawful owner to lend it thus we shall freely leave this present life and all our worldly possessions in case we can but perswade our selves that all belongs to God and that he hath lent them but for a moment 9. Moreover it is necessary for us to consider the fruitless labors and pains that we are at when we purchase the Riches of the Earth and ascend up to the Dignities and Honors for as the Husbandman when he hath spent himself in manuring his Field and water'd it with his sweat is many times deceived of all fair hopes and his expectation frustrated Thus it commonly happens to the covetous and ambitious they toil and labour in vain the Goods which they think to grasp slides away between their fingers as Water or as Wax that melts at the first approach of the Fire and all the Honors which they expect to enjoy and embrace are as a shadow that soon vanishes or as a smoak that flies up out of their reach when they have well sown these vanities they rerp nothing but grief and displeasure 10. Take notice of the little contentment and satisfaction that there is to be found in the most entire and perfect enjoyment of the advantages of this World They are like a Drink that leaves us still a Thirst and like an empty Meat that cannot satiate our Longing Like the Waters of the Weli of Sychar whereof our Saviour said to the Woman of Samaria He that drinketh of this Water shall thirst again Joh. 4. It happens to the Worldlings as to him who sleeps hungry and dreams that he is eating when he wakes his stomach is empty Isaiah 29. or like to another that thinks in his sleep that he drinks but when his eyes are open he finds himself weary and his Appetite unsatisfied for he that hungers for Money is never contented with the enjoyment of it and he that thirsts for vain Glory can never be pleas'd with all the great Honors and Grandeur of the World Eccl. 5. Instead of satiating his longing Appetite these things serve but to increase and augment it The whole World was not large enough to satisfy the foolish ambition of Alexander for it is said that he wept when a Philosopher told him that there were yet many Worlds to conquer This Man to whom six foot of Earth was sufficient had a mind to command over a thousand Worlds if there had been so many in being 11. Consider that all the Treasuries and Riches of the Indies and the pomp and grandeur of the World are not able to bring Peace to the Soul nor quiet to the troubled Consciences when a poor man hath got together a little Silver and Gold or when a mean person is rais'd to the highest Offices and greatest Dignities his misery continues still although it changes its appearance oft-times it is so much the more unsufferable in that it puts on a false luster and a deceitful Gloss in that such are constrain'd to live always masked to suppress the pangs the grief the sighs and groans that often interrupt their prophane smiles and carnal delights and pastimes Therefore our Saviour compares Riches to Thorns for they prick and gaul not only the Hands but the Heart and Bowels of such as embrace them with affection it may be said also that they are like Lions and Bears for they are not to be caught without much difficulty and they are as uneasy to be kept because we must take heed that we be not bit with their venemous and deadly Teeth If you had but tried the horrible displeasures the sensible griefs and the secret fears with the tormenting cares that attend upon the most glorious Scrpters and the richest Crowns you would never judge the saying of that Prince unreasonable who exclaimed against his Royalty in this manner O Crown if any did but know thy weight he would never lift thee up from the ground The most part of the pleasures and the satisfactions of this life depend much upon mans imagination and al this grandeur and humane Glory is nothing but wind The Royal Prophet teacheth us this Truth with much elegancy when he saith That every man at his best state is altogether vanity surely every man walketh in a vain shew surely they are disquieted in vain Psal 39. Solomon the most Learned of all Kings the Richest and most Magnificent Prince of his time had refus'd nothing to his Eyes to gratify his Lust he had tasted of all the delights and pastimes that can be imagined but at last he found so little satisfaction and solid content that he was forced to acknowledge That all things under the Sun are but vanity and vexation of Spirit Eccâ—es 8. 12. Chiefly we are to consider that if our Enjoyments have been wrongfully gotten as Balaams reward Achans wedge of Gold and Scarlet Cloak Gehazis changes of Raiment Ahabs and Jezabels Vineyard Judas his Thirty pieces Numb 22. Josh 7. they can bring no real content nor peace to the Soul but they rather fill us with horrors of Conscience and with a fearful despair 2 Kings 5. 1 Kings 21. If the voluptuous Worldling that hath enriched himself by Rapine Usury and Extorsion did wring with his hands his sumptuous Garments where his pomp and pride appear he should visibly squeeze out the Tears of the afflicted and poor People Matt. 27. If he did but relish the right tast of the Liquors that he drinks out of his Cups of Jasper and Chrystal he should find instead of Wine and Lemonade the sweat and blood of many wretches and if he did but seriously look into the Silver and Golden Vessels that are put upon his Table he should perceive the Marrow and the Bones of such as he hath devour'd Whosoever becomes fat with the substance of the Widow and the Fatherless shall never open his Coffers but he may spy there the Image of the Devil and the Hellish Furies he may hear the crys and groans of such whom he hath destroyed by his unjustice and cruelties If such escape unpunished here upon Earth they shall surely feel the severity of God's vengeance hereafter If there be no Sword to strike them nor Fire to consume them nor Leprosie to gnaw them nor Dogs to tear them nor Halter to hang them they have a guilty Conscience that will perform more than this for it will be their witness to accuse them their judge to condemn them their Rack their Wheel and Executioner to torture them The time will come when the Worm that never dies and the Fire that shall never be quencht shall torment and burn them 13. Consider that it is possible to be very indigent in the midst of a great plenty The Poets have had a designe to represent this by the fiction of a Man thirsting in a River whereof the Waters did reach up to his chin The covetous Miser is like to this miserable wretch He may be also
God or Set forth the praises of God There is no ingenuous Soul but loves Peace and Rest for this cause the Glory and Happiness of Paradise is represented under this lovely and pleasant Notion as in the 4 Chapter of the Hebrews For we which believed do enter into rest as he said as I have sworn in my wrath if they shall enter into my rest for if Jesus had given them rest then would he not afterward have spoken of another day there remaineth therefore a Rest to the People of God for he that is entred into his Rest he also hath ceased from his own Works as God did from his Let us labour therefore to enter into that Rest This causeth old Simeon to cry out Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace Finally the Holy City is called Jerusalem which signifies a Vision of Peace And God himself makes this promise Behold I will extend Peace to her like a River Is 66. Phil. 4. Wherefore if the Peace which God grants to believing Souls in this life surpasseth all understanding what may we judge shall be the full enjoyment of an Eternal Peace in the Kingdom of Heaven the tongues of Men and Angels is not able to express its Dignity and Excellency Lastly because Men are lovers of Pleasures Delights and Pomp and that the most part seek for nothing but how to drive away their sorrows and to recreate themselves with pastimes Therefore the felicities of Paradise are represented by Rejoycings Pleasures and Eternal Solemnities as in the 36 Psalm Thou shalt cause them to drink of the River of thy pleasureâ— And in the 126 Psalm They that sow in Tears shall reap in Joy And God himself speaking of that most blessed time saith Behold I create new Heavens and a new Earth and the former shall not be remembred nor come into mind but be you glad and rejoyce for ever in that which I create for behold I create Jerusalem a rejoycing and her People a joy Therefore when the Holy Ghost represents the condition of the Glorified Saints he doth only say that God will wipe away all Tears from their Eyes and that there shall be no more sorrow nor crying nor labor nor pain nor grief but he adds over and above that in their mouths there shall be Songs of Praise and upon their Heads an Eternal joy and gladness like to a precious Crown which shall never be taken from them for this cause they call so earnestly upon one another Let us be glad and rejoyce and give glory to the Lord our God Revel 19. All our senses shall partake in these Heavenly and Everlasting Pleasures our Eyes shall behold with transports of joy the sacred countenance of our Redeemer the Riches and wonderful Beauty of his Palace the Glory and Magnificence of his Empire our Ears shall be delighted with the Musick of the blessed Saints and with the Tunes of the Angels and of the Church Triumphant our smelling shall receive the sweet perfumes of our Bridegroom whose Garments are of Myrrh and whose Vine always blossoming gives a good smell our Palat shall taste the Bread of Angels the hidden Manna the Fruits of the Tree of Life the Waters issuing forth to everlasting Life and the new Wine of the Kingdom of Heaven Our Hands shall embrace the Saviour of the World and with our Feet we shall walk about the streets of that golden City the Heavenly Jerusalem and we shall follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth Revel 14. Although I speak to you in this manner I am perswaded Christian Souls that you understand very well that these expressions and such like are not to be understood in a litteral Sence and that they are but dark Shadows and imperfect Images of the advantages of the life to come You have not forgot what St. Paul saith That they are things which Eye hath not seen Ear hath not heard and which never entred into the heart of Man which God hath prepared for them that love him 1 Cor. 2. And that this great God whose Riches are inexhaustible doth in us abundantly above what we are able to ask or think Eph. 3. so that when you see before you all the most Beautiful Amiable Glorious and excellent things of the World you may say in your selves without doubt the Glory and Happiness of Heaven is something more than all this for it is elevated so much above all Earthly enjoyments and surpasseth so much all the thoughts and conceits of Man that it is not possible to describe it in its own Colours nor to fancy it really as it is Think not therefore Christian Souls to meet in Heaven with a Paradise something like to your Gardens nor with Flowers like to such as adorn your pleasant Walks and Fields nor Fruits like to such as hang upon your Trees you may be assured that God will discover things infinitely more pleasant and delightful and more lasting Fancy not such a City built up as ours is where Gold Silver Pealrs and precious Stones are to be seen you may expect something more Noble and Magnificent than all the richest and most stately Cities of the World God will cause you to see not only the beauty of Silver the purity of Gold the whiteness of Pearls and the brightness of precious Stones but you shall discover something more beautiful purer whiter brighter and something more surprizing than any Earthly thing Think not to receive any material Crown or to ascend up upon Thrones like to those of Kings and Princes You may justly fancy something more Glorious and more lasting I am also perswaded Christians that you expect not in Heaven to find Tables covered as those of the rich Worldlings nor to glutt your selves with a Feast like that of the Nuptials of Earthly Princes without doubt your Faith hath an eye to something more Heavenly and Glorious Your Soul hungers for more exquisite Dainties and is athirst for more delicious and sweeter Drinks You are too well instructed to think to live in Heaven an animal and a sensual Life Such a gross conceit becomes only the Impostor Mahomet and his fond Paradise In this life that we lead upon Earth there are two things which chiefly discover our natural Infirmity The first is our eating and drinking absolutely necessary to make up the breaches that labor and the natural heat do make which spend and feed upon the radical Humour which serves to our life as Oil to a Lamp The other is Marriage appointed by God for the continuance and propagation of the humane Race But in Heaven our life shall be altogether Angelical Spiritual and Supernatural our Bodies shall be no more subject to corruption nor to any alteration they shall want no more food than the Stars do at present and the rest of the Celestial Bodies Therefore the Holy Ghost speaks expresly That we shall neither hunger nor thirst that the Sun shall not burn nor any other heat trouble us That is to
of the Soul from the Body seeing that Death which shall separate you from your selves is not able to separate you from the Spirit of the Lord Jesus The Soul of our Souls the Seal of the promises of God and the earnest of our future Inheritance Instead of looking backwards and longing for these perishing advantages and for Honors that can only dazle the eye consider that Death shall wipe away all Tears remove all your grief and raise you above all the storms of the World above all the miseries and troubles that cover the face of the Earth That you may be able to follow this Death more chearfully Remember that it draws you out of a place all polluted with Sin and infected with Impiety to transport you into a new Heaven adorned with Righteousness and Holiness and perfumed with the Prayers Praises and Thanksgivings of the Glorified Saints remember that it frees you from all remains of corruption and gives Deaths wound to all your Lusts Mind not so much the false appearance of Death for to the wicked it is as it were the Subburbs of Hell the jaws of the bottomless pit and the beginning of their endless Torments but to you Believers it is the Gate of Heaven an entrance into Paradice and a passage to a most happy Life Learn to relish now the Joys wherewith your Souls shall be for ever satisfied when God shall Crown you with his Glory and make you Drink of the Rivers of his Pleasure Seeing that your Soul is going to put on a Garment of an Immortal colour and to dwell for ever in the Palace which God hath built with his Almighty hand Cast off willingly this wretched crasie and corruptible Body depart willingly out of this Earthly Tabernacle which turns of it self into Dust Consider well that if it falls by Death it shall rise again at the Resurrection and that when it shall have been the Dwelling and the Food of Worms it shall at last become the Temple of God and the Tabernacle of his Glory Finally O Religious Souls shut your eyes to the World and to all the vanities in it which the World adores and aspire to the real advantages which God hath prepared for you before the Creation of the World and which you shall injoy when the World shall be no more Let your precious Faith and your blessed hope enter into Eternity it self to behold that extraordinary happiness and glory which God shall accomplish when he shall bring us both in Soul and Body into his Celestial Paradice to see his face in which is fulness of Joy Seeing that this perfect happiness and infinite Glory which never entered into the Heart and thoughts of Man shall never be perfectly accomplished but at that Day when Jesus Christ shall appear from Heaven to be glorified in his Saints and to become wonderful in all Believers Think alwayes upon this Glorious Day the end of all our wishes the fulfilling of all your hopes and the perfection of all the designes which God hath conceived in himself from all Eternity You Devout Souls that are grieved to see the World prosper and Satans Empire flourish to see Gods Children subject to all the Darts of Death take good courage and rejoyce with an holy Joy for shortly all the Enemies of God and of your Salvation shall be punished with an everlasting punishment as from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power Shortly the Devil his Angels his Agents and Slaves shall be bound up in Chains of Darkness and cast into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone and shut up in the bottomless pit Shortly Death shall be no more and this Church of Jesus Christ ' whose Miseries and Afflictions cause you to weep shall be shortly cloathed with unspeakable light and glory It shall enter with Joy and Triumph into the Heavenly Jerusalem and you your selves shall sing with all the glorified Armies of Heaven Seeing that Christ shall come as a Thief in the Night and shall surprise all the Children of the World unawares prepare your Souls Believers with the love of God and an expectation of your Merciful Lord behave your selves in the same manner as you would do if you were now at the Eye of this great Festival as if you did spie already the breaking of this most happy day Entertain now the same affections and joy as if you did hear the voice of God and the Trumpet of the Archangel as if the Earth were already in a flame and as if Jesus Christ himself were coming in the Clouds of Heaven And seeing that no impure thing shall enter into the Heavenly and Holy Jerusalem and that without Holiness no Man shall see the face of God cleanse your selves Christians from all filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit perfecting Holiness in the fear of the Lord forsake all manner of Vice give your selves over to Vertue and to the practice of good Works imitate the diligence of the Faithful Servant that you may not be ashamed at the coming of your Great Master Take heed that you be not like the Wise Virgins that slept as well as the foolish but watch and pray that you may not enter into Temptation for the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak Redeem the time for the dayes are evil and make haste to put on the Garments of Righteousness and innocency fill your Hearts with the Holy Oyl of Faith of Hope and Charity Take your Lamps in your hands and let your Souls shine with a Divine Light In this blessed disposition let us go and meet our Heavenly Bridegroom and hasten his coming by our Prayers and Groans Let our Souls be full of Love let them sigh for our Divine Jesus and being moved with the same affection as St. John let us say to him with an earnest desire Come Lord Jesus and if he answers for certain I come quickly Let the Longing of our Souls increase more and more that we may be able to Pray more fervently and to cry out from the bottom of our Souls unto Heaven Come Lord Jesus even come Lord come quickly Amen A Prayer and a Meditation for a Believing Soul that rejoyceth and comforts it self in looking upon Deaths Destruction and the everlasting and Blessed Life which we hope to injoy both in Soul and Body after the Resurrection O Great Judge of the World bottomless Fountain of Life and happiness thy Gracious hand hath put into mine Heart the seeds of Immortality the first-fruits of Heavens Glory and the foretasts of everlasting Delights Thou hast made me to behold by Faith the joys and happiness of Paradice where thou shalt receive my Soul when it shall depart out of this wretched World and to Meditate upon the Glory which thou preparest for my Body when thou shalt take it to thy self to make it like to thy Glorious Body Now raise my thoughts and my hopes to this highest glory and happiness which thou hast promised to our