12.1 while under the Moon 't is changeable but when clothed with the Sun in John's Vision she will be iâ—lustrious and tread the Moon under her Feet The Church has a time to sing the Song of the Lamb more melodiously than the Song of Moses Rev. 15.3 Moses his Song was a mixt Song there were Amorites to conquer after the Egyptians were sunk in the Mighty Waters After songs of deliverance come the bitter waters of Marah and new Elegies The Church sings that Song upon Earth but this Song of the Lamb in Heaven where no more troubles The Church in Apostolical times had a Sea of Glass as clear as Chrystal Rev. 4.6 wherein to see their faces and wash their spots 15.2.21.1 In Antichristian times of persecution a Sea of Glass mingled with Fire They enjoyed pure worship but attended with fiery tryals But in her Heavenly state there shall be Sea no more A State of perfection needs no more washings for communion in glory Here God wisely mingles comforts and crosses to keep us in a holy awe of sin and to encourage us in spiritual Services We contract much dust and soyl from worldly company and need washing and purging every day whereby to save our selves from this untoward Generation Act. 2.40 Israel had lain among the pots in Egypt and needed scouring in the Wilderness that the Thorns of Sinai might fetch the Onions of Egypt out of their squeazy stomachs Nay Gods people enjoy not only successive but temporary mixtures For in the midst of sorrows arises spiritual joy to support and quicken and in times of prosperiry are exercised with spiritual sins and heart-sorrows to humble and keep them steddy Nabal and Haman like other wicked wretches were either all joy or all sorrow and by turns overwhelm'd with both 1 Sam. 25.36 their hearts were as light as a feather or else sunk like lead Let 's beware when fatned with mercies lest we kick with Jesurun and when were are brought to the salt waters of Marah lest our imbittered Spirits fret against the Holy One of Israel while we proclaim our anger against instruments let 's take care that our clamours reach not the ear of God himself Men often mask their impatience at God under colour of shooting at others miscarriages We may grieve under afflictions and carry our sins by prayer to Heaven for pardon and our troubles to the Mercy-seat for relief I poured out my complaint before him Ps 142.2 says David I shewed before him my trouble Mourn we may Ezek. 7.16 Is 51.20 Songs 2.14 but murmur and mutter we must not Mourn like Doves without Gall in the Clefts of the Rock but not toss the Horn and roar like wilde Bulls in the Net full of the fury of the Lord. When we have mourned meekly and patiently for sin Mic. 7.9 and born the Indignation of the Lord we may look up for mercy till he plead our cause and execute judgment for us and say fiducially God's our God which is often the last stroke upon Davids Harp Does God chuse us for his Is 48.10 and chuse us in the Furnace of Affliction and refine us but not with Silver non quasi argentum not as if we were pure Silver already before refinement but in the midst of our dross and faeculency to make us bright for Temple-service then let us take him for our gracious and watchful Refiner and reflect his Love back again to Heaven Chuse him before all the Angels in Heaven and the sweetest familiars on Earth Ps 73.25 and then all afflictions will work kindly when the Fire of Love and the Fire of Affliction melt the Soul together and as the flaming beams of the Sun extinguish our Kitchin Fires so the heat of Divine Love will damp and put out the sense and smart of all and the most fiery trials here below Let but a Saint recollect his thoughts that there 's excellent reason why God afflicts and as the waters cannot Song 8.6 so neither the fires out burn the vehement flames of Divine Love 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 called by the Wise Man the Flame of God Succurrat non tantùm quid patiamur sed quid fecerimur Senec. Ira. l. 2. p. 33. Remember what we have done as well as suffer said the Spanish Moralist Compare our merits and sufferings and then our unworthiness and mercies together and we have little reason to complain since there is less reason why we should draw a breath in the Land of the Living Lam. 3.39 Mercies flow from the innate Bowels of God Judgment is his strange work Is 28.21 Kindness flows from the Divine Essence more naturally than streams from a Fountain or beams from the Sun but sin and affliction is rooted in us Justifie God in all and that will extinguish murmurs 1 Cor. 11.30 Sometimes there 's a particular cause for affliction which though many times latent is always just Let 's search and try our ways Lam. 3.40 and turn unto the Lord. Ask the inward Viceroy and he 'll tell thee As Clocks strike clearest in stormy times so does Conscience in the hour of Judgment though we top and clog it never so much in the fair weather of prosperity Wouldest thou know the plain truth hearken what thy heart condemns and smites for in the hearing of a searching Sermon sometimes Affliction it self points at its relative sin Adonibezek deprived of his Thumbs Judg. 1.7 could tell upon his fingers the 140 Royal Thumbs which he had cut off Is a dear Relation taken consider thy sins both in it and toward it Si res angusta domi If poverty pinch remember abused plenty and careless expences Does God withdraw his shining face it may be thou hast grieved his Spirit and therefore he grieves thine most righteously Hast thou cooled and quenched his Heavenly Motion wonder not if he stop his ear at thy cries and at length leave thee to coolness and deadness of heart Rev. 3.16 Thou art lukewarm in his cause Grumble not at Laodiceas Portion to be spew'd out of his mouth Art thou puff'd up with parts which are but gifts Gods not thine repine not if others prick thy swoln Bladder with the pin of infamy Want of pity and relief to thy Brother reaps just unkindness in time of straits Censorious persons must run the gauntlet patiently and a lashing Tongue needs a Launcet to let out its Salt and fiery Bloud or may be prickt with Pins as Fulvia dealt by Cicero Cassius l. 47. p. 331. d. Angry persons often meet with sturdy matches as good at fifty cuffs as themselves It 's usual for men to be measured by their own bushel and for froward affronts to meet with divine requital unless for sins of daily infirmity sudden tentations and disorderly provocations from others Then to mourn watch and pray is a Saints Armour and go to Heaven with Elthu Job 34.33
at that day in the presence of Jesus Christ 1 Thes 2.19 Then the Refusers of the Head-stone of the Corner shall see the Ancient Patriarchs in the Kingdom of God Luk. 13.28 and themselves thrust out Then shall Moses and Elias prosecute their ancient Discourse with our Blessed Lord all the Disciples hearing Mark 9.7 upon a higher Mountain than Tabor and no Cloud to over-shadow more At that Banquet there will be Musick that will hold a Confort and Symphony with all the Powers of the Soul All the Dorick and Lesbian Strains are but discords and ungrateful scrapings to those Heavenly Amphions whose Harps and Voices echo against the Chrystalline Jasperwalls of the New Jerusalem Rev. 21.11 When all the Prodigal Sons shall come to themselves and taste of the Fatted Calf What ravishing Songs shall amaze the Sphears and the 7 Sirens of Heaven Plato in Macrob. de somn Scip. l. 2. c. 3. Max. Tyr. ser 21. Luk. 2.8 13. Ps 22.22 Heb. 2.12 Rev. 14.3 4. when the Heavenly Intelligences themselves shall sing Glory to God in the Highest and the Shepherds of all the Churches shall be present When the King of the Church himself shall begin the Psalm and sing aloud in the midst of the Congregation above and all the undefiled Virgins shall follow playing with Harps and answering with Voices to the New Song of the Lamb before the Throne the 4 living Creatures in allusion to the 4 Cherubims in Solomon's Temple and the 24 Elders representing the 24 Orders of Priests Though none can learn this Song but who are redeemed from the Earth yet 't is compos'd and laid before those Heavenly Spirits by the Pen of the Beloved Disciple Blessing and honour and glory and power be unto him that sitteth upon the Throne Rov 5.8 and to the Lamb for ever and ever And while this Song is melodiously answered by the warbling Harps the joyful Guests are entertain'd with fragrant Odours perfuming the Celestial Mercy-seat and the Spiknard of the Gardens of Zion of the Forest of Lebanon sends forth its delicious Smell as the King of the Church in all his Royalty sits at his Table in Glory Song 1.12 But alas who can reach the Lustre of that day which will amaze Angels themselves It sinks our Spirits to think of Eternity 't is a bottomless Gulf to the thoughts of most raised Souls But as we cast our selves here by Faith upon the Heart and Love of Christ so must we rest in his Love to fulfil all his glorious Promises Zeph. 3.17 and capacitate the Soul for these Accomplishments But before that august and resplendent day which will sit upon the Throne of Magnificence we must remember and ponder seriously upon the awakening Trumpet of the Archangel at his own appearance Job 5.28 when the Bodies of all the Saints in order to these unmatch'd Enjoyments shall be rais'd out of their embalmed dust where they lay perfumed by the Spices of their Lords Sacred Body Is 26.19 Which Doctrine of Resurrection to life not only the Holy Scriptures amply confirm for a Foundation of Faith but there are some no contemptible sentiments of the same in many varieties of Nature Every Morning utters it and every Spring revives it Every Trumpet over the new Moon proclaims it and every emersion of the Planets from under the Suns combustion darts a Beam upon this notion Every Insect that starts from the corruption of dissolved Animals is no ignoble Emblem Any Metal or Mineral calcined and reviv'd by a proper menstruum yields us a pleasant specimen Not to enlarge upon those rare experiments which the learned Chemists style by the name of the Trees of Philosophers some whereof are represented both in Gold and Silver French distil p. 181. and one in Copper first corroded by Aqua fortis and revived into Sea green branches like Coral growing in a G1ass by help of the Liquor of Sand or Pebles I have sometimes shewn This curiosity is more exquisitely set forth in Vegetables Borrichius contr Conring p. 36â— Borelli observ p. 325. Beck experim p. 244. Quercitan de hermâ—â— p 293. Libav syntag arcan chymiâ— l. 1. c. 22. p. 48. as the Learned well know by the Writings of Borcllus Borichius Beckius and others to whom the inquisitive may repair Give leave a little to enlarge on that story in Quercetan of a Polonian Doctor who had above 30 Glasses hermetically sealed wherein were the Ashes of so many Plants as the Mary-gold the many colour'd Poppy the Rose c. chemically prepared it may be after the manner of a Clyssus as they term it wherein lay hid the Tinctures Spirits Salts and Oils of each Vegetable and at the request of Visitants would set the gentle heat of a Candle under any Glass and by and by the Plant would begin to rise into a Stalk Branches Leaves and then present a double-flower'd Rose as if it were a Corporeal but really a Spiritual Idea and yet endowed with a spiritual essence and wanted nothing to give it the compleat assumption of a solid body but committing it to the impregnating Salt in a fit and congenial Earth which upon withdrawing of the warmth would slide down gradually and sink into its former chaos in the Glass The truth of which Story I leave to the faith and veracity of that grave learned and experienced Writer not busying our thoughts too much with these faint resemblances nor with imitation of those people in Herodotus who intomb'd their Friends in Glass or of the Egyptians who embalm'd with Myrrhe and Aloes c. or that ingenious fancy of Kerkring Kerkring see in Morhof ' ' Epistle to Langelot p. 50. to invest the body in Amber while we by a stedfast faith rely upon the word of our adored Creator not doubting but Infinite Power is able to persorm what Infinite Wisdom contrives and Infinite Faithfulness hath promised to accomplish Let us with Holy Peter look to and hasten after this Glorious Day 2 Pet. 3.12 and labour to be found in their number who makeup the unspotted Bride of Christ and daily study to prepare and adorn our Souls for that Festival Triumph to have our Loins girt our Lamps burning Zach. 4.14 and our Vessels fill'd with holy Oil from the two anointed ones that stand before the Lord of the whole Earth Rev. 11.4 the two Witnesses that dispense the Sanctuary Oil for the Candlesticks of the Church Mat. 25.6 that so at the great cry at midnight Behold the Bridegroom cometh go forth to meet him that being ready we may enter with him to the Marriage in the Bride Chamber 1 Cor. 11.7 Pro. 12.4 As a Holy Wife is the Glory of a Holy Husband and reflects the Graces of his Heart in the Glass of her Pious Life If he be gracious she is likewise and becomes his Glory by reflection His excellency shines in her deportment like the Moon
of the Sands but no person that ever appeared on the stage of Being though he should spend all his time in writing Volumes of his own Life could trace the measures of his Mercies were he never so observant or did pry never so curiously into the passages of Divine Providence Every draught of Air into the Lungs is attended with Mercy When it carries out the fuliginous Vapours of the Heart who can attract it in again for the refrigeration of the Bloud and mixing the volatile balsam of the air to circulate that purple liquor in its motions The pulses of providence are quicker then chose of our Wrists or Temples How manifold are his mercies Ps 139.14 The soul of David knew right well their multiplicity but could not multiply them aright by any skill in Arithmetick Nay the very summ or chief heads of divine kindnesses were innumerable His wonderful works and thoughts towards him could not be reckoned up in order by him they were more then could be numbred Ps 40.5 It 's impossible to follow the footsteps of these mercies Heaven it self is not sufficient for a finite capacity to measure them They endure to eternity in preventing our lapse from happiness Le ts try a little speculation on 2 heads 1. On some gracious occurrences in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the compass of day and night and 2. The preventing mercies that are laid up in the bowels of afflictions both as to subsequent sins and dangers As to the first When we rise in the morning that sudden palsies do not unloose our Nervs or painful Convulsions shrink them up that we are not able to descend our Stairs that when we are down some Messenger of Death doth not appale us with terrible tidings and give us a bitter breakfast that we have Hearts and Spirits to call upon the God of our mercies in our Families as an Antidote against the evils of the succeeding day When we come into our Shops that the rapines of night Villanies hath not stript us naked of all our Goods and that we find all our Relations in health and peace when we walk abroad that we suck not in Contagious Atomes from the Air that the East wind does not blast us that sudden violent rains in hasty walking do not cool our sweats into Surfets or that we hurry not the blood into fermentations for new and surprizing distempers In vain should we be wary if holy providence were not wakeful That the earth we tread on doth not suddenly open its mouth to swallow us as it did the Rebels in Numbers Num. 16.32 That we dash not our feet against a stone our Shins against Posts Ps 91.12 or strain our Ankles in plain ground that the Tiles or Timber falling from Houses or the sweepings of gutters do not brain us that mad dogs infect us not with an Hydrophobia by their venemous bitings that wilde Oxen let forth by careless and wicked Butchers do not gore us or Carts crush us or damnable Hectors stab us or that casual arrows bullets or stones do not dispatch us The memorial of such a mercy stands upon the top of the Free school and Alms-house at the South end of Islington Lady Owen where Iron arrows are planted to signifie the gratitude of a poor Milk Maid to Gods mercy who upon escape of an arrow that was shot into her clothes vowed to build it if she rose to an estate and at length being raised to the degree of a Lady performed her vow We ought to be thankful that Coachmens whips do not accidentally scourge out our eyes That in the days of general Trainings or publick Shows strange disasters brings us not to the evenings of our lives That meddling with unconcerning quarre's in the ring of a tumult twist us not into danger through our own folly since wise Solomon hath warned us Pro. 26.17 He that medleth with strife belonging not to him is like one that taketh a dog by the ears When we ride that every step is not a path to the grave that the Horse stumble not or the Waggon break not or the Coach overturn not That we sink not into unfenced Gravel-pits overwhelmed with quick-sands overflown with waters That Lightnings do not lick up our spirits or hot Thunderbolts rend us in sunder We should reckon our mercies not by miles or hours but by steps and moments When we come to our meals that fitting refreshes when many by painful Fistula's pine away into Consumptions and cannot repose their bodies into any grateful posture That we bring appetites to our Tables and are not by cares and vexations from abroad rendred snappish and currish to a tender Wife and sweet obedient Children at home and our stomachs stuft with choler unfit to crave a blessing or receive it That we have our lovely Vines to chear us and our Olive plants about our Table to soften and sweeten our spirits Ps 128.4 So shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord. That some of us behold our Tables spread with furniture from the Air from the Seas and Rivers from the Mountains and Valleys from the Fold and Stall nay some with Olears from Spain and curious rarities from Turkey Muscovy and both the Indies and served up in Porcellane Dishes from China in Silver from America Gold from Barbary and 12 sorts of wine in Venice glass from Murano and yet like Jesurum was fat and kick That any one of these curious Viands meet not with an ill-habited Scurvy in the blood and especially all confused together carry not thousands from the Table to the Pillow and thence to the chambers of death When at our meals what a mercy that every bit doth not strangle us since story remembers some to have received their last by a raisin stone a fly a hair When our dayly food passing over the Larynx the bridge that covers the windpipe that it doth not choke us as the rump of a Capon did the Earl of Colrain When after meals in our repose or walking in Gardens or Fields no sudden accident attaches us and spoils Concoction That when we have eat and drunk that we can render our urine and uncover our feet thousands perish by stopping the chanels of Nature Let 's daily bless the Lord for Evacuations as well as Ingestion It 's wonderful that mens cutting their Hair tends not by distillations on the Lungs to Consumption or by letting bloud that an Artery be not cut as some who have lost their Arms. Or so inconsiderable a thing as the cutting a Corn does not rankle to death as in the Lord Fairfax When we sail upon Rivers or Seas Oh what mercy that the Vessel founder not that the Sands suck us not in nor the Rocks split us nor sudden Gusts overturn us and wandering Pirats catch us not that he makes the waves to obey his word and the stormy wind to fulfill his pleasure When we converse that Pride and Passion do
of Hony though little Water The French though Papists exprest their affections with briny Tears and beating their famish'd Trunks with loud cries Mon Dicu mon Dicu My God My God Cleanness of Teeth sharpned their Appetites to the Bread of Life At length they kept a Solemn day of Prayer when every day was a continual Fast Duty ended a Lad from the Topmast-head descried a Vessel and Heaven sent a benign Gale which soon brought them together She proved a Bermudas Merchant to their excessive joy which took in Mr. Leverton with his English supplyed the Rochellers wants and so they parted Upon conference the chief Person in the Ship being the Governour of Bermudas tells Mr. Leverton that that their Ship came newly from England and at her arrival fell in between two Rocks To get her off they took out their Guns and heavy Wares The next Tide rises with a violent Storm while most of the Seamen were ashore and hurries them among the liquid Flouds where the French found them on purpose to bring deliverance at the end of prayer After that a fair Gale conducts them safely to Bermudas where they who had embraced the Throne of Grace in their absence with Holy Hands now embrace their Friends with happy Arms and entertain them joyfully who had been both carried out and brought in by Prayer Here we have a French Calm at Sea awakened into a Breeze for a Haven Enjoyment and an English Calm in Haven rouzed into a Storm for Sea-adventures and both excited by Prayer The French have a storm within the Ship though a calm without and the English have a storm without to bring to the former a calm within O the vehement power of Prayer that raises storms quells the boysterous Waves at pleasure Here 's a Ship full of Provision hurried out to the Main to fetch famish'd Orators to the Harbour of Plenty What manner of Man is this Mark 4.41 said the Disciples of our Lord that the Winds and the Sea obey him O invincible Faith O Soveraign and Imperial Prayer that commandest both Calms and Storms Master carest thou not that we perish Mark 4.38 cries Prayer Christ delights to be awakened by his Holy Spouse and lays Storms asleep Christ always sails in the Ship of Prayer and though this Pilot be asleep yet he steers safely he sees the hidden Rocks and secret Shelves and needs no Star nor Compass He knows the Mystery of Longitude and wants no Tables of the four Planets attending Jupiter or the Spots of the Moon or Minute Watches to give the Distance of the first Meridian But who can measure the Length of his Love to the Church Eph. 3.18 or fathom the Depths of his Wisdom in manifestations of his Love He fins the Sails of the Churches Ship with prosperous Gales to bring her into safe Chambers He turns Calms into Storms to obey his Churches cries Ps 107.29 and raises the Waves of the Sea to invert the Psalmist that Saints are glad because of a Storm to bring them to a calm Haven O happy Storms that drive the Saylant Church to Heaven O happy Heaven that enjoys a perpetual an everlasting Calm CHAP. XII The Centemplation Mount or the Permanent Mercies of Heaven MOSES and XERXES took a view of their puissant Armies the first from a Mountain in the Plains of Moab Deut. 3.25 the other in the Plains of Abydus One rejoyced to see the Land of Canaan and the goodly Range of Lebanon extending 40 Miles in length which Israel was now ready to possess The other wept that his burthensom bulk of Barbarous Nations within a 100 Herod l. 7. p. 401. years would raise so many heaps of Bones or tumuli slightly turft over where on Death might stand and blow his Trumpet of Triumph Saints have but Jordans Valley to pass through into Eternal Joys while others wasting their precious time in vaine designs suddenly slip into eternal wo. Saints militant after many a sharp Combat enter victoriously into Paradise And although some may encounter with Fainting Drooping Qualms yea it may be set in a Cloud yet what an extasie of spirit will surprize them who after many Labyrinths and Mazes of trouble unexpectedly enter the ravishing Glories of Heaven The best may labour under fears and tears but one hour there makes amends for all When these Mists will be scattered in that Radiant Morning and all Tears wash'd away in those Rivers of Pleasure which run through the Streets of New Jerusalem Here the Inhabitants of the Earth build plant travel sail and fight upon an Atom The whole World is but an invisible point to the external Convex of Heaven and all its Inhabitants like the small Dust of the Balance Is 40.15 or a drop perishing from the Bucket nay less than nothing less than vanity The smallest Atom that rejoyces in the Sun Beams at a Chamber Window far transcends the whole Globe of Earth and Water if a Man were imagined to stand in one of the fixed Stars it could not be discern'd by the most curious Glasses nay if one stood in the Sun this circumference of about 21000 Miles could not be discovered For if the Sun be about 167 times bigger than this Earth Gassend è Ptol. in Epicur p. 784. as some Astronomers have determined while others enlarge the Suns Diameter to to much vaster extension and yet appears to us not to exceed 32 Minutes of such a Degree whereof 360 measures the Circumambient Line of the Ecliptick being its Race round about the Heavens Then the Earth must needs shrink into the visibility of a few seconds or less Nay more some have conceived by calculation that the whole Orb of the Earth's supposed motion about the Sun who is very probably the Centre of that Planetary Vortex as the Cartesians call it wherein we subsist is but a point to the Systeme or Sphear of the fixed Stars and that if the Earth all its annexed Beings were utterly annihilated it would not be wanted as being comparatively so insiderable a Particle of the Universe Plutarch de placitis l. 2. c. 13. Heraclides and the Pithagoreans held every Star to be a World What a smoak and smother do miserable Mortals raise about a petty Kingdom when Geometrical proportion may prove a Molehill to be vastly more considerable to the earth than the Earth is to the Empyraean Circumference then may an Ant shine upon a straw a more glorious Emperour than we imagine If then the inferiour Pavement of Heaven if the out Offices of the starry Chambers be so magnificent what 's the Chamber of Presence that are those Supercelestial spaces Mat. 13.43 where the Saints shall shine like so many Suns in the Kingdom of their infinitely Blessed Father Let 's a little contemplate the glorious State of the Saints after the Resurrection as far as we with sobriety and submission in this our Valley-state may inquire into those deep
deriving all her nocturnal beauty from the Sun Eâ—e 1.14 so must Saints shine by the comeliness of Christ And as a Gracious Husband labours to change his Spouse into his own Image and likeness by kindnesses precepts and example that he may take the more delight in her person Ps 45.10 So does our spiritual Solomon change the hew of his Egyptian Queen to deem of things and persons as her Lord and Husband judges and frames her Spirit to delight in doing his Will and Pleasure and take the highest solace in obedience to enjoy a heavenly freedom mixt mith aimiable and joyful reverence He roots out of her heart all changeable affections worldly fancies and hankering longings after the fond fashions of Shechem Gen. 34.1 and all carnal inclinations to the Daughters of Canaans Linage and all the beggerly humours of the besotted world and to pass by with a Holy scorn all the pitiful Pageantry of this perishing and fading life and rise to a mean estimate of the Baubles and trifles that inchant a carnal Heart At length she arrives to a noble and generous judgment counting all but dung and dross that she may win Christ As her Prince of life was crucified by the World for her Redemption so she begins to be crucified to it in token of conformity to him and at length becomes all glorious within She takes down the Pendants of folly Ps 45.13 and hangs all her Jewels within Her Pearls and Diamonds are the gracious Sermons and dying Prayers of her Holy Lord they hang at her ears Songs 1.13 they lye between her Breasts all night Her clothing is of the Gold of Ophir made with Needlework of divers colours Judg. 5.30 twined by the Daughters of the New Jerusalem The 12 precious Stones in the breast-plate of Aaron are upon her Heart She is Holy like him and goes about doing good with the ornament of a meek and quiet Spirit with a Crown of Carbuncles of flaming love to Christ upon her Head and thus reflecting the Glory of Christ here is preparing and fitting for fuller visions and brighter reflections of Glory hereafter Here 's nothing but noise and confusion in the dust and smoak of folly This World is like the Sea in Habakuk Hab. 1.14 where the great Fish swallow the small storms and pirats rocks and sands shipwrecks and new furprizing dangers every moment Let 's long and pack up for our best and sweetest home looking upon every secret Mercy every joyful income of the Spirit as so many earnests of glory as so many bent tokens put in hand to secure Heaven Let 's draw off and wean our affections from sublunary vanishing Vapors which perish in the very use Carnal persons in their heights have but a wordly Heaven and Saints while here in their lowest depths by the Sunshine of divine Favour have a sweet portion of Heaven here upon Earth Oh what a Heaven shall they have in Heaven it self Here though sometimes deep in the mire of affliction yet when conscience sings 't is fair above head still travelling towards Zion Since our natures are chang'd like a Cion or Graft inserted into the Vine of the Church we shall in due time be transplanted to Paradise Strengthen assurance by perseverance and both by the promises to each and mix prayer with Praises Our Harps must always sound while our Sacrifice burns on the Altar Every day adds to the treasury of evidence Like laborious Bees increase your stock from the flowers of Scripture and the Honey of Assurance will sweeten every Prayer and cheer persevering grace and enliven the strings of praise till we come with Harps in our hands well tuned to the Gate of Heaven Let our chaste Souls be a Garden enclos'd to Christ Our eyes ears Song 4.12 affections seal'd and shut up from worldly communion Hearken O Daughter Ps 45.10 11. and forget thine Egyptian people and thy Fathers house in Zoan So shall the King of Glory greatly desire to see and enjoy thy beauty for he is thy Lord and worship thou him Some Passages to be inserted in page 26. which through a casualty did happen to be misplaced AS that Person in Bisseter Market who having a piece of Bread in his Mouth and turning suddenly to answer a question while the Bread was swallowing was immediately choack'd and though he survived about two or three days yet no remedy prevailed Remarkable was that providence of a poor Taylor at Reading choak'd with a bit of Mutton having wish'd it to himself as he was eating if he had stoln the Stockings whereof he was accused Which story is set down in the Register of one of the Parishes of that Town A sudden accident also besell Colonel Rossiter endeavouring to crack a Plum-stone as I am informed brake a Tooth and thereby lost his Life I would not let pass two or three stories more of signal providences as to sudden accidents There lived some time since in Grassechurch-street LONDON a Vintner Mr. Fowler by name who playing with his little Child abed received a scratch of a Pin First it rankled and cost him a Hundred Pounds-under design of cure but at length his Arm was cut off and shortly after lost his life There hapned also a notable memorial of Divine providence upon a Child in Bishops-gate Parish where sometime the good hand of God was pleased to use my poor labours in the honourable service of the Ministry This little Child looking up through a wooden case to a ponderous Jack-weight in that very moment the Weight drop'd down and kill'd it I have also received intelligence of a Person worthy of credit that a Woman having a very fair Hand molested by a Wart and submitting to the skill of a Chirurgeon at Thomas Hospital in Southwark in order to cure But the sore place began to be angry at the improper Medicines and Festers and shortly receives from his hand the cure of all her Diseases To end with a comfortable story My good Friend Mr. Ch. Morton then at Sea and yielding to the advice of a Ship-Chirurgeon to lay the Lapis Infernalis to eat down a Wart his Arm swelled very dangerously but the Lord delivered him So true is that saying of Paracelsus That the greatest Wounds may issue prosperously and little Scratches may end disastrously since the Keys of Life and Death are in the Hand of God FINIS Books printed toy and are to be sold by John Hancock at the Sign of the three Bibles in Popes Head Alley in Cornhill TWelve Books lately published by Mr. Tho. Brooks late Preacher of the Gospel at Margarets New Fish-street 1. Precious Remedies against Satans Devices or Salve for Believers and Vnbelievers Sores being a Companion for those that are in Christ or out of Christ 2. Heaven on Earth Or a serious Discourse touching a Well-grounded Assurance of Mans Everlasting Happiness 3. The Vnsearchable Riches of Christ held forth in 22 Sermons 4. Apples