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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96877	A relgious treatise upon Simeons song or, instructions advertising how to live holily, and dye happily. / Composed at first for the use of the truly pious Sir Robert Harley, knight of the honourable order of the Bath but since published by Timothy Woodroffe, B.D. Pastor to the church at Kingsland, in Herefordshire.	Woodroffe, Timothy, 1593 or 4-1677.; Rowe, John, 1626-1677.	1658 (1658)	Wing W3472A; Thomason E2119_1; ESTC R210138	91,617	274

up of such condemned ones into the cruell hands of Satan for immediatly-after judgment will succeed an everlasting exclusion from God from Christ Mat. 25.41 46. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Deum non videre omnia gehennae supplicia superabit Bern. Isa 30.33 from the heavenly Jerusalem and from eternall glory together with a finall resignation of them into the merciless hands of evill angels to dragg them into that burning Tophet which the breath of the Lord like a stream of brimstone doth kindle 3. Corollary This commends matter of great consolation to all Christ-seeing Simeon's in sundry perticulars as followeth Death is a conquered foe dispoiled of his power Hos 13.14 1 Cor. 15.57 and weapons to hurt us At the first sight death looks upon us with a pale and gastly face but upon more judicious thoughts pale death hath no hurtfull weapon in his hand therefore in death the godly wise doth through Christ insult over death and say O death I fear thee not O welcom death and long looked for blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath made death so hurtles or rather friendly to me and now farewell honours riches pleasures lands possessions and inheritances farewell husband wife children and all my relations below farewel thou ruinous and infirme body of mine in which till bowell-compassions covered me all over with a mantle of richest grace I walked among the dead in destroying waies after the course of the world Mat. 8.22 Luk. 15.13 Prou. 6.18 Prou. 2.18 Eph. 2.2.3 and after the spirit that workes in the children of disobedience But now God hath look'd on me in a time of love and said unto me live Eze. 16.6 Hos 2.19.20 and espoused me to Jesus Christ and therefore I am glad of death and that my body be dissolved til my soul and body shal meet and never part again a branch Death is comfortable because Christ is with us David feared not the vallie of the shaddow of death Ps 23.4 because his God was with him Hosea 2.15 This vallie is like that of Achor to the people of God which preceded their entry into the land of promise where they tasted the first fruits of the land of Canaan for death borders upon eternall life at the end of this dark vallie is light and glory and thy God who owned and guided thee thither must bee unfaithfull if hee should leave thee Ps 71.18 when thou art old or liest down in the grave Old Policarpe he had better learned Christ for he had so oft tried him in other promises that he now dares confide him in this This may further be illustrated by thy union to Christ who is the Saviour of thy body and by that compleatnes of Christ s mysticall body Eph. 5.23 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Joh. 17.24 which may not want one of his members but every one of those whom the Father hath given to him must be with him and behold his glory which the Father had given him as our Lord Christ prayes John 17.24 Saint Paul would be dissolved to be with Christ Thus then that Christ is with the saints in death and for ever here is matchles comfort This consolation is considerable in the earnest of his spirit branch which God giveth to his Simeons Gal. 5.22 as the first fruits of everlasting glory The saints of God do in their spiritual life much live upon the graces of the spirit which are the earnest penny of that which is behind in the covenant of grace Now what is the earnest in comparison of this full summe Numb 13.24 what were the grapes pomgranets and figs which the spies brought to the goodnesse of the land of promise no more is grace here compared with that exceeding and eternall weight of glory 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. Cor. 5.5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ver 6 Graines and scruples carry no proportion with talents this was the ground of the Apostles willingnes to die he hath given us the earnest of the spirit therefore we are alwaies confident knowing that whiles we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. We are confident I say and willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. * 4 Branch Glory honour immortality and everlasting pleasures at God's right hand are sure to be conferred at the death of every blessed Simeon according to the capacity of the seperated soul all which saith Peter is prepared 1 Pet. 1.4 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 5. Branch reserved for thee in heaven as our Lord himselfe doth also tell us by saint John I go to prepare a place for you Let Pagans Infidels those that die out of Christ fear death but blessed Simeons have a cornucopia of comforts to feed upon for after the many stormes tempests and tossings up and down Act. 27.14 with the Euroclydon winds of this present world death brings them into a safe port and harbour when they shall say each one to his soul returne to thy rest O my soul for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee And each one to his body Ps 116.7 lie down be content sweetly repose and rest from thy labours But many will aske If a man die shall he live again Q. Job 14.14.10 as Job Man dieth and wasteth away and giveth up the ghost and where is he Unto which question holy Job himself makes the answer First A. from a comparison a tree in the winter seeming dead in the ground Job 1.4.8 yet through the sent of water it will bud and bring forth boughs like a plant Secondly Job believeth that God doth hide his saints for a time in the grave to remember them ver 13. to bring them forth in their set and appointed time But thirdly to make up the comfort God will most gratiously v. 15. and mercifully change them as I shall afterwards shew he will call to his saints in the grave dissolved into thousand atomes of dust they shall hear his trumpets and Arke-Angels voice and shall come forth to the resurrection of the just And lastly thy living again is a work of the Lord 's own desire as conducible to his own glory the glory of his Son's kingdom and the glory of the saints immortality who died willingly under so blessed a hope Titus 2.13 of so happie a resurrection to all whom lying in the chambers of death doth the Lord speak by his Prophet saying but somewhat allegorically thy dead men shall live together Isa 26.19 with my dead body shall they arise awake and sing ye that dwelt in dust For thy dew is as the dew of herbs and the earth shall cast out the dead Branch 6. All blessed Simeons must consider that their deferred happiness comes sure at last like a full vintage possibly thou maist waight and look long for

and doubt no more from paines and dolours to perfect ease from miserable comforters to the God of all Consolations Job 16.2 Rom. 15.5 2 Cor. 7.5 Heb. 2.14 Heb. 12.23.24 from troubles without from fears within from sin death and him that had the power of death to eternall heavenly joyes to the great assembly to the lambs redeemed ones to perfect holiness and endless happinesse and to Jesus Christ himself to be partaker with him of heavens glory yea of that very glory which himself had with the Father before the world was Joh. 17.5 and to be possessed of that very glory which the humanity of Christ hath at this present time at the right hand of God Simeons eye of faith was poring to look through the dark cloud of his infirmities upon this dazling glory and so doth beg his freedome to be discharged of his earthly Tabernacle according to the word of his Lord. now I shall endeavour to summ up all and to mould the proposition of this ensuing Treatise in one most certain conclusion Doct. Such may upon just cause desire to dye who have seen the Lords salvation as Simeon did here Many have unjustly desired to dye upon unjust considerations as Cato Cleombrotus Lucretia and others quia Spiritus latenter jusserat lib. 1. cap. 21. but they may alone upon just grounds desire to dye who have an eye within the vaile and an eare to hear the spirit bid them now be willing to dye Those sacred Virgins who in the sack of Rome chose to prevent the barbarous heathen prostituting their bodies to uncleannesse by a volunta-murthering of themselvs had no warrant at all nor ought they under any pretence have fled unto so desperate a prevention this but by the way They alone who have had a gracious aspect upon the Lord can bee rightly willing to dye they who have so looked into the promise that they are assured God will shew them their Lord first believingly and then beatifically do also look upon death which was wont to be so formidable as very much changed for now death is no longer a destroyer but a deliverer no longer a punishment or a curse but a blessing yea death to a bliever is one legacy in that rich Inventory of the Epistle to the Corinthians 1 Cor. 3.30 all things be yours death is yours While death was in the Devills power death was an enemy but Christ hath made it a friend and a blessing a bridge to passe over from the vail of tears into the Kingdome of glory As Haman provided for Mordicai so death intended a curse and mischief but accidentally it proves a blessing and to be desired Indeed to men without God and Christ out of Covenant and without the word of promise death is of all terribles the most terrible 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and a most rigid executioner of divine wrath and vengeance but to the Godly so 't is a servant of the Lords and our servant to unlock Heaven gate and to admit the precious souls of Christs redeemed ones into Christs bosome such do quietly send away their souls to heaven whereas the ungoldly man or woman who is an unbeliever his soul is taken from him Luk. 12. Job 27.8 and as Job speakes will they nill they they would fain live longer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but they must not they cannot so inexorable is death to them but every Simeon is willing to resign when his Lord shall please he dyes not because he must dye but because he willingly subscribes to the Lords fiat This Conclusion is confirmed by manifold witnesses To me to live is Christ 1 Phil. 21. to dye is gain But Paul was here in a great straight 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 v. 23. having strong arguments on both sides to desire life and to desire death therefore saith I am in a straight between two having a desire to depart and to be with Christ which is far better Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needfull for you that your rejoycing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me Another testimony of this truth proposed is in St. Paul's second epistle to the Corinthians 2 Cor. 5.1 For in this we groane earnestly desiring to be cloathed upon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with our house which is from Heaven For we that are in this Tabernacle do groan being burthened not for that we would be uncloathed v. 4. but cloathed upon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that mortality might be swallowed up of life Now he that hath wrought us for the self-same thing is God v. 5. who also hath given us the earnest of the spirit so goes on Therefore we are alwayes confident v. 6. knowing that whilst we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord For we walk by faith not by sight we are confident I say and willing rather to be absent from the body u. 7. and to be present with the Lord. Quest But whence all this Q. Answ From the Apostles hope A. and expectation he had of Heaven that mortality might be swallowed up of life according to the testimony and earnest of the spirit of God that after this life he shall be cloathed upon with life and glory that then he shall be with the Lord Thus much his faith had shewed him And thus much for the confirmation We cannot see Christ in his coessentiality with the Father and with the Holy Ghost Such a sight of God here below would be inconsistent with a mortall and sublunar beeing and would swallow up the Creature man as the Schoolmen do affirm But here against doth Gregory object What may we not se who see the Lord 's Christ Especially seeing him God-man as Simeon here did no longer in the type but the truth it self qui videant videntem omnia quid non videant Greg. sol lib. 4 cap 33. St. Augustin doth well answere this and the like objections saying we can see no more of God and of Christ then God shall please to manifest unto us or then Christ shall please to reveale unto us as he did to Moses when God did put him in a clift of the Rock Exod. 33.22.23 what breaking forth of his glory the Lord shal please to discover unto us finite creatures those we may see Visione intelligibili videntar ea quae sunt à nobis intelligibilia Aug. But the Father goes on further we may see much of God with our intellect I meane of such things as are intelligible and thus many things of God and Christ do fall within our capacity and as we are able to bear them thus visions be some darker some more lightsome some persons have more day and some more night yet at the best our sight here is but obscure as the old man's sight through his spectacles I say some Saints have cleerer visions as Ezechiel to whom

all blessed Simeons do see their salvation future as present so doth faith prevent time and is the evidence of things not seen and the substance of things hoped for Heb. 11.1 Luk. 19.9 This day is salvation come to thy house as when Christ called Zacheus from the tree salvation is actually begun then in a believing soul who is said to have his conversation in heaven Phil. 3.20 while he is below Whence he looked for a Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ 1 Cor. 15.18 And when death comes believers do not dye but sleep nothing of them dyes but their sins their imperfections and afflictions yea the very being of sin is done away as when the house is pulled into pieces all the ivy roots in the wall are destroyed Reason 3 Death opens a door to believers to be received into Christs armes into the bosome of glory Our loosing from the body is to be joyned to Christ 2 Cor. 5.8 and that is very sweet here is a mysticall union to Christ but no glorious presence no that 's the crowning mercy which is kept till after death Now judge you here you are a prison there enlarged here you are absent from your head your husband your Lord and King eternal but by death the soul is put into the hands of the blessed Angells and by them is presented to Jesus Christ to be for ever with the Lord in glory This Simeon foresaw and therefore said Lord now lettest c. Which dvides itself into these Reason 4 three heads 1. The conflict between soul and body in death 2. The necessity of death in regard to soul and body 3. The blessed advantage which soul and body finde in death 1. Great is the conflict oft times the spirit may be willing when the flesh is unwilling which two twins do a great while stand at loath to depart Jacob was not by Ge. 45.26 and by willing to leave his Countrie and the Land of Promise to goe to his Joseph Israel not by and by willing to go out of Egypt Exo. 5.21 though it were to terminate a long and tedious captivity in Egypt Exo. 12.40 Phil. 1.23 of 430 yeares Pauls Cupio dissolvi did not by and by break forth till the weight of sin carnal conflicts the buffettings of Satan and manifold persecutions did load and weary his pretious soul together with a tedious mortality but then this gratious servant of the Lord became willing to put off his body of sin and death together and with Simeon to say Lord now lettest c The same hand which doth take down our earthly Tabernacle doth build for us a surer and eternall habitation made without hands in the Heavens at which change 2 Cor. 5.1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eccl. 12.7 the soul is taken to God that gave it till the last day when soul and body shal be made capable of those higher enjoyments which Jesus Christ hath dearly purchased and prepared for them a tast whereof our Lord was pleased to give unto Peter Mat. 17.2 James and John in the transfiguration and unto St. Paul when he was raptured into the third heaven 2 Cor. 12 2 both which some have thought to be more comprehensive then this vision of old Simeon here and yet all the dear Servants of God do in some aspect see Christ before they die and amidst some fears and misgiving thoughts do abundantly long to see him more 2. the necessity of death in regard to soul and body No mortall wants any thing so much as immortality and wants do necessiate men to desires stormes drives many goodly shipps into harbours war doth force the stoutest men to holdes and forts so the soul and body of the Lord 's gratious ones much pinched with the sence of their wants of glory to come and of their beatificall fruitions promised them be necessitated with blessed Simeon to desire to die that they may passe over troublesome Jordan to enjoy the promised blessings of celestiall Canaan where soul and body shall be refreshed enriched Ps 24. and eternally glorified with Jesus Christ their everlasting King of glory which thing our Saviour doth sweetly breath out by St. John Joh. 17.24 in that prayer of his Father I will that those whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my glory q. d. that they may behold my transforming glory 1 Cor. 13.12 Can the glory of grace that comes by Christ represented to us as in a glasse so transforme a soul as Simeons in the text hath the glory here by mediums such a power then what will it be when we shall behold it without meanes Something Simeon did reach after in his holy wish which he could not comprehend here below though he had his Lord Christ in his armes but he will rejoyce in God his faviour he will believe Job 14.14 and hope well he will expect and wait with holy Job till his change come when he knew his joy shall transcend the joy of harvest or that of men dividing the spoile 1 Pet. 1.8 it being a joy so unspeakable and full of glory See then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that death is necessary to prepare the soul and body for immortality of which more in the third branch of this fourth reason as followeth 3. The blessed advantage which soul body find in death after death Phil. 1.12 presently the soul begins to be in it's prime for whilest she was in the corruptible body she was ruled by corrupt sence and violently carried by loose appetite driven and compelled against it's own gratious desires to give way in some part to a body of sin for she can hardly look out at the eys but looks upon a baited hooke nor hear by the eare but there is the serpents voice nor the tong taste but there is some gall in that honey nor the hand touch but there is a defilement nor the foot tread but there 's a net and every sense a member of the body ready to be a Judas to the soule to betray her with a kiss Now what wise Simeon will not be willing to depart to exchange a dungeon for a pallace 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 copper for gold base beggery for high honour a short lease of base heath of barren and craggy rocks Gen. 3.23 1 Pet. 1.4 for the garden of Eden a paradice nay for an inheritance inmortall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and incorruptible For as one said to live here is to be halfe dead at least death hath the all of a great part of our lives and dead works I think have above the one halfe of the most sanctified ones here who yet do die dayly 1 Cor. 15.31 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 7.24 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that they may live the more to Jesus Christ For the body the body of death as Paul calls it is but let

and father doth ordinarily fit his children for death in their sickness presenting to them the unloveliness and vanity of all things below the blessed interest which the Saints do enjoy in their Christ the happy change which they do make who dye in the armes of their Jesus and that such shall for ever be quit of all sinfull society yea of sinfull flesh no longer to abide among dead men nor among the tombs of dead ones shall never have cause to hang up their harpes upon Babylons Willows tree Ps 137.2 never be interrupted in singing our Hebrew song and therefore doth our gracious Father in sickness and otherwise open the narrow hearts and deaf ears of Simeons souls and then speak to them saying come my pretious ones suffer me now to dispose of you let me new mould you and transfigure you for your disease and so dear heart I do First make thee weary of thy body of death weary of the worlds blandishments and painted glory and weary of thy sinfull selfe Secondly I do sanctifie every pain and grief every crosse and trouble and make them become sanctified mercies Ps 131.2 whiles I do wean thee to be lesse in love with things below nay I cause that every decay of thy naturall strength every dimnesse of thy eye every dulnesse of thy ear every weakness and sicknesse of thy natural body shall tend to such a blessed change that at last the soul and body are made willing to depart for a time to attain unto Phil. 1.22 and enjoy a glorified cure Thirdly I do not only prepare thee to this submission but I do also make thee desire and long to dye I do so spiritualize and order thy soul that sicknesse shall be as welcome to thee as health death as life to thee who livest upon God in God and to God Dost want health of body I do satisfie thee with health of soul art near to death be it so then thou art nearer to life even a glorious blessed and eternall life sick man I am thy Lord God and I do assure thee by thy interest in my self through my son I am better to thee then ten healths as Elkanah was to Hannah then ten sons 1 Sam. 1.8 I am better to thee then many lives thy life here was but a breath or rivullet of life but in thy death thou art admitted to live for ever in him Joh. 14.6 Ps 36.9 who is life it self and to thee the fountain of life Fourthly in sickness the Lord speaks to his holy ones to be of good chear from the deep meditation of the love of God shed abroad in their hearts by the holy Ghost Rom. 5.5 Joh. 1.16 from the fulness al● sufficiency of Jesus Christ their dearest friend their Lord King who coms leaping skipping over the mountains to solace himself in and with them whom he had so wonderfully delivered from the dens of Lyons Cant. 2.8 Cant. 4.8 and mountains of Leopards or what else hath been formidable to them Come look on me and to me lean and rely on me pour out thy soul into my bosome Isa 45.22 Mic. 7.7 who will assuredly give her sweet repose untill the great day of my second coming Cant. 8.5 Act. 7.59 when thou shalt be received soul and body to be for ever in mansions of eternall glory Cant. 3.11 to keep a most triumphant Jubilee with the Lord for ever Mal. 3.17 Act. 3.19 3. In death wee must submit to our Lord Joh. 14.2 3 and that in two things In the approach Act. 7.54 c. and point of death Precious soul in the approach of death Heb. 11. 2 Chron. 6.42 Ps 25.6 Ps 119.49 Psa 22.8 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 7.25 act faith in the Lord Jesus as Stephen did and as those Martyrs did faith will plead thy covenant-interest and perswade to roll thy self upon the free grace of God so fully represented in the promises faith bids thee look on thy Lord and saviour interceding thy cause at heavens throne Set hope on work to take faster anchor-hold on Jesus Christ Psal 18.2 Deut 32.4.31 2 Sam. 22.47 Ps 62.2.7 Ps 89.26 Ps 39.13 the rock of thy salvation Set prayer on work and pour out thy soul saying O Lord spare a little till I may recollect my self and bee sweetly composed to rejoyce in the approach of my my change Lord give me to welcome death with all ready entertainment as Gods messenger to deliver me from my prison Ps 142.7 Job 4.19 and house of clay wherein my celestiall soul the espouse of Christ is confined and imprisoned and say O Christ I come Luke 16.22 Lord Jesus send some of thy blessed Angels to receive carry my soul into Abrahams bosom as one of the fathers doth personate a dying Saint O holy trinity Father Son and Holy Ghost which in unity of nature art one the self-same God into thy hands I do commend my spirit into thy hands O blessed Saviour my King my priest and my Prophet do I recommend my self unto thee sweet Jesus do I a dying servant of thine come who camest into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief unto thee blessed Lord who wast conceived and born of the virgin Mary sufferedst diedst was buried and laid under the power of death Acts 1.24 for me to alleviate my death and make it stinglesse and curs-lesse who wast raised up from the dead didst miraculously ascend art now set down at thy fathers right hand for me to come again at the end of the world to be judge of all men Angels even to be my judg to justifie absolve me before all the world and to invest me a poor and miserable creature with that very glory which thy humane nature hath now in heaven and which thy self hadst with the Father before the world was into thy hands gracious redeener into thy hands O eternall spirit do I recommend my self who dost even ravish my heart by applying and sealing all the Covenant-goodnesse and gracious promises of life and of salvation even to me even now about to breath out my last breath of life Thus dying soul in thy submission un-thy Lord God set faith hope and prayer on work Quest The learned have a question whether the Saints in death do fear death having cōmission in some cases of persecution in one City to flye unto another and Christ saying Mar. 10. go not into the way of the Gentiles and into the Cities of the Samaritans enter ye not Act 9.25 and Saint Paul escaped out at a window at the fear of death and Christ himself often shunned the Scribes and Pharisees and Rulers who sought to kill him Joh. 7.1 1 King 19.3 so did David shun Saul and Elias the wicked instruments of wicked Ahab and Jezebell Answ To all which I answer that 't is not simply unlawfull to

fear death nor to avoid it's snares for death of it self is not good nor is it naturall to us but cruell and horrible but basely to fear death rather then to glorifie the name of God in our sufferings this is a great sin to bee afraid to dye after an evill life and out of Christ to such death is the terrible of terribles such cannot bee well willing to dye but when God shall in the way of his good providence call us to dye either by a naturall death or to seal unto his truth under persecution to dye a violent death then we may welcome death and the instruments of death as Historians say Saint Andrew did Salve crux pretiosa susci pe nunc Discipulum cúm priùs sustinueris Magistrum Thus M. John Philpot embraced the stake in Smithfield who with a gladsome Spirit said I kindly salute thee precious cross be content to bear me the Disciple who hast formerly born my Master every Simeon is carried above the apprehensions of naturall and morall men in death and hath very grand considerations neither basely nor sinfully to fear death and therefore subscribes unto her with heart and hand Answ 2. The fear of death in the Saints and the fear of death in others are very diverse the one is acted by sinfull-self whom such an one seeks to preserve for fear of greater wrath the other is acted by gracious self who seeks to know the minde of God in his death to subscribe to it and to serve divine providence as in life so in death whom if the Lord shal recover or deliver he gives himself to God again if the Lord hath determined death shall take place hee resigns up soul and body with an holy contentment Mat. 26.39 under the good pleasure of his heavenly Father Let Pagans and Infidels who never believed who never feared God fear to dye or despair in death because they dye without hope Eph. 2.12 Collos 1.20.21 Eph. 1.10 because they have no faith nor do lay hold on that reconciliation which Jesus Christ hath made between the Lord and gracious souls but let Christians rejoice and be glad ever giving thanks unto the Father of mercies Col. 1.1.2 who hath made them meet to be pertakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light Which inherirance for scituation is the Empyrean heaven far above all heavens where is Christ himself to entertain and glorifie all those who sleep in him where is nothing but glory for all such poor souls dying in the Lord as the King of Glory to be with all vessels of glory to accompany us thrones of glory to sit on an eternal wait of eternal glory 2 Pet. 2.1.11 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 An enterance shall be administred to you abundantly or according to the originall richly Phil. 1.23 to put on crowns of glory to wear a kingdō of glory to possess here the soul of the departing one cries out in a blessed ecstasie I have enough blessed Lord I come I come having so abundant an entrance made for me into celestiall triumphs blessed be God who hath made me thus willing desirous rather to be absent from the body and to bee present with the Lord where I am assured to find peace without intermission or perturbation health without sickness plenty without want wealth without poverty and everlasting life without death Of which holy City said Austin when shall I come into thy golden streets when shall I see and enjoy the heavenly society of blessed souls and that glorious Jubilee Fain I would come to fruition but Oh how am I detain'd anon will death come behold she stands at the door and knocks bid her come in that I may bid her welcome to whom I am ready to answer as Rebekah did Gen. 24. to her old near and dear relations who were so loath to part with her I will go with the man so say I even withlong-looked-for death my harbinger and friend Oh death I willingly go along with thee whom my Lord hath made so necessary and serviceable to me in my happy translation Acts 10. for me thinks I see Heaven open as Peter in his vision and the son of man like as Stephen did see him standing at the right hand of God Oh my soul thou art in a rapture divine to contemplate the things in heaven which are so unspeakable and ful of glory True I shall in death be taken from my deerest friends but let not that retard my souls willingnesse to dye for it s not improbable but I may know my gracious friends in heaven since our divine knowledg there shall not be diminished but enlarged hence some conclude we shall joyfully know the Patriachs and Apostles of our Lord and this seems the more rationall because Peter and James Mat. 17.13 and John at the transfiguration knew Moses and Elias whom they knew not before so shall the sun of righteousness irradiate the Saints with the celestiall beams of his transcendent glory The last thing in our submission in the point of death is to shut our own eyes and to bind up our own jawes when the departing soul utters her last words blessing God for that land of promise which like Moses shee sees at a distance Deut. 34.4 Jos 23.6 8 11.14 so Joshua about to dye shuts his own eyes exhorting the people to fear and serve the Lord so did Stephen who calling on the name of the Lord fell asleep so did Simeon gathered up disposed and prepapared himself most sweetly singing Lord now lettest thou c. Our blessed Saviour doth as it were shut up his own eyes and bind up his jaws in that he sweetly submitted himself to the hand of death saying Lu. 23.45 Father into thy hands I do commend my spirit and so do all wel prepared souls take care to dye under an holy resignation of their bodies to the grave for a time of their departing souls into the hands and bosom of Jesus Christ who is our Reuben to take care of our Benjamin that is Gen. 42.37 of our immortall souls to convey them safely unto our Fathers house Thus of the third Exhortation which is wisely to submit unto the Lord God in every estate in our health in our sickness in the approaches of death and and at the point of death 4. Exhortation 4. Exhort To friends not to grieve over-much at their departure who dye in the Lord. It is lawful commendable it is just and honorable to have sad thoughts at the losse of such friends If the very Egyptians mourned for old Jacob seventy days that with a great sore lamentation Gen. 53. 1 Sam. 15.35 2 Sam. 13.37 2 Chro. 35.24 if Samuell mourned for Saul and David shall not we much more mourn when the Saints are taken from us All Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah Surely then it is not onely naturall and morall but it is religious