thy husband are at the doore and shall carrie thee out also This is the reason of all that worldly-mindednesse of all that earnestnesse and intention to gaine the favour of men by indirect meanes this is the reason of all that immoderate care about our businesse with the neglect of our soules this is the reason of all that carnall securitie of all that forgetfulnesse of God and the account that shall be made at the day of Iudgement this is the reason of the unfruitfulnesse of our lives of our unprofitable spending of our times or of whatsoever else it be this is even the very reason of all because even those that professe themselves to be the people of God and to give God the glory of his attributes in all his workes yet they lay not to heart the death of those that are before them Men durst not they could not passe away their time in such unprofitablenesse and unfruitfulnesse as they doe if they did seriously consider and lay to heart the death of others before them Againe secondly As it condemnes the generall neglect that is amongst men of this dutie so it serves to reproue that sinfull laying to heart of the death of others that is too frequent and common in the world That is first when men with too much fondnesse and with too great excesse and distemper of affection looke upon their dead friends as if God could never repaire the losse nor make amends for that he hath done in taking of them away Rachel mourneth and will not bee comforted David mourneth and will scarce bee comforted Oh Absalom my sonne my sonne would God I had died for thee What is all this but to looke on friends rather as Gods then men as if all sufficiencie were included in them only Men looke on their friends as Micah did upon his Idoll when they had bereaved him of it they took away all his comfort and quiet You have taken away my Gods saith hee and what have I more or as Laban that when his Idols were stolne away his heart was dead hee could not stay in his house hee could not enjoy himselfe wherefore have you stollen away my gods saith hee So I say men looke on their dead friends as they should looke upon the Creatour and not as upon the creature they take their death to heart but not in a right manner This is the very reason why God many times makes your Christian friends so unprofitable to you when they live because you idolize them you advance them above God This is the reason also why you are so unable to beare the losse of them when they die God beating you now with your owne rodde and making you feele the fruit and effect of your owne folly This now is an ill taking to heart the death of friends to mourne as men without hope Secondly there is a taking to heart and considering of the death of men but it is an unrighteous considering an unrighteous judging of the death of others If men see one die it may bee a violent death then they conclude certainly there is some apparent token of Gods judgement on such a one If they see another die with some extremitie of torment and vehement paines certainly there is some apparant evidence of Gods wrath upon this man If they see another in some great and violent tentation strugling against many tentations they conclude presently certainly such are in worser case then others I may say to all these as Christ said once to those that told him of the eighteene men upon whom the tower in Siloe fell thinke you that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Hierusalem Or rather as Solomon saith All things come alike unto all there is one event to the righteous and to the wicked to the cleane and to the uncleane to him that sacrificeth and to him that sacrificeth not as is the good so is the sinner and he that sweareth as he that feareth an oath Learne to judge righteous judgement to judge wisely of the death of others take heed of condemning the generation of the just But rather in the last place Make this use of the death of every one Doth such a man die by an ordinary sicknesse having his understanding and memorie continued to the end Doth such a man die in inward peace and comfort with cleare and evident apprehensions of Gods love so that he can with Simeon say Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace What use shouldest thou that livest make of this now Certainly let the sweetnesse of their death make thee in love with the goodnesse of their lives That is the only way to a happy death to a comfortable end indeed the leading of a fruitfull and profitable life Againe dost thou see the children of God full of temptations full of feares and disquietnesse of spirit in their death Sometimes so overcome with the violence of the disease as that it may be they speake impertinently and idlely it may bee sinfully What use shouldest thou make of this now Certainly let the terriblenesse of the example of such a mans death let it bee a terrour to thee and a meanes to stirre thee up to more carefulnesse of making good use of thy time in this life Nabal dieth and his heart is in him as a stone If ever God quicken thee if ever God breath upon thy soule or enliven thee by the inward motions of his Spirit embrace those opportunities and seasons of grace lest God smite thee with an everlasting deadnesse Againe hath God caused the light of his countenance to shine upon thy heart Doth hee offer a gracious message of peace to thy soule Doth hee speake peace at any time by the ministerie of his Word Imbrace those offers yeeld to those conditions of peace lest thou bee deprived of peace at the end Againe hath GOD given thee any strength over temptations Hast thou prevailed over the assaults of Sathan and other of thy enemies Hath hee made thee a conquerour take heed how thou insnarest thy selfe againe how thou inthrallest thy selfe in yeelding to Sathans yoke lest hee buffet thee by him in a worse manner at thy end Thus I say thou canst see nothing befall any of GODS servants in their death or in the manner of their death whether it bee more pleasing or more sorrowfull more calme and quiet or more tempestuous and full of trouble whether it bee more comfortable or more lamentable but it may be usefull unto thee If it bee good it may bee it shall bee so with thee if it be bad it may bee it shall bee so with thee too The maine businesse that a man hath to doe is to make sure of himselfe in this life It was the question that Saint Austin made to those that told him of a violent death that seized upon one But how did he live saith hee He made no matter how he went out
in a carnall and sinfull security wee see then so many of us at least that are children of the light and of the day what cause we have to be awakened and to doe that for others which they will not doe for themselves to bee more earnest in prayer more frequent in humbling our soules for our owne sinnes and theirs that God may lay aside and cast away his judgements and displeasure that either are feared or lie upon us It is not a fearfull thing that when the Lyon roareth the beasts of the Forrests tremble Yet the God of heaven roareth against the world at this day and the proud hearts of men doe not tremble before him Shall the beasts of the Forrests bee afraid of the Lyon more then the poore wormes of the earth of the mighty God of heaven and earth But this is the horrible Atheisme and infidelity that is in the hearts of men that they beleeve not Gods power and justice nor his threatnings I beseech you let every man be exhorted to stirre up his soule to this businesse to awaken himselfe in his owne particular person Consider that there are others that are awake that may bring you sorrow enough bee you awakened to prevent those miseries Sathan is awake to tempt you Bee sober and watchfull saith Saint Peter for your adversary the divill goeth about seeking whom hee may devoure Sathan is busie and watching to make you his prey watch you therefore that you enter not into tentation Your owne Corruptions are alwayes awake The concupisence and depraved disposition of the soule it is awake still to further every evill motion to draw you aside by its tentations Therefore saith the Apostle I beseech you abstaine as pilgrims and strangers from fleshly lusts that warre against the soule Doe as men in warre when they know that they have a waking enemie against them they will be sure to keepe their Watch. Beloved you cannot but know that your corruptions are awake you may perceive it in your sleepes and dreames take heed that you bee not found in a spirituall sleepe that corruption prevaile not over you Besides these the enemies of the Church are awake Heretiques are awake every where to bring men from the faith to pervert the faith of many oh be awake to prevent those Besides others are awaken to ransack houses to destroy Cities oh be awake that you may bee at peace with the Lord of Hosts the God of Armies that hath all power in his hand to keepe you safe Againe secondly consider the evill of this security you are in of this disposition of heart when you cry peace peace to your selves in the middest of Gods displeasure It is an evill disease a spirituall lethargie That disease we know in the body it takes a man with sleepe and so he dieth Oh how many are in this spirituall lethargie in this deepe sleepe of sinne at this day the Lord awaken them It is the more dangerous because it is a senslesse disease A disease that takes the senses from the soule and diseases we know that take away the senses are dangerous for it is not only a signe that nature is overcome by the disease but besides it draweth men from seeking for cure Thus it is with the spirituall lethargie it shewes not only that sinne hath prevailed in the heart that it hath overcome grace and thereupon you have yeelded unto it to your pride and covetousnesse and vanity as those that are subdued under a disease but it hindreth you from seeking the meanes to escape out of it Thou saist saith Christ to the Church of Laodicea that thou art rich and needest nothing and that was the reason shee sought not to Christ. It is our condition we have knowledge enough therefore we care not for the ordinances of God Wee have faith enough and therefore wee care not for increasing it though none of us say thus with our tongues yet most of us beleeve thus with our hearts As David saith of the ungodly man the wickednesse of the wicked saith in my heart So may I say the neglecting of the ordinances the carelesnesse of men in the use of the meanes of salvation saith in my heart that there is abundance of securitie that they are in a spirituall lethargie that leadeth to death As it is an evill disease so it causeth much evill It is that which driveth away the Spirit of God It is the counsell of the Apostle Grieve not the Spirit quench not the Spirit When wee neglect the motions of the Spirit the Spirit withdraweth it selfe Doth not your owne experience tell you this Consider a little what motions you have had how God by the checks of your consciences sometime by secret incitements as it were a spurre upon your hearts hath moved you to dutie and to leave your sinnes How have these moved you you have had purposes it may be to performe these duties to walke in the wayes of God to please him in all things the neglect of these purposes hath driven away the Spirit it may be God now leaveth you to finall hardnesse Againe it letteth in Sathan When the uncleane spirit is driven out hee goeth about seeking rest and finding none at last hee returneth from whence hee went and findeth the house swept and garnished and he entreth in and bringeth seven spirits more worse then himselfe Alas how many men are there that for a fitt in some particulars have altered their course and have thought to become new men yet rushing upon former occasions and temptations to sinne they have growne secure and carelesse and now Sathan hath gotten stronger hold of them with seven spirits worse Nay this is that that drives away Christ and the comfortable influence of his Spirit in the heart The Church in Cant. 5. was asleepe was in a spirituall slumber and Christ goeth away Shee seekes him whom her soule loved but shee could not find him I speake now to those that were awake and are now asleepe their hearts it may be are awake but they walke not with that watchfulnesse and humility of spirit before the Lord as they ought therefore now they are heavy and destitute of the comforts of the Spirit Well they may thanke themselves Christ hath hid himselfe to teach them to be more watchfull And to conclude This is the cause of positive Judgements You know what came upon the old world and upon Sodome and Gomorrah for their securitie And likewise of future Judgements it is that which casteth men from heaven to hell That servant that saith in his heart my Master deferreth his comming and therefore hee eates and drinkes with the drunken what is the issue of it Hee shall have his portion given him with hypocrites where there is weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth Mat. 24. Here is enough I suppose to awaken you Whensoever the heart of man is held downe with secure
pressures and many sore and grievous temptations that lay upon him If so be his setled resolution concerning his spirituall estate and the satisfying of others in many doubts and disquiets of spirit that rose within him If so be the due respect to the Lords day the desire of promoting the sanctifying of it both by himselfe and others with a continuall griefe proceeding from a sense of his owne disabilitie to answer to the occasions and duties of the day If there bee any thing to bee concluded of concerning Religion from such passages as these then brethren I have all these as so many materialls put into my hand to builde withall and so to reare up a testimony before you concerning this disceased And thus in briefe have I testefied of him and to you all hee though dead now speakes but in a more speciall manner to you that are young men his death and that example wee have in him of mortalitie is as a loud Sermon preached unto you concerning the care you ought to have to bethinke your selves in your younger yeares of the things that concerne your spirituall and eternall welfare and how much it concernes you now to give all dilligence to make your calling and election sure Your thoughts it may bee are too much upon your patrimony and inheritances your houses and possessions your great estates and your matches that thereby you may as you use to say rayse your fortunes too too apt you are to be taken up with these considerations and to pursue thoughts of this nature but you see by this example how God may come and prevent the accomplishment of all these and in that day in that very day all these thoughts will perish death may come and marry you to the dust and call you not to your fathers mansions but to the common house appointed for all living where you must say to corruption thou art my father and to the worme thou art my mother and my sister this was his condition and so may yours bee too Therefore you young men remember you your Creatour in the dayes of your youth and know you that God hath provided instructions and counsels in his Word that are directed to young men that they may know how to cleanse their way and to flie the lusts of youth and betimes to beginne with God that so whether they live to old age or be cut off in youth they may be gathered to their Fathers in a good and a full age like a Shocke of Corne and so receive the blessing of the promise FINIS SPIRITUALL HEARTS-EASE OR THE WAY TO TRANQILITIE PSAL. 42. 5. Why art thou cast downe O my soule and why art thou disquieted in mee JOB 5. 24. Thou shalt know that thy Tabernacle shall be in peace LONDON Printed by Iohn Dawson for Ralph Mabbe 1630. SPIRITUALL HEARTS-EASE OR THE VVAY TO TRANQVILITIE SERMON XXXI JOHN 14. 1 2 3. 1 Let not your hearts be troubled you beleeve in God beleeve also in me 2 In my fathers house are many mansions if it were not so I would have told you I goe to prepare a place for you 3 And if I goe and prepare a place for you I will come againe and receive you unto my selfe that where I am there yee may be also IN the 33. verse of the former Chapter our Saviour Christ told his Disciples that he must now goe away from them Little children yet a little while I am with you and you shall seeke mee and as I said to the Iewes whither I goe you cannot come so say I now to you This message of the departure of Christ from the earth of his being tooke from them did exceedingly sad their hearts and very much perplex and disquiet their spirits they knew what a comfort they had in the presence of Christ they knew what a faithfull Teacher hee was what a mightie Protector hee had beene how gracious and full of heavenly comfort hee had manifested himselfe to them at all times in his being with them And they could not now thinke of parring with him without much perplexitie and disquiet and trouble of spirit Therefore the words that I have now read are the speech of our blessed Saviour to comfort them strengthening their hearts against those disquiets under which they were exercised In which words you may briefly observe these three things for time will not suffer mee to stand much upon them First a dutie whereunto they are exhorted Secondly the meanes whereby it may be performed Thirdly the letts that were to bee removed that hindered them in the performance of the dutie in the use of these meanes The dutie that is to bee performed is in the beginning of the first verse Let not your hearts be troubled The meanes whereby to performe it in the words following You beleeve in God beleeve also in me The letts and impediments of the performance of it in the use of these meanes are so many objections and doubts as are wisely prevented by the wisedome of God in the two verses following I shall take them as I come to them in order and but give a briefe touch upon every one of of them First the dutie that is to be performed it is this to stablish and comfort their hearts Let not your hearts be troubled The word that is here translated trouble it signifieth such a trouble as is in water when the mudde is stirred up or when the waves and surges are raised by some tempest or storme It signifieth such a trouble as is in an Army when the Souldiers are disranked and routed when they are disordered and it shewes thus much that those distempers that are in the hearts of men in the affections of men doe exceedingly hinder their judgements that they can see no more nor discerne things no better then a man can doe in a muddie water All the affections are as so many Souldiers in an Armie disordered that keepe not their due subordination to their leader and guide by reason that the understanding that should guide the will and affections is now made a servant to them And this distemper of spirit ariseth from the inordinacie of the affections the inordinate motion and agitation of them This is called trouble Let not your hearts be troubled Bee not disturbed thus and disquieted and disordered So that no facultie of the soule can performe its owne worke So as that it is disabled to judge of things according to truth but that you are mis-led and deluded by mists and appearances It is with the mind in sorrow as it is with the eye in teares that cannot see a thing clearely so the mind cannot judge of things distinctly when the soule is disturbed Let not your hearts be troubled But that which our Saviour aymes at here hath a particular respect to the affections of feare and griefe when these are in the excesse the mind is troubled when a man over-feares any thing
the mouth of all ungodly men shall be stopped at the day of the Lord they shall have nothing to say for themselves why justice should not proceed against them Here will God say I find so much given to usurie so much gotten by usurie so much spent in vaine so much kept injuriously from the furtherance of Gods worship and planting the gospell where it was wanting so much kept from benefitting the Church and Common-wealth in publike in private so much from helping the poore here I find it how comes it here was it not written with thy owne hand was it not thy selfe that made this impression upon thy conscience by thy owne guilt What wilt thou say for thy selfe hath any one accused thee wrongfully hath any one wrote it by mistake No all is done with thy owne hand and you cannot deny your owne hand writing when it is brought to your face Hath any one had the keeping of this booke of thy conscience hast thou not alwayes had it in thy owne possession what canst thou alledge for thy selfe I know beloved and it is true that there are many other waies whereby ungodly men shall be accused at the last day God himselfe shall accuse thee and bee a swift witnesse against thee the Saints shall accuse thee wicked men shall accuse thee the divels shall accuse thee but the maine proceeding and that that shall cleare Gods justice and stop the mouthes of all ungodly men is this that the accusation is by their owne hand-writing their owne booke shall accuse them that they have wasted their Lords goods and mis-spent them The fourth and last thing wherein this proceeding at the last day shall be like a reckoning is this That there shall an account be made in measure and proportion to the trust committed to men The Master when hee reckoneth with his servant he calleth him to account not for some lesser summes or for some one or two things but for all that he hath intrusted him with and if one servant have more then another his account shall be greater then anothers according to the greatnesse of that that is committed to him so shall the largenesse of his reckoning be to whom much is given of them much is expected and to whom little little is expected but of every one something is expected because every one is a Steward The reckoning I say it shall bee according to the difference of gifts and endowments wherewith wee are intrusted When the Master in the Gospell called his servants to an account for the Talents wee see he that had ten Talents made account for ten and he that had five for five and he that had one was called to an account but for one every one for so much as hee had received Hee that hath received bodily abilities of health and strength shall account for that Hee that hath had wealth and an estate in the world shall make an account further for that Hee that hath had all these and authoritie and place wherein he had power to doe right and to glorifie God amongst men he must make an account for so much the more Alas beloved if men consider that the more wealth they heape up and the more places of authority and preferments they have in the world their accounts shall bee greater at the day of the Lord certainly it would make them more sober and walke more humbly and watchfully it would make them so much the more industrious to improve their talents to the best advantage of their Lord that intrusted them with them So much for the opening of the point I will conclude briefly with a few usesof it Yee see Beloved not onely that all are Gods stewards but that all Gods stewards shall be brought to a reckoning brought to it in this life and in another Yee see why it is called a reckoning why God will proceed with men in this manner The first Vse then shall be for confutation of those Atheists that put farâ—…e from them the feare of the day of Iudgement Is it possible that there should be a generation in the world that should doubt of the Iudgement to come Nay shall wee goe further and come neerer not onely in the world but in the Church that there should be such as doubt of that time and day By that that is done daily it appeares that there be many at this day in the Church that doubt of a Iudgement day First doe but trie mens courses What sinnes doe they most feare and most avoide by that yee shall know what Iudgement they feare and what they feare not They feare only such sinnes as in the course of justice men and their lawes take hold of such as are only a breach of the second table Men will not be injurious to men lest men proceed in mans justice against them But how commeth it to passe that there is so little regard of God of reverence of his name of setting up his worship in their houses and in their hearts Certainly you doe not thinke that God will be as exact in his judgement in matters that concerne his own honour immediately as any man will be in cases that are brought before him Againe doe not men feare those outward actions which expose them to the censure of men on earth and unto punishment here But in the meane time they feare not evill affections and the motions of sinne in their owne hearts A man would not bee tooke with open theft yet neverthelesse hee useth fraud when men cannot discerne it A man would not be tooke with murther yet neverthelesse he is full of malice and envie and repining Why is this but because men acknowledge not a judgement to come They feare not the judgement of God wherein he will bring the breaches of the first Table to an account as well as those of the second and the secret thoughts and sinnes of the heart to a reckoning as well as outward actions Such mockers there were in the time of Saint Peter against whom he speakes in his second Epistle and third chapter Wee will a little observe the method of the Apostle that we may see how he discovereth them Say the mockers there shall bee no Iudgement There shall saith the Apostle How can that bee Have not all things continued as they were since the beginning of the Creation for so many thousand yeares And why should we thinke that there should come any alteration after more then before Yee are deceived saith he all things have not continued alike the world was drowned by water But if they doe continue it is by the word of God and that Word that gave a beeing to them that Word will put an end to them God can as easily by his word destroy all things as by his Word hee made all things But some will say by what instrument will he destroy the world By fire How can that be for that is one of the maine
all the actions of men it were an endlesse worke where wee finde dead workes wee conclude there is a dead man when men doe the things that are the actions of a man spiritually dead we conclude they are spiritually dead the Holy Ghost sayth so for they are dead in trespasses and sinnes therefore now let us come a little closer There are abundance that perswade themselves that they are alive therefore a little try your life by your death to sinne What are your opinions and judgements concerning your owne wayes those things that the Word of God condemnes for evill those things that out of the Word are preached to you day lie by way of reproofe of sinne that are spoken to you by Christian friends by way of admonition to bring you out of your sinnes how doe you take them and digest them are they pleasing to you because they tend to the killing of sinne or are they distastefull because they give you not rest in your sinnes What doe you judge sinne worthy to live and your selves not dead the while It is a note of a man that is alive in sin that hates reproofe that hates him that reproveth in the gate hee that hates him that reproves his ill workes hee is not dead to sinne for hee doth not judge his sinne worthy to die Againe come to your affections what is it you delight in When a man lookes upon a thing that is dead if it be indeed dead the sight of it is terrible and gastly and troublesome to him When Sara was dead though Abraham loved her deare in her life remove my dead out of my sight If sinne in thee bee as a dead thing how doest thou looke upon it dost thou looke upon it as a thing that thou art afraid of as a thing that thou art the worse when thou seest it When the objects and occasions of sinne are presented to you how stand you affected then all that are dead in sin take thought to fulfill the lusts of the flesh as the Apostle sayth they delight in it sinne is sweet to them as Iob sayth but if on the otherside you looke on it with indignation loathing and detesting and abhorring sinne and your selves for sinne then it is a comfortable signe of your death to sinne Againe when you doe looke on it doe you looke upon it as a ruler or as an enemie for there is a great deale of difference A theife may come into the house as well as the Master of the house but they come not with the like authoritie nor with the like acceptance the theife comes but you know all the house sets against him and never rest till they cast him out and if they want strength they cry for helpe but the Master of the house comes in and then all the servants are in their places to doe him service all take care to please him and give him content How entertaine you the motions of sinne looke upon your former wayes upon your former customes and vanities looke upon your wonted course of ill and consider now whether there bee an endeavour to satisfie the sinfull inclination of your hearts or is there a striving and using all meanes to be rid of it Do you make this your question to the Ministers you converse with to the Christian friends with whom you consult in this case how to be rid of such a corruption how to get such a sinne purged out Is this the matter of your prayer to God doe you crie to Heaven for helpe to get out this theife that is stollen into your hearts this traytour that conspires against the glorie of God this rebell that maintaines a fight against the kingdome of Christ doe you so looke on it It is a signe you are dead to sinne or else sinne is alive in you and you are dead in sinne Thirdly and lastly consider your actions consider your conversation doth sinne get strength or is it weakened For know that this is not the mortification of sinne that a man be never troubled with it more that hee never heare more of it that hee be never more troubled with the motions of sinne no As a man that hath a deadly wound given him it may bee hee more fiercely sets on him that gave him the deadly blow then ever before yet he falls dead at his feet after so it is with the motions of sinne thinke not when sin is dead by vertue of our union with Christ that we shall not bee tempted any more to sinne that you shall not have sinne any more in you no it will bee in you and molest you But what fruit doe you bring forth What actions doe you what strength hath sinne all the strife it hath is but to disquiet and disturbe you not to rule and command you as it was wont to doe It is a signe that sinne is dead naturally by way of incoation it will die in the end you shall heare no more of it at the last and though it a great while disturbe you and disquiet you yet this is your comfort you are disturbed and you maintaine Gods quarrell against your corruptions and fight against it it is a signe it hath a deadly blow Therefore let every one consider his estate let no man denie himselfe his owne portion let him that is dead in sinne know that hee is dead and the wretchednesse of that condition eternall death begins in that death And let him that is dead to sinne know that hee is alive to God and is among those that live in Christ and shall be saved A word of exhortation and so I conclude Doth this testifie our life in Christ that wee are dead to sinne Then as you hope for any comfort or privilege or advantage by Christ labour to make this good to your soules and labour to secure this evidence more and more that you are dead to sinne There are none that heares mee this day but they professe they hope to bee saved by Christ and they looke for no other name under Heaven to bee saved by but the name of Jesus It is certain but who will Christ save they are such as whom hee sanctifies and will hee sanctifie such as by union with him are dead to sinne and alive to God Then I beseech you make this good to your selves strive more and more to kill sinne take this as a quickning argument that you are in Christ and therefore you must bee conformable to Christ. Sayth the Apostle Hee bore our sinnes in his bodie on the Tree 1 Pet. 2. 24. that wee might be dead to sinne and live to righteousnesse Why did Christ beare your sinnes in his bodie upon the Tree but for this very end that as hee dyed for sinne you might dye to sinne Now that wee may perswade you know that it is upon speciall ground you lose nothing but get much by it the more you dye to sin the lesse you lose by it First you
returneth to her Mothers house the earth but the soule the Bridegroome to his Fathers house the Father of 〈◊〉 in Heaven as both their gests are set forth in this chapter verse 7. the dust returnes to the earth as it was and the spirit to God that gave iâ—… But in the evening of the World at that dreadfull night after which the Angell swore there should bee no more day or time here the soule is given by God to the bodie againe and then the marriage is consummated and both for ever fast coupled and wedded for better for worse to runne one everlasting fortune and to participate either eternall joyes or torments together Thus man is brought to his long home or as the Seventy and Saint Ierome render the Hebrew his house of eternitie and the mourners go about the streets here is a short reckoning of all mankinde like to that of the Psalmist who alluding to the name of the two Patriarches sayth Coll ADAM ABEL All men are altogether vanitie so here upon the foot of the account in Bonaventâ—…res casting all appeare wretched and miserable describitur miseria mortis in morientibus compatientibus all are either dead corpses or sad mourners corpses alreadie dead or mourners for the dead and their courses and motions are two 1 Straite man goeth c. 2 Circular mourners goe about The dead goe directly to their long home the living fetch a compasse and round about the termini of which their motions shall bee the bounds of my discourse at this present Wherein that you may the better discerne my passage from point to point I will set up sixe Posts or standings 1 The Scope 2 Coherence 3 Sense 4 Parts 5 Doctrine 6 Use. The Scope will give light to the Coherence the Coherence to the Sense the Sense to the Parts the Parts to the Doctrine the Doctrine to the Use. Wherefore I humbly entreate the assistance of Gods Spirit with the intention of yours whil'st in unfolding this rich peece of Arras I shall point with the finger to 1 The maine Scope 2 The right Coherence 3 The litterall Sense 4 The naturall Division 5 The generall Doctrine 6 The speciall application of this parcell of holy Scripture First the Scope Although all other Canonicall bookes of this old and new Testament were read in the Church yet as Gregorie Nyssen acutely observes this booke alone is intituled Ecclesiastes the Preacher or Church-man because this alone in a manner tendeth wholy to Ecclesiasticall politie or such a kinde of life or conversation as becometh a Preacher or Church-man For the prime scope of this booke is to stirre up all religious mindes to set forth towards Heaven betimes in the morning of our dayes Chap. 12. verse 1. Remember thy Creatour in the dayes of thy youth to enter speedily into a strict course of holinesse which will bring us to eternall happinesse to dedicate to God and his service the prime in both senses that is the first and best part of our time For as in a glasse of distilled water the purest and thinnest first runneth out and nothing but lees and mouther at the last so it is in our time and age Optima queque dies miseries mortalibus â—…vi prima fluit Our best dayes first runne and our worst at the last And shall wee offer that indignitie to the Divine Majestie as to offer him the Devills leavings florem aetat is 〈◊〉 consecrâ—…re faecem Deo reservarâ—… to consecrate the toppe to the Devill and the bottome to God feed the flesh with the flower and the spirit with the 〈◊〉 serve the world with our strength and our Creatour with ouâ—… weaknesse give up our lusty and able members as weapons 〈◊〉 sâ—…nne and our feeble and weake to righteousnesse Will God accept the blinde and the lame the leane and the withered for a sacrifice How can we remember our Creatour in the dayes of our age when our memorie and all other faculties of the soule are decaied How shall wee beare Christs yoake when the Grashopper is a burthen unto us when wee are not able to beare our selves but bow under the sole waight of age What delight can wee take in Gods service when care and feare and sorrow and paine and manifold infirmities and diseases wholy possesse the heart and dead all the vitall motions and lively affections thereof Old men are a kinde of Antipodes to young men it is evening with them when it is morning with these it is Autumne in their bodies when it is Spring in these the Spring of the yeare to decrepâ—…t old men is as the Fall Summer is Winter to them and Winter death it is no pleasure to them to see the Almond-tree flourish which is the Prognosticatour of the Spring or the Grashopper leape and sing the Preludium of Summer for they now minde not the Almond-tree but the Cypresse nor thinke of the Grashopper but of the worme because they are far on in their way to their long home and the mourners are already in the streets marshalling as it were their troops and setting all in equipage for their funerall no dilectable objects affect their dull and dying sences but are rather grievous unto them as the Sunne and Raine are to old stumpes of trees which make them not spring againe but rot them rather and dispose them to putrifaction And so I have past the first and am come to the second Post or standing The right Coherence When they shall be afrayd of that which is high and feare shall be in the way and the Almod-tree shall flourish and the Grashoper shall bee a burthen and desire shall faile because man goeth to his long home If this Consequence be firme the Coherence must needs bee good but if this bee infirme and lame that must needes bee out of joynt let us then consider of the Consequence Surely Aristotle seemeth to bee of another minde whose observation it is old men that have their foot on Deaths threshold would then draw backe their legge if they could and at the very instant of their dissolution are most desirous of the continuance of their life and seeing the pleasures of sâ—…e like the Apples of Tantaâ—… running away from them they catch at them the more grâ—…dily for want is the 〈◊〉 one of dâ—…ire and experience offereth us many instances of old men in whâ—… Saint 〈◊〉 growes young againe who according to the corruption of nature which Saint Austin bewaileth with teares â—…alunt libidiâ—…em expleri quam exâ—…gui they are so faâ—…re from having no lust or desire of pleasures as being cloyed there with that they are more insatiable in them then in youth the flesh in them is like the Peacockes quae â—…ctarecrudescit which after it is sod in time will grow raw again so in them after mortification by diseases and age it reviveth Sophocles the Heathen Poet might passe for a Saint in comparison of them for hee