are required at our hands we may be sure that we have spiritual life in us we may build upon it that Christ dwelleth in our hearts by faith and that we live in him by grace 3. Our benefit by them is manifold in this life and the life to come In this life peace of conscience their soul shall dwell at ease 2. Good success in all we undertake what soever we do it shall prosper 3. The service of the creatures for all things work for the best to them that love God Lastly a comfortable pass out of this world we are sure our end shall be peace In the life to come the benefits are such as never eye hath seen nor ear hath heard nor ever entred into the heart of man God grant therefore our heart may enter into them quia Aristoteles non capit Eurispum Eurispus capiat Arist otalum because we cannot comprehend the joyes of heaven let them comprehend us You expect something to be spoken of our dear Sister deceased and much might be said and should by me in her praise but that one of her chiefest commendations was that she could not endure praise Laudes quia merebatur contempsit quia contempsit mag is merebatur becanse she deserved praise she desp ised it and because she despised it she the more deserved it Silent modesty in her was her crown in her life and modest silence of her was the charge at her death Her life was well known to most of this place and her death was every way answerable to her life all that visited her in her sickness might behold with sorrow a pittiful anatomy of frail mortality and yet with joy a perfect pattern of Christian patience and a heavenly conversation and though she were full of divine conceptions and she had a spring by her of the waters of life in the devotion of her dearest helper especially in the best things yet when I came to her she desired she might be partaker of some of my meditations they were her own words and when I prayed with her and for her she joyned not so much with me with her tongue as her affections and answered more in sighs and tears then in words often she complained of her tuff heart that would not yeeld to her dissolution and long long she thought it till she should come to appear before the God of Gods in Sion Her last words were sweet Father help me and she had her request for presently he helped her both by the zealous and most feeling prayers of her Husband and by the holy spirit assisting her in her own prayers with sighs and groans that cannot be expressed and immediately her sweet Father released her of her pangs and received her to himself on his own day On the Lords day morning before the morning watch I say before the morning watch she entered into her rest and began to keep her everlasting Sabbath in heaven where she reapeth what she sowed and seeth what shebelieved and enjoyeth what she hoped for and is now entred into those joyes which never entred fully into the heart of any living on earth nor shall into ours till we with her be made perfect and all of us come to Mount Sion and the heavenly Jerusalem and innumerable company of Angels and to the Congregation of the first-born whose names are written in heaven and to the spirits of just men and women made perfect Whither the God of peace bring us in our appointed time who brought again from the dead the great shepheard through the blood of the everlasting Covenant To whom with the holy Spirit c. FAITHS ECCHO OR THE SOULES AMEN SERMON XLVI REVEL 22.20 Amen Even so come Lord Jesus THese words they afford to us a comfortable and sweet argument to be conversant in From the sixt verse of this Chapter is set down to us the confirmation of the whole Prophesie and Book of the Revelation partly by the affirmation of God as likewise of Jesus Christ and of John himself that heard and saw all these things and likewise of the Church of God in verse 17. It is likewise confirmed by the promise of Blessing and Happiness pronounced upon them that shall do all these things and shall faithfully expect the accomplishment of them This Verse a part of which I have read to you is the Repetition in few words of all that matter that goeth before from verse 6. to it and hath in it First an attestation of our Lord and Saviour Christ in the former part of the Verse Behold I come quickly Secondly an acclamation of the Church in the latter part these words I have read to ye Amen even so come Lord Jesus In the attestation of Christ he promiseth he will come to his Church he will come shortly both for the accomplishment of all his promises and likewise for their safety and deliverance from all enemies and all miseries and molestations whatsoever To this the Church makes an acclamation and saith Amen even so come Lord Jesus In this acclamation of the Church to which we must now come we are to consider First the person of the Speaker whose words they be Secondly what is the matter or substance contained in them Ye shall see whose words they be if ye look back but to the 17. verse of this Chapter there ye shall find that first it is said the Spirit saith Come By the Spirit is not meant the third Person in Trinity the holy Ghost because he is not subject to these passions to these desires but he resteth himself in the execution and present disposing and dispensing of things according to his own will and pleasure Neither by Spirit here is meant any wicked spirit or Angel for they do with fear and horrour expect the same coming of our Lord and Saviour Christ because his coming shall be the accomplishment of their misery and eternal infelicity But by Spirit here is meant the spirit in all the Elect and holy people of God in whomsoever the Spirit of God is that Spirit doth say come and doth wish the accomplishment of all these most gracious promises For this is not the desire of the flesh or of nature but an earnest and vehement desire of the Spirit of God in the Elect that saith come Again secondly the same verse telleth us that the Bride saith come That is the Church of God in general the Catholick Church the whole Church of God being now hand-fasted to Christ and entred into a spiritual contract with him She desireth the consumation of the Marriage the solemniation of the Marriage which is already begun in the contract of it and not only every particular member of the Church in whom the Spirit of God is saith come but the Church of God in general the Bride saith come the whole Church saith come wishing and desiring the accomplishment of the Marriage which is already begun In the third place the same verse
respect of the metaphor the Apostle aludeth unto it is taken from the sting of a Serpent and so Sin is a sting in a double respect First in respect of the fearfulness and then in respect of the hurtfulness of it First in respect of the fearfulness It is Sin that makes Death fearful to a man Indeed I confess that in the best Christian though Christ have pulled out the sting of death yet there are natural grudgings and shruglings As to a Serpent though the sting be pulled away yet there are some abhorrings and dislikes in a man But then how terrible is Death when it cometh in a compleate Armour as it doth against a person in whom Sin remaineth in its full power it must needs then be terrible See the differences between two persons the one is afraid of every one he meeteth the other is not what is the reason the one is greatly indebted and ingaged the other is free So it is with a Christian and another man the one cannot hear of Death but his heart breaks he is full of fear and horrour the other heareth of Death and is only somewhat affected in the hearing of it but not possessed with that fear as is the other what is the reason the sting of death remaineth in one and not in another Sin therefore is a sting in that respect Secondly it is a sting in respect of hurtfulness The sting of the Serpent is a hurtfull thing it poysoneth the vitall parts it takes away life it self All the evill that cometh to us by death cometh by sin Man need not complain of the ilness of the prison so much as of his own folly that he ingaged himself in debt whereby he is cast into prison Why complainest thou of the misery in Hell rather labour to break off thy sins that are the cause of all that misery all the hurtful quality and miserable condition that befalleth a person in Death and Hell is for Sin the eternal separation of the soul from God and all punishment that follows after in Hell are the fruit of mans sin Hell had not been Hell without Sin it is Sin that causeth it to become hurtfull Thus I have explained these inquiries Now I come to make Use and application and so conclude the Point The first Use of this point shall be this If Sin be the sting of death let it be our wisdom to get this sting pulled out in the time of our life Oh that this people were wise faith God then would they consider their latter end If you were wise that hear me this day you would consider that Death will come and if it be not taken away before-hand with a sting upon the soul My brethren we have many enemies to deal with even now at this very instant but there is yet an enemy as the Apostle faith The last enemy to be subdued is Death he his behind and here is the difference betwixt Death our last enemy and some other of our enemies some other of our enemies cannot be subdued but by their presence but let me tell you this Death is such an enemy as is never subdued but by his absence thou canst never overcome Death in death thou must not reserve this combat till thou come to the field but thou must overcome this enemy before he cometh thou must overcome him in thy life How is that Pull out the sting of him now then Death is conquered How will you disarm the tongues of malicious slanderous persons and deprive them of their viperous speech by an innocent life So how will you take away the sting of death watch against Sin take away sin and you take away the power from Death set upon Sin and Death is overcome so much sin as is now dead so much is Death conquered I beseech you seriously consider these particulars First that it will not be long ere Death knock at these doors of ours these houses of clay must shortly be ruinated we must certainly be resolved into dust What is this life of ours but as a ship that is driven by a gale of breath When the breath of man ceaseth the ship lieth in a dead calm Man goeth to his long home saith Solomon and the mourners follow in the streets Death is our long home we all are the mourners we follow in the streets This dead carcass is an example that leads us to our home and a sermon to tell us that we must follow we follow now in a charitable expression but we shall follow one day in paying of the same debt Look over all the times of the world and the dispositions of persons look over learning and folly greatness or poorness find me a man that escaped Death Die we must and we have need to have this much pressed upon us for it is a hard matter to beleeve that we must die that I must be the man that must die common notice of Death are granted but that I must die and lie in the dust and stand before God it is a hard matter to beleeve this And consider this secondly that Death will be terrible to thee if he knock and find a sting in thee Thou that now wilt not be reclaimed from swearing Alas what will become of that blaspheming soul of thine when death shall come and find a sting of blasphemy in thee How darest thou think of giving up that swearing soul of thine to the Judge of heaven and earth Thou unrighteous person that wilt not sanctifie the Lords day how darest thou give up that unholy soul of thine to the holy God Dost thou think to have an eternal rest in heaven and wilt not give God a rest here So I might say for all kind of sinners Think of this take heed lest Death find a sting in thee for all the sting that Death hath it findeth in thy self look to it thy condition will be fearful if Death come and find Sin unmortified unrepented of in thee God will certainly bring thee to judgment for every thought and word and action Thirdly consider this that naturally we are so tempered that if Death come he shall find his weapons and strength in us in every man of us I mean considered naturally But how shall I know whether Death when he cometh shall find a sting in me or no I will only give you two tryals you shall know it thus First if thy conscience now sting thee for some approved sin if thou repent not Death will assuredly meet thee with a sting that approved sin of thine will be the â—…ting of death Conscience will sting a man either for the act done or for the approbation of the act if conscience sting a man for his approbation of a sinful quality or for a sinfull course if a man continue in that course surely that will be the sting of death to his soul therefore look to thy self perhaps thou art convicted of such a sin perhaps thy
and that this is it that makes him careful to mortifie his secret lusts that this is it that makes him careful to purge himself from worldly affections that this is it that makes him industrious to avoid evil courses that this is it that makes him diligent in good actions that this is it that makes him constant and to persevere to the end in all holy wayes and in avoiding of all evil because he looks for and waites for the coming of Christ Now then take this for a main tryal of your selves concerning the former point Whether you can with comfort looke for the coming of Christ or no There shall be abundance at that day that shall hang down their heads I saw saith Saint John the Divine the Kings of the earth and the great men and the rich men and the chief Captaines and the mighty men and every bond-man and every free-man men of all sorts hide themselves in the dens and in the rock of the mountians and said to the mountains and rocks fall on us and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb for the great day of his wrath is come and who shall be able to stand Would you therefore hold up your heads with comfort and with joy that when you hear a Funeral Sermon it might comfort you to think It will not be long before my time shall come before my time shall be would you in truth have freedome from the fear of death which Christ hath purchased for he tooke upon him the same nature because the children were partakers of flesh and blood that he might free them who for fear of death were hold in bondage all their life Would you have comfort in Christs coming to Judgment See how effectually this works in you Is it thus effectual that because you look for Christs coming therefore you prepare your selves therefore you purge out your lusts and corruptions because there shall be nothing then when the secrets of all bearts shall be manifest that shall be displeasing to him when he shall come Are you careful to let fall worldly affections because you have a comfortable apprenension of heavenly joyes Are you careful to turn your course from sin because you would not lie open to the judgement of condemnation Are you careful to do good to persevere in the practise of godliness because he that shall come will come and will not tarry If it be thus with you then you may with comfort think of that day then you may with chearfulness look upon the day of death the day of death then is better then the day in which thou wert borne It is better to thee then the day of thy marriage it is the day of that great Marriage that shall be made between Christ and thy soul to all eternity It is better then the day that thou obtainest thy freed one then the day that thou comest out of thy Apprentiship it is the day wherein thou art set free and brought unto the glorious liberty of the sons of God It is a day that is better then the day of the enjoyment of the greatest comforts of this life because it sets thee in the possession of pleasures that are at Gods right hand for evermore Take this consideration therefore to heart and that you may walk in a holy course the better and with more constancy keep the object alwayes close to your eye Think with your selves and say If we would walk as Saints in heaven we must live as Saints on earth But how shall we do this Be often thinking of the coming of Christ often put this question to your souls What if Christ should now come If he should come now I am in the Church am I hearing the Word with that affection that I ought to here it with If he should come now I am in my calling in my world business do I follow it with a heavenly disposition as I ought to do What if he should come now while I am feasting should he take me as one feasting with fear lest I should sin against God in my mirth What if he should come and take me asleep have I made my peace with God before I went to rest Work these considerations upon thy soul When the morning cometh think it may be Christ will come and take me away before evening how shall I walk this day that I may have comfort in the coming of Christ When the Evening is come think it may be I shall never see morning before the great day of the Resurrection what now shall I do that if I die in my sleep I may rest in the Lord and so may have comfort in his appearance Either this moment either this minute settle thy comfort and peace with Christ or it may be the next hour it will be too late And remember that if ever you will live a holy life if ever you will have a heavenly conversation on earth you must be much and seriously settled in this meditation slight it not pass it not in your thoughts as a matter of discourse but let it be a working meditation let it be effectual to produce somewhat in you that may warm and heat your hearts and to set on fire the whole soul and to purge out the dross of corruption that remains in you Thus you see what it is that the Apostle here undertakes for himself and for as many as walked as he did they had a heavenly Conversation and that which made them have a heavenly conversation was the looking for the coming of Christ This was the fruit of their looking for the coming of Christ it made them walk in a heavenly conversation on earth There is another fruit of this by their looking for Christ they shall find him to be a Lord and Jesus We look for the Saviour the Lord Jesus Which word sheweth that all that Christ did for the purchase of our redemption he did it by price and by power He did it by price he satisfied his Fathers Justice and so he is a Saviour We wait saith the Apostle 1 Thes 1.10 for his Son from heaven whom he raised from the dead even Jesus which delivered us from the wrath to come And by power to over Sathan so he is a Lord the Lord of might Thou shalt find at the day of Christs that he will both be Saviour and Lord to thee A Saviour to free thee from sin and condemnation A Lord to bestow upon the heaven and glory with the Saints This is another benefit of our looking for Christs coming in the manner before spoken of we shall find him then to be a Lord and Jesus one that will save us from our sins and one that hath power to bestow heaven upon us Wouldest thou then have this comfort at that day Let him be so here to thee in this life let him be thy Lord and commander of all thy
their patience to endure for Gods cause whatsoever man or divel can inflict upon them to part with any limb for their head Christ Jesus gladly to forfeit their estates on earth for a crown in heaven chearfully to lose their lives in this vail of tears that they may find them in the rivers of pleasures that spring at Gods right hand for evermore Here is work for their faith also to see heaven as it were through hell eternal life in present death to beleeve that God numbreth every hair of their head and that every tear they shed for his sake shall be turned into a pearl every drop of blood into a Ruby to be set in their crown of glory To confirme both their faith and patience Christ proclaimeth from heaven that howsoever in their life they seemed miserable yet in their death they shall be most blessed and that the worst their enemies can do is to put them in present possession of their happiness Blessed are the dead c. So saith the spirit whatsoever the flesh saith to the contrary Here we have 1. A proposition De fide of faith 2. A Deposition or testimony of the spirit A Proposition of the happy estate of the dead A deposition of the holy Ghost to confirm our faith therein 1. Saint John sets down his relation 2. A most comfortable assertion 3. A most strong confirmation The relation strange The assertion as strange of a possession without an owner a blessed estate of them who according to the Scripture phrase are said not to be The Confirmation as strange as either by an audible testimony of an invisible witness So saith the spirit Or because this asseveration concerning the condition of the Saints departed is propositio necessaria as the Schools speak we will cloath the members of the division with terms apodictical and in this verse observe 1. A conclusion sientifical whereof the parts are 1. The subject indefinite mortui the dead 2. The attribute absolute beati blessed 3. The cause propter quam the Lord or dying in the Lord. 2. The proof demonstrative and that two-fold 1. A priori 1. By a heavenly oracle I heard a voyce c. 2. A divine testimony So saith the spirit 2. A Posteriori by arguments drawn 1. From their cessation from their work They rest from their labours 2. Their remuneration for their works Their works follow them Where the matter is pretious a decision of the least quantity is a great loss and therefore as the spie of nature observeth the Jewellers will not rub out a small clowd or speck in an orient Ruby because the lessening the substance will more disadvantage them then the fetching out of the spot advance them in the sale Neither will the Alcumists lose a drop of quintessence nor the Apothecaries a grain of Bezar nor an exact Commentatour upon holy Scriptures any syllables of a voyce from heaven the eccho whereof is more melodious to the soul then any consort of most tuneable voyces upon earth can be In which regard I hold it fit to relinquish my former divisions and insist upon each word of this verse as a Bee sitteth upon each particular flower that we may not lose any drop of doctrins sweeter then the honey and the honey comb any lease of the tree of life any dust of the gold of Ophir 1. J there were three men in holy Scripture termed Jedidiah that is Beloved of God Solomon Daniel and Saint John the Evangelist and to all these God made known the secrets of his Kingdome by special revelation and their prophecies are for the most part of a mystical interpretation This Revelation was given to John when he was in the spirit upon the Lords day and if we religiously observe the Lords day and then be in the spirit as he was giving our selves wholly to the contemplation of Divine mysteries we shall also hear voyces from heaven in our souls and consciences Heard with what ears could Saint John hear this voyce sith he was in a spiritual rapture which usually shutteth up all the doors of the sences I answer that as spirits have tongues to speak withall whereof we read 1 Cor. 13.1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and Angels so they have ears to hear one another that is a spiritual faculty answerable to our bodily sense of hearing The Apostle saith of himself that he was in the spirit and as he was in the spirit so he saw in the spirit and heard in the spirit and spake in the spirit and moved in the spirit and did all those things which are recorded in this Book When Saint Paul was wrap'd up into the third Heaven and heard there words that cannot be uttered and saw things which cannot be represented with the eye he truly and really apprehended those objects yet not with carnal but spiritual sences wherewith Saint John heard this voyce A voyce from Heaven The Pythagoreans taught that the Coelestial sphears by the regular motions produced harmonious sounds and the Psalmist teacheth us that the Heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament sheweth his handy work and that there is no speech nor language where their voyce is not heard but that was the voyce of Heaven it self demonstrately proving and after a sort proclaiming the Majesty of the Creatour But this is vox de coelo a voyce from Heaven pronounced by God himself or formed by an Angel so Gasper Melo expresly teacheth us Saint John heard a voyce not sounding out wardly but inwardly framed by that Angel who revealed unto him the whole Apocalypse Saint John here heard a voyce from Heaven commanding him to Write and Saint Austin heard a voyce from Heaven commanding him to Read Tolle lege and most requisite it is that where Heaven speaks the earth should hear and where God writes that man should read There never yet came any voyce from Heaven 〈◊〉 did not much import and concern the earth to hear The first voyce that came from Heaven was heard on Mount Sinai and it was to confirm the Law to be of divine authority and establish our faith in God the Creator A second voyce from Heaven we hear of in Saint Peter on the holy Mount when the Apostles were there with Christ and it was to confirm the Gospel and to establish our faith in Christ the Redeemer A third voyce or sound was heard from Heaven in the upper room where Christs Apostles were assembled in the day of Pentecost and it was to confirme our faith in the holy Ghost the Comforter A fourth voyce that came from Heaven was heard by Saint Peter in a vision and it was to confirme our faith in the Catholike Church and the Communion of Saints and the incorporating both Jewes and Gentiles in one mystical body Lastly a voyce was heard from Heaven by Saint John in this place to establish our faith in the last Article
Son and two of him his affection shew'd it self Rhetorical in his Benediction saying The blessings of thy Father have prevailed above the blessings of my Progenitors unto the utmost bounds of the everlasting hills they shall be on the head of Joseph and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his Brethren Giving this Benediction Jacob dies receiving this Blessing Joseph survives who can render no other Retribution after his death but care of his Burial and tears at his Funeral And therefore he made a mourning for his Father who had blessed him Fourthly he made a mourning for his Father who had mourned for him The Parents cares and fears are equal and when any infelicity betides their children their griess are great and all these bear a proportion with their love Now the love of Jacob to Joseph was transcendent and being so it rais'd as high an hatred in the hearts of his Brethren by which he was in their intention and in his Fathers opinion dead And now the Funeral is Joseph's let us see how Jacob does appear He rent his clothes and put sackcloth upon his loins and mourned for his Son many dayes Here is a real demonstration upon a supposed death and a serious mourning at a feigned Funeral Had his dearest Son been dead yet he might well take comfort in his numerous off-spring but he did not for all his Sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him but he refused to be comforted and he said for I will go down into the grave unto my Son mourning thus his Father wept for him Thus it pleaseth God to permit this happy deceit of envious Brethren this pious mistake of an affectionate Father not only for a great example of Paternal love but also to teach all Sons to measure their griefs at their Fathers death by a consideration of those sorrows which their Parents would have expressed had they dyed before them Howsoever Joseph was but just in this he made a mourning for his Father who had mourn'd for him Lastly he made a mourning for his Father who came down to die with him It was the old expression of Parents comfort that at their deaths they might have their children to close their eyes and it hath been equally the desire of children to be made happy by that occasion in shewing the last testimony of their duty at their Parents Death Now Jacob who upon the supposed death of Joseph had said I will go down into the Grave unto my Son upon the certain intelligence of his life and safety resolveth to go down and die with him For when he saw the Waggons which Joseph sent and his spirit revived Israel said it is enough Joseph my Son is yet alive I will go and see him before I die and when Joseph first presented himself unto him in the land of Egypt the first words he spake were these Now let me die since I have seen thy face because thou art yet alive Now he which said at first I will go and see him before I die and when he saw him said Now let me die resolved nothing in that journey but to die with Joseph And he made a mourning for his Father who came down to die with him For all these reasons Joseph mourned for his Father who begat him remembring his natural generation for his Father who loved him not forgetting his singular affection for his Father who had blessed him considering his double Benediction for his Father who had mourned for him meditating a pious retaliation for his Father who came down to die with him embracing the opportunity of a dutiful expression And thus I close up the first general part of the Text or the Solemnization of the Obsequies The Second general Part of the same presents us with the Continuation of the Solemnity Which ministers a double Consideration one as consisting of not many dayes the other as determining how many dayes And he made a mourning for his Father seven dayes Immediately after Jacobs death in Egypt forty dayes were fulfilled for his embalming and the Egyptians mourned for him threescore and ten dayes They which have no hope of a life to come may extend their griefs for the loss of this and equal the dayes of their mourning with the years of the life of man But so tedious a Funeral Solemnity is a tacite profession of Insidelity When Moses went up into the Mountain of Nebo and dyed there the children of Israel wept for him in the plains of Moab thirty dayes The plains of Moab were nearer to the Land of promise then Egypt was and some light of the joyes of the life to come was discovered under the Law and therefore more then half of the Egyptian Solemnity was cut off by the Faith of the Israelites But this Patriarchal Funeral was made in Canaan the Land of promise the Type of Heaven it was appointed by Joseph a blessed Patriarch and a Type of Christ it continued some dayes to declare his natural affection but those not many to express his religious expectation Had it been extended longer it had demonstrated more of duty but less of faith he had shew'd himself more a Son but less a Patriarch But now he is become a great Example in mourning some dayes of filial duty in mourning few dayes of Divinity Which is our first Consideration The Second leads us to the determinate number of the dayes which are expresly Seven And he made a mourning for his Father seven dayes The Jews took special notice of this act of Joseph and in the land of Canaan observed the number of these dayes Seven dayes do men mourn for him that is dead faith the Son of Sirach and though it be not unto us a law yet it is a proper subject of our Observation It was afterward one of the laws of Moses He that toucheth the dead body of any man shall be unclean seven dayes And therefore well did Joseph teach the Israelites to mourn the same number of dayes that with their tears of natural affection they might mingle some thoughts of their natural pollution Again the number of Seven is the number of rest In six dayes the Lord made Heaven and Earth the Sea and all that in them is and he rested on the Seventh day from all his works which he had made Now Joseph knew that there remaineth a rest to the people of God he was fully assured that as the dayes of the years of his Fathers pilgrimage were evil so they ended in rest and happiness that as sure as his body was past all weariness and pain so his soul was placed above all possibility of grief or sorrow A Dove brought Noah word into the Ark that waters were on the face of the Earth and he stay'd seven dayes and then the Dove sent forth returned and loe in her mouth was an Olive leaf pluckt off so Noah
further degree for all this And there be these two reasons for it The first is because the wicked not only sinne in soule but in body too the body hath beene the instrument of the soule in sinning and therefore it cannot serve the turne that the soule is punished and the body lie in the grave no but those that have joyned in sin must also joyne in Punishment Secondly howsoever the sinfull actions of the wicked are transcient and seem to die with them yet in respect of the contagion and evill effects these actions worke upon others and upon posteritie bp the ill example of their predecessors the actions I say of those wicked men continue to the day of Judgement Thus wee shall see the Iewes in Ierem. 44. revived the sinnes of their fathers Our fathers say they made cakes to the Queene of heaven and so will wee So the succeeding Kings of Israel that went on in the steps of Ieroboam who made Israel to sin they continued the sin of Ieroboam As long as men goe on in the steps and sins of their forefathers the sins of their forefathers live So that some mens sinnes by a continued imitation are perpetuated to the day of Judgment therefore their must be a judgment then that may fill up a measure proportionable to their sin This was that that Dives feared in Hell and that made him crie out as he did that one might goe and tell his bretheren upon earth that they might not come into that place Why would he have them tell his brethren was there such love to the kingdome of Christ in hell that Dives would have his brethren converted no such matter Was it love to the souls of his brethren that he would not have them damned no such matter neither What then Certainly it was nothing else but a sence of his own guilt he knew what evill example he had given and what a counseller he had been to his brethren and if they should go on in his steps and their children follow the same steps all this would but adde to his punishment and torment in the great day when soule and body shall be joyned together to make up the full measure of their torment For this reason I say it is therefore necessary that their should be a judgement after this life at the end of the world The second thing remaineth and that is why the holy Ghost expresseth Gods proceedings by way of reckoning or calling to an account What need the Lord reckon with men he may proceed by way of a Judge but he saith come give an account of thy Stewardship I answer There are four things implied in this all shewing the manner of Gods proceedings at the day of Judgment with his Stewards that it shall be like the proeedings of a Master with his servants in an account and reckoning The first is this that it shall be a proceeding in particulars God shall then proceed not by grosse sums and in the total ye have done evil in the general none will deal thus with an Accountant but he will run over the particulars and Account for pounds for pence for every thing Thus God will deal with all his Stewards when he bringeth them to a reckoning he will reckon on particulars for all things that he hath enabled them with for his service Those that are rich men first how they have gotten their estates whether they have built their houses as a moth as Job speaks that is raised their estates to the hurt of others as men do that raise themselves by usury and oppression and fraud and bribery and such like courses Secondly how they have kept their wealth whether with the injury of others with-holding the goods from the owners thereof from the poor for I call them in case of want the owners of their goods because God hath given them to his Stewards for their sakes therefore mark how Saint James expresseth it Go to now yee rich men weepe and houle why so your riches are corrupted and your garments moth eaten your gold and silver is cankered c. As if he should say you have been hoarding up your treasures you had rather be laying of it up then laying of it out and therefore because you have not laid out your estates for the service of your master rust is come upon your gola and the moth hath eaten into your garments ye have heaped treasure together for the last day Thirdly how they have spent what they have had whether on their lusts or no Ye ask and have not faith S. James because ye ask amiss to spend it on your lusts so ye lay out amiss ye spend it on your lusts When men for pride in apparel for excesse at their tables for vain buildings for sinfull upholding of wickednesse for unnecessary and injurious proceedings in law sutes or in what soever indirect course men lay out their estates it is a mis-spending of their Masters goods And as he that hath got his wealth unjustly and he that keepeth it unjustly shall give an account so he that layeth it out in a confused sinful profuse way shall be called to give a reckoning for that And not only for matter of a estate but besides for matter of place and authority Moses knew this well enough and therefore when he was to go out of the world he first cleares all reckonings with the people of Israel I have been a Ruler thus long let any man come and stand up and say I have done him wrong let every man come clear me this day before the Lord that I have walked all my life-time unblameably inoffensively promoting the glory of God and suppressing all the evill that I could with my might this was the account that Moses made with the people of Israel before he died that he might lift up his head with comfort in the day of the Lord. Thus it must be with you ye must give an account of your places And so for the state of your bodies The health thou hast had how hast thou spent thy strength and thy health Mark the speech of the Wise man to the young man Rejoyce faith he in the dayes of thy youth as if he should say Doe if thou wilt do if thou dare but know that for all these things thou must come to judgment Now thou hast a great deale of health a great deal of strength but hast thou been the better for Gods service hast thou imployed it fot Gods glory or no And so for the members of thy body thou must give an account for thy imployment of those instruments Thy tongue every idle word faith Christ that men shall speak they shall give an account of at the day of judgment If for every idle word what then for thy swearing and cursing and lying what for the abundance of filthy obscene and rotten communication that cometh out of thy mouth Thou must give an account for thy
be upon us and we pine away in them how shall we then live The Prophet had incouraged them notwithstanding their great sins to return by true repentance and they should not perish nevertheless they are muttering discouraged with fear breaking their spirits withdrawing themselves from God the judgements of God are begun upon us the hand of wrath is gone out against us we are pining away in them though we are not wasted yet yet we are like a man in a consumption that wasteth by degrees how shall we live certainly we shall die Saith the Lord say not thus among your selves but know if ye turn ye shall live As I live saith the Lord I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that the wicked turn from his way and live turn ye turn ye from your evil wayes for why will ye die oh house of Israel Beware of discouragment therefore it is Sathans device that when once he hath drawn men from God by a path of sin to hold them under discouragement that so he may ever after keep them from turning to God again It was his device whereby he would have kept Adam from turning to God after he had committed that great sin in eating of the forbidden tree He thought of nothing but hiding himself from God and so he did hide himself amongst the bushes of the Garden I heard thy voyce and was afraid and I hid my self Mark here was a fear of discouragement in Adam that whereas he should have come and fell down before the Lord and have begged mercy and said as David here Who knoweth whether the Lord will be gracious to me He run clean away from God There is a fear of reverence that keepeth a man with God and there is a fear that draweth a man to God but this fear of discouragement driveth a man from God and that is the temptation of Sathan to keep a man from God when once he hath turned aside from him Therefore that is the first thing take heed of such inward discouragements as may drive you quite off Secondly Take incouragement then to seek the face of God in his own means and way He hath threatned judgements against others for the same sins that ye find your selves guilty of when they have returned to him they have found mercy Return ye to him in truth and seek his face aright and ye shall find the same mercy In the prophesie of Joel ye shall see there that though God had threatned judgements nay though he had begun judgement for that was the case of those times judgement was begun upon them yet neverthelesse the Prophet calleth them to fasting and weeping and telleth them that the Lord is gracious and merciful and ready to forgive and who knoweth if he will return and repent and leave a blessing behind him Therefore let us do our parts and seek God in truth amend our lives and then no question of this but that God will return It is an old device of Sathan to draw men instead of Gods revealed will to look to Gods secret will whether I be absolutely rejected or cast off or not But this is not the thought wherein a Christian should exercise himselfe his main business is this to make his calling and election sure by all the evidences of it hy a holy life walk obediently to Gods revealed will and be certain thou shalt not be rejected by Gods secret will He never rejecteth those by his secret will and purpose and decree to whom he giveth a heart to walk obediently to his revealed will So much for that Who knoweth that the Lord will be gracious to me that the child may live The incouragement is this That the child may live But mark his expression Whether the Lord will be gratious to me that the child may live If he had said no more but this Who knoweth whether the child may live A man would have thought this would fully enough have expressed his mind but there is more in it that could not be expressed without this addition Who knoweth whether the Lord will be gracious to me that the child may live The life of a child is a mercy to the father David expresseth herein both his Pitty and his Piety His pitty He accounteth all the good or ill that befalleth his child as his own if death befalleth it he accounteth it as a misery that befalleth himself if sickness befalleth his child he accounteth it as an affliction upon himself This is his natural pitty that some natural affection of a father to his Child See such an expression of the woman of Canaan have mercy on me thou son of David my daughter is miserably vexed of a divel The Daughter was miserably vexed and the mother cryeth out Have mercy on me There is such a simpathy ariseth hence from the natural and free course that love hath in descending from the Father to the Child There are not only moral perswasions that may invite and draw on love but besides that there is a course of affection that floweth naturally and kindly from the Father to the child as it is with those rivers that fall downward they fall more vehenently then those that are carried upward so the more natural the affection is the more vehement it expresseth it self in the motion to such objects Now when the Father expresseth his affection to his child this is more vehement because it is more natural there is more strength of nature in it I cannot stand upon this only a word by way of inference and application to our selves First are natural parents thus to their children Then here is a ground of faith for the children of God that he is pleased to stile himself by the name of Father and to receive them into the adoption of sons and daughters This was Davids expression of God As a father hath compassion of his children so hath the Lord on those that fear him And the Prophet Isaiah expresseth it fully In all their affliction he was afflicted and the Angel of his presense saved them in his love and pitty he redeemed them and he bare them all the dayes of old he bore them upon his wings This giveth confidence and boldness to Gods children in making their requests known to him This was it that incouraged the Prodigal I will arise and go to my father and say Father I have sinned against heaven and bofore thee c. God saith S. Barnard alwayes grants those petitions that are sweetned with the name of father and the affection of a child I should hence speak somewhat to children to stir them up to answer the love of their Parents but other things that follow forbids me any long discourse of this Secondly here is Davids piety expressed in this Who knoweth whether the Lord will be gracious to me He exprest not only the Pitty and affection of a natural father to a child but piety
Zacheus his offer was but half of his goods Lord half of my goods I give to the poor For ought I can perceive and understand above half of her estate she hath given to charitable uses I say no more of her These works of her will praise her in the gates She died in the Country And I am sorry that I had not information as I did desire of her behaviour in her sickness I have it not I can say nothing of it but thus much It was not possible that such a creature that lived thus as we know she did in obedience to God in repentance in faith with invocation of Gods mercy in Charity in Peace but that her death was blessed She that lived in the Lord no question but she died in the Lord and she is blessed for Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord. Good Lord teach us to number our dayes that we may apply our hearts to wisdom and grant that as we grow in years we may grow in knowledge of thy truth in obedience to thy will in faith in thy promises in love toward thee and toward our neighbours for thy sake that when we come to the end of our dayes we may come to the end of our hope the salvation of our souls through Jesus Christ to whom with thee oh Father and thee oh holy Spirit three Persons but one true and immortal and only wise God be given both from us and all thy creatures in heaven and in earth continual praise honour glory dominion and power now and for evermore Let all those that hear the word of God depart from iniquity Now the God of Peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus the great Shepheard of the sheep through the bloud of the everlasting Covenant make you perfect to do his will working in you that which is pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ Amen THE CHRISTIANS CENTER OR HOW TO LIVE TO GOD. SERMON X. ROM 14.7 For none of us liveth to himself and no man dieth to himself for whether we live we live to the Lord and whether we die we die unto the Lord whether we live therefore or die we are the Lords THese words contain an Argument or reason which the Apostle useth to prove that the weak Christian should be born withal and that men should not judge because of the difference of meat amongst them He sheweth that they did not with the neglect of the knowledge of any truth keep themselves ignorant in this particular but it was their weakness The strong should bear with the weak and the weak should not censure the strong the reason is because they agree in one end they propound one general end to themselves that guides them in all their actions they walk in one way and in one path and therefore they should in these things agree together The general end at which they all aymed in their doings is the Lord He that eateth faith he eateth to the Lord he that eateth not to the Lord he eateth not that is still he propoundeth God as his end and the pleasing of God in his actions as the rule of them That he may prove this unto us that they stand thus affected both of them notwithstanding this difference he bringeth in this as the general reason where to every particular of their lives may be reduced All their life is ordered by the Lord they live to the Lord they die to the Lord so that whet her they live or die they are the Lords Therefore all their particular actions are to the Lord. Whether we live we live to the Lord and whether we die we die to the Lord. Now this general reason he propoundeth two wayes First Negatively None of us living to himself and no man dieth to himself Secondly Affirmatively which consisteth of two parts Their duty to God Gods acceptance of them and protection over them Their duty to God if we live we live to the Lord and if we die we die to the Lord. Gods acceptance of them Whether we live or die we are the Lords That which we shall now insist upon is the former part the negative expression and proposal of this general reason none of us liveth to himself and no man dieth to himself Now when the A postle affirmeth this of the beleevers of those times he therein intimateth thus much that it is the course of beleevers in all times It is a duty belonging to all others of which they must make account not to live to themselves but to the Lord. Therefore though he speaks generally here yet there is in his speech a kind of particular universality a generality with a restraint He saith none of us he saith not none in the world live to themselves for there are many in the world live to themselves and not to the Lord but none of us none of those that we rank our selves with that are in the condition of beleevers none of those concerning whom we speak in this question none of us live to our selves Life in general is nothing else but that power whereby we act or move As we read Gen. 2. God breathed into man the breath of life and he became a living soul he gave him the power whereby he acted The acting of this power is the exercise of that life whether the action be of the mind or of the body And so as there is a donble life there are two sorts of actions of life there are natural actions of a natural life and there are spiritual actions of a spiritual life When the Apostle speaks of living he intends both these We live not that is we do not the actions of life whether natural or spiritual to our selves but to the Lord. No man liveth to himselfe By himself he meaneth not only a mans person either soul or body but all those advantages that conduce to the well-being of a man No man of us so ordereth the actions of his life with reference and respect to our selves as the uttermost end we do not make our own well-being or well-fare the uttermost end of our actions none of us live to our selves You have the sense and meaning of the words which being a patterne to other Christians a thing which the Apostle supposeth is or should be in every beleever it giveth us this point of instruction whereupon we shall insist at this time That is No Beleever none that are in Christ should make themselves the end in their actions None should live that is spend their time and strength and endeavour ayming at no higher end then themselves No Christian should so spend his time as to seek himself only in the actions that he doth None of us liveth to himselfe But here it may be objected for the clearing of the point May not a Christian seek himself in the things that he doth When they do good things that which God commandeth that
be straitned and because the Apostle intends it not as the main thing I do but only name it The second thing and that which Saint Paul mainly intends is that because we have but a little time we are even ready to strike sayle and to go to the Harbour presently therefore he that had a wife should be as if he had none and he that used the world as if he used it not c. And there the Lesson that I noâ—e is this That the serious meditation of the little and short time that we have to remain in here below should be a great means to cut us off from the world and to put us upon thoughts and actions concerning heaven I shall not need to give you a better ground of the point then is in the Text. The time is short saith he the time is contracted you are ready to strike sayle therefore do this I might give you a world of Scripture to prove this But I will satisfie my self in laying you down two or three grounds of it First we know that all things that ever a man can enjoy in this world they all die assoon as ever this time is gone Mark it All things here below let a man dote never so much upon them let him have wife and children and beauty and credit and pleasures and learning or whatsoever it is if his glass be out if his time be gone ther 's is an end of all those to him Now the soul of man careth not for that happiness that hath no continuance at all in it Yea the rarest thing that mortal men seek if they should know before hand that they should enjoy them but a little time the soul careth not for pitching upon it If a man were offered the goodliest woman for his wife that ever lived in this world if God should send him this message there take her I bestow her freely upon thee but to morrow thou shalt die who would care for marrying To be a King we know is simply the greatest thing that men seek after in this world yet among the Grecian Cities as that of Sparta because one was but to have the Kingdome but for a year and then to lay down his Crown and become a private man all the wisest men of the City strove as much not to the King as we to get great places Why because they knew that that honour was but for a year and that would be gone presently therefore they cared not for it So the Apostle teacheth in this place Though thou shouldest have a wife that thou shouldest love mightily though thou shouldest have pleasures that thou takest full content in Why doest thou so We are ready to strike sayle we have but a little time to continue So that because all the blessedness of this life let them be never so many never so great yet they all die with us when our time is ended he that could but seriously think that he hath but a little time to continue below he will never let his heart be set violently upon them that is the first Argument The second and principle Reason why the meditation of the shortness of our time should be such a marvellous means to take us off from all the things of the world is this Because we shall find work enough in this short time for things that more concern us Now the very nature of our soul that God hath put into us is this that a man cannot intend earnestly and violently two things at the same time Let a man for a certain hour wholly be took up with some business though there were a great many other things that be could find in his heart to think upon yet the soul intends that one mainly and can find no time for the other This is our case We have but a little time but in that little time admirable is the work we have to do before this time be spent if we would give a comfortable account What have we to do I tell you in a word The main and needfull thing of all that we have to do in this little time here allotted us is How to shoot the gulph of hell how to make our peace with God how to get his favour in Christ how to have the corruptions of our soul cured and healed how to grow up in grace and to get sure evidence against that day when all shall stand naked before him that then we may be found in Christ Have I ever heard that I have a great work to do and that I have but a little time to do it in Surely then if I seriously think of it I cannot find in my heart to let my soul pitch earnestly upon the things below Beloved our time here is the only time we have to make heaven sure It is the most precious thing that ever we have in the world Now if a man have such a precious thing and but a little of it will he go and spend it for toyes and baubles It is a thing that the Emperour Caligula is laughed at for in all Stories There was a mighty Navy provided admirable and strange and all trimmed and every one expected that with it the whole countrey of Greece should be conquered and so it might have been But he imploped his souldiers to gather a company of Cockleshells and Pibbles and so sayled home Had not every one cause to laugh at the folly of this Emperour Verely such a fool is every man and so we would acknowledge if we would but weigh this God hath given thee but thus much time it may be twenty years it may be but a day or two more in this time he hath furnished thee with that which may be a means to conquer heaven it self now if â—…hou lay out this little about wife or children or to purchase a little wealth or chese things here below is it not the greatest folly that may be Suppose that a servant hath a great deal of work to do and knows that he must give an account to his Master thereof and that if all be not done that should be done he can never appear with comfort before his Master and he sees also that the Sun draws low and the day hastneth to an end do you think that this servant can find time to play If a man have much to write and but a little paper to write in he must write small and thick and close as ever he can So it is with every one of us â—… warrant you there is not any soul of us but we shall find so many thousand things to repent of so many graces to obtain that we stand in need of so many evidences or heaven to get that yet we have not got sealed so many particulars concerning better life that a man may wonder that ever any one should find one half day to 〈◊〉 any thing else Thus you see the reasons why the serious meditation of
the little time we have to continue below should be a marvellous means to take us off from the world and to put us upon the study and thought of better things Well now let me briefly apply this unto you that so I may come to that I principally intend Oh that we had learned this excellent lesson that the Apostle teacheth the Corinths here what wondrous happy people should we be You shall find evermore in the Scripture the Spirit of God putting the neglect that is amongst men and carelesness of heaven and all the wickedness of their lives upon this the not serious meditation of that small time they have to continue below If a man come to those that are not brethren as Saint Paul bespeaks the Corinths in the Text they will say It is true it is a good point to be prest upon a man that is in a consumption on one whom the Doctors have given over to tell him that he cannot continue a week that his time is short But for our parts we are but in the beginning of our voyage it may be we are but twenty years old we began but the other day to be furnished with a stock we are but newly entred and do you think that we are striking sayle Or another that hath lived forty or fifty years in the middest of a full trade that beginneth to get something in the world do you think that he is striking sayl Thus people put it off Alas what is thy time What is all thy life Let God decide it doth not he say it is a vapour a dream a tale that is told like a Ship that sayleth by and is gone and that in the turning or a hand almost If thou have no more time of life here but only while a little sand is running out of a glass while a Ship is sayling out of sight while a short tale is told God saith it is no more wilt thou account that thy voyage is yet scarcely begun I beseech you beloved all go home and often think of this point Say within your selves How long Lord am I like to continue below and what is there for me to do before I go out of this world But the truth is men dare not think of this and the Devil laboureth for nothing more in the world then this to make men put off the serious consideration of the brevity of their lives and that they have longer time to continue here then they have because he knows the truth of this that I have spoken that the meditation thereof will stir them up to make clear all reckonings with God before they gohence and he seen no more You may find this to be true in your own experience how loath men are to entertain thoughts of their latter end Go to one that lies sick of a Consumption and he will tell you the Docters say that I may live and I doubt not but I shall get up again such a one hath been brought as low as I and he is recovered and why may not I I once knew one that when the Phisitians came and told him that he must die Good Lord saith he what a deal of work have I to do I have all my seed to sow all my evidences to seal that my soul should he saved c. Such thoughts should enter into us now pitch on them seriously buckle to them soundly We may learn this point of wisdome of the divel himself He because he knoweth his time is short he is so much the fuller of rage and malice and plies his work with so much the more eagerness Wo be to the Inhabitants of the earth and the Sea Revelat. 12.12 for the divel is gone out amongst men having great wrath because he knoweth that he hath but a short time So should we do Think with thy self the seventh Angel will come ere long and sweare by him that liveth for ever and ever that there shall be no more time but GOD will have an account for the time past What if the Angel should come now and swear as ten to one but there is some man or woman in this Congregation concerning whom GOD hath determined that they shall have no more time before a week be at an end Put the case it should be any ones case thine or mine that God should say Go fetch such a man I will give him no more time It is true I give him some but now his voyage is at an end his sayl is struck and then we should have all to seek no Christ no true faith no evidence for Heaven when we must come and give an account to God What have you done with all your time will God say I must have a reckoning of it And then cometh in Imprimis so much time in drinking so much in revelling so much in dressing my self every day And then God shall say Were these the things I give you time for Did I bestow time on you for to be spent about such things as these No it was for Heaven Beloved how could we answer to these things It is good and profitable seriously to consider of this betimes say to thy self I have not long to live after awhile I must go hence and be no more I must give an account and a reckoning unto God of all that I have done whether it be good or evill But this is not the principal point I have to speak of therefore I pass it briefly I come to the Exhortatiou it self It remaineth that both they that have wives be as though thy had none and they that weep as if they wept not and they that rejoyce as though they rejoyced not and they that buy as though they possessed not and they that use the world as not abusing it c. In a word I take the sum of the exhortation to be as if the Apostle S. Paul had said thus Brethren you are ready to cast anchor trouble not your selves be stedfast gird up the loynes of you minds let your care be greatest for heaven as for these things that are here below if you have wives be as if you had none think assoon as you are ashoar you shall have none if you be sick or under any cross or affliction be as though you wept not suppose you be as a fellow that is fain to plie the pump all the day assoon as he is ashoar he is free if you rejoyce if you be in prosperity if you be as the Master of the Ship that hath great preferment be as if you rejoyced not Why you are almost come ashoare therefore be as if not in all these I will briefly open the meaning of all these particulars and then put all into one point of instruction and so come further to apply it unto you as God shall enable me What therefore is the meaning first Let them that have wives be as though they had none To that I answer A man
they will never be comforted for their brother for their sister for their children c. What shall we say to these things Do you think the Lord speaks not as he meaneth or that the Apostle when he saith here absolutely and determinatly that thus and thus you must do if you be Christians if you be brethren Shall we do the contrary to all this and yet think that all will be well I know you may put it off many of you and alledge many things we have callings and we must follow our Callings if God brings me in imployment blame me not if I follow it And I know not how to live if I do not do thus and thus But be not deceived God is not mocked In a word therefore to put you on the tryal If thou findest in the middest of thy trading and merchandizing or whatsoever calling thon art of thy heart daily gathering towards heaven that thou canst say blessed be God for this and other commodities but Christ is my darling this is good And then in these things if thou hast a care to use them aright as well as to get them and to thank God for them and that thy project is how thou shalt do good with that thou hast that thou art alwayes saying with thy self Lord how shall I do good with so much as I have got by such a bargain God forbid I should say against thee though thou be full of business from morning to evening But alass there are many good people and godly that have hope that they serve God yet if they go home and examine themselves throughly their own consciences will tell them that in the things of this world they are not as if not but rather that they have been over-careful and too full of distractions in business And so for matter of joy if a man have a little pleasure or preferment given him his heart is so up that he knows not where he is he is so transported that he hath clean forgot himself This cannot stand this is not to be as if not and therefore I beseech you in the fear of God think of it Now if a man would know how he should come to have his heart in a good temper to be in these things as if not In one word let me tell you that rule of Saint Paul In all things be filled with the Spirit and then thou wilt not take thought much for other things if once you let your souls be filled with the things of a better life then wife and children and wealth and pleasures or any thing else will not draw away your heart Get a good hand-fast of Jesus Christ work out your salvation and that you may know that you are beleevers upon good grounds and that you have the graces of the Spirit of God in you indeed and in truth that you are new creatures And then often think of the rare things that are provided for you in another life What to have God to be your Father and Angels your keepers to be children to be the companions of Angels Weigh these things daily and then you will be as if not in all these outward and worldly things And untill thou dost this and thinkest withall of that I have formerly said that thou art ready to strike sayle I will never beleeve that thou wilt be as if not This is the second thing A word or two of the Third and so I have done And that is the Spur that the Apostle Saint Paul useth And it is necessary he should use such a spur for it is a very hard lesson If you would be as if you were not consider this The fassion of the world passeth away That is it signifieth I touched it before such a fashion as is on a stage All these things below they are but as the Acting of a Comedy as a Scaene it may be it is done in half an hour and though it make a fine shew yet in truth there is no substance in it There is one it is a fashion besides it passeth away So then in this spur there are two things I will but name the heads First That the things of the world all that I named before are but a shew without a substance Even as a Scaene or Comedy things that have a glorious glittering shew to the eye but if you look indeed and in truth upon them there is no such matter That is one thing that I note that our life is but as the acting of a part in a Comedy and so by consequence in all these outward things thy contentment in wife or children or credit or pleasures thou dost but act a glorious part it may be thou hast a goodly outside fine clothes rich apparel an outward representation of comfort but look thorow them and there is no such matter But the second thing which I rather would presse is that it is suddenly gone it passeth away saith the Apostle As a man hath but a little time to tarry in the world so all the things he enjoyeth in the world are wondrous inconstant That look as it is in a Play he that now acts the part of a King it may be next he may act the part of a Begger or as it is with some of your delicate fashions that while you are speaking of them the fashion is spoyled Even so the fashion of this world it will not continue That is the sum of that I desire you to take notice of that if you will not be perswaded by me or by the Spirit of God in his unworthy minister to use the things of this world morderately and carry your selves as you ought in crosses and afflictions yet know this that the fashion of these things will shortly be spoyled And if they be all so unconstant what a fool art thou to set thy heart upon them We may learne this wisdome from the foolery of our English Nation esteemed now the idlest people of the world for changing their fashion They will never make clothes twice of one fashion but one gown of this fashion and another of that and though he be never so good a Taylor that makes it yet he must make no more of the same fashion but the next Terme they will come to another Learn I say this wisdome from that foolery Now the Lord giveth thee comfort in thy wife set not thy heart too much upon her the next Term the fashion may change Now thou art rich let not thy heart dote upon thy riches it is but a fashion a shew it passeth away to morrow thou maist be a begger to day a man to morrow none But if thou wouldest keep the fashion get the fashion of grace get a right to heaven an interest in God and be content in Gods name to follow his fashion If the fashion that God will have thee be in be to be an humble dejected man be content with that fashion if anon
as it is in the Revelation that the time is now come too neer He that is filthy let him be filthy still that is let him go on to the end It is evident and apparent that sin is increased since the sickness it is apparent that our sins are aggravated though they are dayly cryed down And now at this time as if we would defie God to his face and call upon him to hasten his judgments upon our Land upon our Families and persons every one strives as it were who shall outdare him most in our excesses in impenitency in hardning our selves in a course of sin These things convince us of our security There are many more that might be named if the time would permit But put these together and they may shew us our wretchedness When we consider how little we have profited by judgments how little we have profited by the ordinances how full of vain confidence and idle dreames how notwithstanding all these we abound still in wickedness and there is no reformation of our hearts and lives what may we not conclude against ourselves If ever people were drowned in a drunken security we of all people under heaven are at this time For of all people under heaven we are in a manner the last God hath spared us to the last We have had warning by judgments inflicted upon others for many years together It hath come neerer to us hy degrees it began a far off in Bohemia and then in the Phalatinate and in Germany The Lord would have us see how he cometh to us by degrees by steps that at the last we may meet him by repentance But where is the man that yet gets out of the bed of security that cometh out of his sleep to meet the Lord that comes with a broken heart to beg for forgiveness of his sins past and to beg for mercy for the time to come Well now since it is so that we are convinced by these signs that we are in a carnal and sinful security we 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 do that for others which they will not do for themselves to be more earnest in prayer more frequent in humbling our souls for our own sins and theirs that God may lay aside and cast away his judgments and displeasure that either are feared or lie upon us Is it not a fearful 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 do not tremble before him Shall the beasts of the forrests be afraid of the Lyon more then the poor worms 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 business to awaken himselfe in his own particular person Consider that there are others that are awake that may bring you sorrow enough be you awakened to prevent those miseries Sathan is awake to tempt you Be sober and watchful saith Saint Peter for your adversary the devil goeth about seeking whom he may devoure Sathan is busie and watching to make you his prey watch you therefore that you enter not into tentation Your own Corruptions are alwayes awake The concupisence and depraved disposition of the soul it is awake still to further every evill motion to draw you aside by its tentations Therefore saith the Apostle I beseech you abstain as pilgrims and strangers from fleshly lusts that war against the soule Do as men in warre when they know that they have a waking enemy against them they will be sure to keep 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 be not found in a spiritual sleep that corruption prevail 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 be 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 evil 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 evil disease a spiritual lethargy That disease we know in the body it takes a man with sleep and so he dieth Oh how many are in this spiritual lethargy in this deep sleep of sin at this day the Lord awaken them It is the more dangerous because it is a sensless disease a disease that takes the senses from the soul and diseases we know that take away the senses are dangerous for it is not only a sign that nature is overcome by the disease but besides it draweth men from seeking for cure Thus it is with the spiritual lethargy it shews not only that sin hath prevailed in the heart that it hath overcome grace and thereupon you have yeelded unto it to your pride and covetousness and vanity as those that are subdued under a disease but it hindreth you from seeking the means 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 she sought not to Christ It is our condition we have knowledg enough therefore we care not for the Ordinances of God We have faith enough and therefore we 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 wickedness of the wicked saith in my heart So may I say the neglecting of the ordinances the carelesness of men in the use of the means of salvation saith in my heart that there is abundance of security that they are in a spiritual lethargy that leadeth to death As it is an evil disease so it causeth much evil It is that which driveth away the Spirit of God It is the counsel of the Apostle Grieve not the Spirit quench not the Spirit When we neglect the motions of the Spirit the Spirit withdraweth it self Doth not your own experience tell you this Consider a little what motions you have had how God by the checks of your consciences somtime by secret incitements as it were a spur upon your hearts hath moved you to duty and to leave your sins How have these moved you you have had purposes it may be to perform these duties to walk in the wayes
shall he no more As there shall be no more sorrow and pain so there shall be no more death and sin All tears shall be wiped from our eyes I will ransom them from the power of the grave and redeem them from death More then this This yet addeth to our comfort Christ will so destroy Death as be will not only subdue him for us but also reconcile him to us not only foil him as an Enemy but propitiate and make him our friend We have all our enemies subdued to us but some are so subdued that they are reconciled Death is one of them it is a reconciled as well as a subdued enemy Instead of bringing forth children for bondage it becometh a purchaser of our freedom it is so far from plucking us from Christ as rather it letteth us into Christ so far from being a loss as it bringeth gain so far from being a dammage that it is part of our Dowry therefore the Apostle reckoneth it as a prerogative as he saith that the world and life and Christ is ours so Death is ours Indeed if Death were not ours life were not ours for our only way to life now is by Death Such a friend is this Enemy become that it is a Bridge to pass to heaven the Chariot that we are took up to heaven in What we get of life toward life we lose in death but what we get in death toward life we never lose Now for the Application and conclusion of all Something I have to say by way of comfort and something by way of counsel First by way of comfort Against the fear of Death or against over-much sorrow for those that Death takes away It is true Death is an Enemy But to whom only to the wicked that are out of Christ to those that have no benefit at all by his Death and Resurrection and Ascension When Death cometh and findeth out these they may say as Ahab did to Eliah and more truly a great deal hast thou found me oh mine Enemy It is the worst Enemy they have in the world It is a cruel Sergeant that catcheth them by the throat and arresteth them for a debt that they are never able to pay It draggs them to the Jayl casteth them into the Dungeon to the chains of Darkness I have not a word of comfort to say to them They have no more comfort in Death then they have in Hell where though they shall lie in torments and pain they shall not have a drop of water to cool their tongue But to the saithful in Christ there is comfort upon comfort For though Death be an Enemy yet remember first it is a subdued Enemy Secondly a reconciled Enemy Thirdly and lastly an Enemy that one day shall not be at all It is a subdued Enemy that is one comfort The strength and sting of it is gone When a Bee hath lost his sting and is a Droan it can hurt no more So Death is a Droan to a Christian it hums and buzzeth it doth no hurt it cannot sting the sting is gone Against all those Enemies that I formerly told ye of that are attendants on Death here is comfort First it is true Death cometh with ill Harbingers it bringeth sicknesses and aches and pain but there is comfort against this For when God sendeth pain remember he promiseth to send patience too that he will put his hand under to help His left hand shall be under us and his right hand over us to catch us he hath promised comfort upon our sick beds to make our bed in our sickness We need not make such an Allegory as Ambrose doth this sweet flesh of ours the Bed of our soul it is under infirmities and weaknesses God helpeth us he makes our bed he saith to the sick of the Palsey Take up thy bed he turneth our bed in our sickness either he sends us health so some exponds it he turns the bed of sickness into a bed of health or God turneth our bed for us in our sickness that is he refresheth us giveth us ease when we lie upon our sick beds It is a Metaphor borrowed from those that attend sick persons that help to make their Beds easie and soft and turn them that they may lie at ease So God hath promised his children in the painfull time of sickness to make their Beds easie and soft to cause them to lie at ease by the Patience that he will give them Secondly it is true Death bringeth dissolution and dissolveth the frame of nature it separateth and divorceth those two loving companions the Soul and the Body But there is comfort in this For though it divorce the Soul and the Body yet it cannot destroy the soul and the body even the body is in the hand of god when it is rotting in the earth as the Soul is translated to heaven Again though they be separated yet it is but for a time one day they shall meet more joyful and glorious then ever before and after that they shall never be separated again Lastly though he separate the soul from the body and the body from the soul yet neither from Christ nor Christ from them Nay it is so far from separating that it helpeth to unite us to Christ as I said before the dssolution of those shall be the conjunction with him I desire to be dessolved and to be with Christ Thirdly it is true the horrour of the Grave attendeth Death and the putrifaction of this flesh of ours that must turn to corruptness it makes it terrible and fearful But there is comfort against this For after that time of putrifaction there shall be a time of restitution and though the worms devour this flesh of ours yet in thâ—… very flesh of ours we shall see God another day These eyes shall see him There is comfort in that that when God shall come to restore us with himself what the Grave hath cloathed with corruption he will cloath with glory these vile bodies he will make them like the glorious body of Christ without all corruption Fourthly it is true Death depriveth us of worldly friends of worldly imployments this makes it terrible Yet there is comfort against this Though we be deprived of worldly friends it carries us to heaven to better company to Angels to the spirits of just and perfect men to God the Judge of all to Jesus the Mediatour of the New Testament Nay besides one day he will restore again those very friends of which here we are deprived though we lose them for a time in heaven we shall meet again and there renew a perpetual league of society and love So though it deprive us of worldly benefits it cannot of heaven and those are better they are not pleasures of sin that last for a season but at the right hand of God that endure for ever So though it deprive us of worldly
in all causes and over all persons but over all causes too even Kings are subject to his regiment He bindeth Kings in chaines and Nobles in fetters of Iron Psal 149. The Kings of the earth saith Saint John and the rich and the great men and the great Captains and the mighty men they shall all hide themselves in the caves and rocks and mountains Revel 15. crying to the mountains and rocks to cover them from the face of the Judg and from the wrath of the Lamb because the day of desolation is come Nay God is not only over all the Kings of the earth but he is Potentate of heaven and hell too He hath a commanding power over all the Angels fear the Divels tremble when they come to stand before God In a word as Saint Paul saith all power is of God then of necessity followeth that God himself in his power is most absolute That is the second thing belonging to the office of a Judg as he must have knowledg to discerne so he must have power to execute Thirdly there must be Justice in the execution therefore the Grecians were wont to place justice between Libra and Leo to signifie indifferency in weighing causes and strictness in executing the sentence So the Egyptians signified as much by their Hierogliphical purtraicture of an Angel without hands wincking or without eyes such a one a Judg should be he should have no hands to receive bribes nor no eyes to respect persons the person of a Judg must not take the person of a friend A man must not personate a friend in justice but as Levi he must know neither father nor mother nor brother Justice amongst us is purtraicted holding a Ballance in one hand and a sword in another the Ballance sheweth the upright weighing of causes and the Sword sheweth the strictness of the execution of the sentence And if this Execution be wanting both the other are to no purpose It is to no purpose to know and to have power if their be not Justice But God is a true and just Judg Howsoever it be amongst the Judges of the earth yet unworthy is he of the place of a Judg and fitter to stand at the Barr then to sit on the Bench that suffereth himself to miscarry by friendship or love or bribes or sutes or favour or envie when either of these prevail they tie the tongues of men to plead for wrong causes Shall a Traytour presume on the Kings favour and Mordecai be out of the Kings grace But there shall be no such thing here God is the Judg of all the earth and shall not he do right Gen. 18. Doth God pervert judgment or doth the Almighty pervert Justice Job 8.3 When thou standest before the Judgment seat of God thou shalt neither be elevated with vain hopes nor dejected and cast down by sinister and wrong fears but assure thy self such as thy cause is such shall thy sentence be as Saint Bernard well a pure heart shall prevail more with God then a smooth word good consciences shall speed better then full purses for he is an upright and just Judg with whom no fair words nor friends shall prevail So I have done with the first thing The Judg. Secondly something of the Judgment and therein two things First that it shall be Secondly in what manner it shall be First that it shall be The text is plain God shall bring to Judgment There might many Texts besides this be alledged consonant and agreeable to this but it is superfluous Besides Texts of Scripture we have Types also to prefigure it and reasons also to prove and confirm it Two Types of the last Judgment our Saviour himself propoundeth Luk 17. One was the destruction upon Sodome the other the destruction that God brought upon the old world Look as Christ saith how it was with them of Sodome in the dayes of Lot they did eat they drank they bought they sold they planted they builded and look how it was with the men of the old world in the dayes of Noah eating and drinking and sporting and marrying until the very day that Noah entred into the Ark and the flood came and destroyed them all So it shall be at the last day when the Son of man shall come The Apostle Saint Peter speaking of the latter of these telleth us of mockers in those times that scoffed when they heard of the Judgment there hath been talk a great while of such things promised but when will it come Where is the promise of his coming There are scoffers in these dayes but such if there be any cannot but speak against their own consciences and knowledg they cannot be ignorant both of the Judgments that have been and shall be or if they be they are wilfully ignorant That God did once wash away the sins of the world with a Flood of water and that the time is coming that God will purge the sins of the world with a flood of fire the Rainbow in the clouds as it is a Monument of the one so it is a fore-runner of the other The two principal colours of the Rainbow are blew and red the blew and waterish colour of the Rainbow is an evidence of that Judgment that is past when God washed the sins of the world away by Water the fiery colour is a prediction of a Judgment that is to come when God shall purge the world by a Flood of fire But besides these Types there are divers reasons that may be given to assure us that we have reason to expect this day Those five Attributes of God afford five reasons to confirm it His Power his Wisdome his Truth his Justice his Mercy First his Power God will have it be thus for the manifestation of his Power A work of great power it will be indeed All must be brought before Gods judgment seate every one as the Text saith after It may seem strange peradventure incredible to here that all the men and women that ever lived in the world that so many multitudes and millions of thousands of all kindreds and nations should all be summoned to appear before one Judgement seat But as Saint Austin faith Consider who is the doer and then thou wilt not doubt It is true indeed with men such a thing as this is impossible but with God all things are possible Could God at the first draw all things out of nothing and cannot God as well bring together all again when they are turned to nothing Could he make that body of thine out of the dust of the earth and cannot he raise that body when it is turned to dust Could he unite that body to the soul in the time of the Creation and cannot he unite it at the time of the Resurrection Certainly there is nothing impossible too hard to the great and terrible voyce of God as Saint Chrysostome saith to that voyce of God that cleaveth the
avoids the corruptions that are in the world through lusts But this looking for the second coming of Christ This Argument John the Baptist used to press upon his hearers the Doctrin of repentance because the king dome of God was at hand This is that upon which Saint Peter groundeth his exhortatoin unto the people Acts 3.18 Repent saith he and be converted that your sins may be blotted out when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord Therefore repent and return unto God do away your sins because there will a time of refreshing come and you had need then to be found in another hue in another state then in your old rotten withered condition and sinful lusts This is the Argument that the Aposte used to the Athenians to bring them from Idolatry to serve the living God because God hath appointed a time to judg the world in righteousness by that man whom ho hath ordained Even for that reason because God hath appointed a time to judg the world in righteousness therefore they should turne from their Idols to serve the living God There is nothing that doth so unbottome the heart nothing so shakes and looseneth a mans hold of sin and unrighteousness as the consideration of Christs coming to Judgment What will it boot me will the soul reason to keep my sins when Christ will come to judg me for my sins What shall I get by going on in a course of sin when I can look for nothing then but a sentence of wrath to be denounced against me This then is that that doth settle a man in a holy conversation in that respect Nay fourthly this is that also which quickneth a man to the practise of all holy duties in his place both in his general and particular Calling It is the very argument which the Apostle Saint Peter useth to stir us up to holiness of conversation Seeing saith he that all these things shall be dissolved what manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation and godliness looking for the coming of the day of God wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved and the elements shall melt with fervent heat As if he should have said Look now about the whole world and see what it is that now can comfort you if you be such as go on in a course of sin It may be you will say I fear not much for I have many friends Yea but all these shall die It may be thou hast store of lands but all that shall be burnt with fire It may be thou hast many pleasures but then there shall be nothing but Judgment The coming of the Lord that shall then put an end to all these and turn the course of things the expectation thereof is a special means to take us off from a course of sin and put us on to a course of obedience to make us walk in another kind of fashion while we are in the world Therefore the Apostle Saint Paul when he would â—…ir up Timothy to the work of the Ministry what is the Argument that he useth I charge thee before Christ who shall judg the quick and the dead As if he should say there shall be an appearing before the Lord and therefore if thou wilt give thy account up with joy at that day I charge thee to look to thy Ministry So may I say to every man in his place I charge thee that art a Master of a Family look to the business of thy family to the salvation of the souls of thy people I charge thee that art a father or a mother to look to the salvation of the souls of thy children I charge thee that art a Christian to look to the salvation of thy own soul And how is the charge I charge thee before the Lord Jesus Christ who shall judg the quick and the dead Because there shall come a time when both thou and they shall be present before Christ at his appearing therefore if thou wilt have comfort in them and in thy self and in Christ be careful to do the duty that concerns thy place Looking for the coming of the Lord Jesus So then you see in this respect also there is nothing so forcible an Argument to settle a man in a holy conversation in a heavenly course as this for a man alwayes to look for the second coming of Christ Lastly there is nothing fixeth a man so constantly in a holy course as this Our conversation faith the Apostle is alwayes in heaven We alwayes walk on earth as those that aspire to heaven because we alwayes look for the coming of Christ Wert thou carefnl to serve God yesterday do it to day also it may be Christ may come now and take thee away by death to day and there is no preparation for judgment afterward Little children saith Saint John now abide in him that when he shall appear we may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming What is it that giveth a man boldness and takes away shame from him at the coming of Christ What is the reason that a man hath not that spirit of fear and trembling upon him that shall be upon the hearts of all those that go on in sin when they shall cry to the mountains to fall upon them but this that he hath continued in a holy conversation and constantly walked before the Lord with an upright heart I have finished my course saith the Apostle I have fought a good fight I have kept the faith hence-forth is layd up for me a crown of righteousness which Christ the righteous Judg shall give to me and to all them that love his appearing Still the servants of God have incouraged themselves to persevere in a holy course from the expectation of the coming of Christ that will give them a reward for their constancy in his service It is the Argument that the holy Ghost useth to the Church of Philadelphia Rev. 3.11 Hold fast that thou hast and let no man take thy crown As if he should say There is a time coming when Crowns shall be given but to whome to those that hold out that persevere in a godly course Be thou faithful to the death and thou shalt receive a crown of glory This is that I say that will make a man go on will make him that is good in youth be good in age also because whensoever he dieth he shall receive his Crown This will make a man that he shall not begin in the spirit and end in the flesh this will make him that having put his hand to the plough he will not look back because he no further looks for comfort in the appearance of Christ then he hath had care to walk on constantly in a good course Thus you see the point proved to you that a Christian soul hath a main benefit by his looking for the second coming of Christ
in this out of these cases to have such a taste of God such a relish of the joyes of heaven such a longing after the presence of Christ as not to be ready but to be willing not to be prepared for the stroak of death but to be desirous of it to esteem of death as the funeral of sin the interring of vice the period of miseries the Charter of freedome the Pattent of exemption from evil of sin from evil of punishment the day of our birth the season of harvest the seal of our victory the heaven of our happiness our introduction into heaven our inauguration into a kingdome the Chariot of our triumph the day of our return to our proper house to our Parents to our best friends This is the affection which is required in us at which we ought to aim Let this house of clay be resolved into the principles of the same what wonder if that which is built be thrown down and that which is compounded be resolved and that which was borrowed of the Elements be repayed again and that which was taken from the earth be committed to the custody of the earth Nay let me triumph in the resolution of this peece of clay into the exilest atome and admire the counsel of God that this Carkass is crumbled into the smallest dust and sifted into the coursest bran even to dust and ashes were not this body resolved into dust who would beleeve his original to be from the earth what pride what elevation would follow what carking and caring for this earthly Tabernacle if now when we see it to be but a spawn of worms and the food of Emmits there is such immoderate excess what would there be if the body were exempted from putrifaction what desolations would follow in Cities in Towns how many would dwell in monuments with those whom they have honoured or affected in their lives if many now be so impotent that though the body be putrified they cannot forbear imbracing of it and to solace themselves make Pictures of their dead friends and dote upon these what would they not do if their bodies were immortal What neglect would there be of the soul the better part of a man who would know the vertue of it that it is not only salt to the body to keep it sweet but the life the beauty the comliness of the body Who would beleeve the consummation the period of the world if our bodies were immortal who would mind heavenly things who seek those things that are above what deifying of the body would follow what Idolatries what superstitions what Temples built what Alters erected what variety of Ceremonies instituted to the body All which God hath pluckt up by the roots by this putrifaction and incinneration of our bodies by this teaching us to contemn earthly things to have our cogitations on heaven to think upon this scale to ascend up to this Mount to aspire to this intention which that we may let me add fuel to the fire and oyle unto the flame the expression of this aflection to the intention of it earnest groaning to eager desiring In this we groan earnestly That is for this we sigh out not our breath but our spirits we groan out not fuliginous vapours but our very hearts we weep not tears but bloud for this we immolate the sufferings of our bodies and macerate them with watchings and fastings we roul them in dust and ashes we exercise them in all humiliation and repentance And this is to groan earnestly in my Text. This is the negotiation of the outward man whereby it treads for heaven this is the conversation of a piece of clay into a pile of frankincence this adds wings unto our Prayers this openeth the ears of God this dissipateth the clouds of his countenance this inclineth him to clemency towards us this maketh the Widdow continent and the Virgin unspotted this lifts up the voluntary Eunuch to the kingdome of heaven this perfects the grace that is in the soul this washeth away the stains and contaminations that are in the soul this is the beauty and comeliness of a Christian How lovely were the Ninivites how glorious was the King in sackcloth sitting in his throne of dust and ashes what were his Robes of Majesty and Royalty to these ornaments they might dazle the eyes of the body for a time these dazle the eyes of the mind even at this day after so many hundred years they might procure him honour with men these made him honoured by God himself Let corporal eyes look upon an abject and mean appearance of a King in these weeds yet do not spiritual eyes see through these garments Humility Patience submission fear of God and the like and are there any Jewels like unto these what are those garments which are the labour of a worm to these robes that are the works of Gods Spirit What is a chain of Pearl to a chain of warm and successive tears beaten out of the rocks of a broken and contrite heart they may adorn the body this adorns the soul and which is more binds the hands of God himself Let whose will admire the victories and triumphs of David over the enemies of Israel which are indeed worthy of admiration I admire him in his watchings and fastings and sackcloth by them he overcame flesh and bloud by these he overcame God by them he overcame men by these he made conquest of himself by them he enlarged the territories of Israel by these he enlarged the bounds of heaven by them he made Hadadezer fly by these he made the Angel put up his sword and God to reverse his sentence by them he did remove temporal evils by these he did procure everlasting good unto himself and others This is that humiliation which this sacred time requires not abstinence only from meats which pamper this carkess this is not the body of this fast but a vehement intention of religious duties above other times he that prayed twice a-day before let him now do it seven times he that fasted but once in the week let him now do it three times or ostner as his body will permit him though it be to the sickness of the body it is an happy sickness of the body which is the sanctity of the soul he that gave Almes a little let him now double or treble his liberality he that did delight before in recreations let him devote that time to prayer to humiliation do not our sins require this our own sins the sins of others if not our own miseries for which we bless God yet do not the miseries of other Nations the Churches of God require this Do we not now beat our breasts and hang down our heads and rend our hearts and punish our selves for our sins that God may not punish them Did not our sins call upon us for this duty yet is not the sight of God the presence of our Saviour the joyes of Heaven the
not so to be accounted slack but saith the Apostle He is patient toward us and would have none perish but come to repentance Then the slackness of Christs coming is his patience because he would give us time to repent and have us prepared before he come O! then beloved let us not make a mock as others do of this patience but while we have time let us take time that when he comes we may be worthy of him Thus you have the first heresie confuted The second was quite contrary to this set abroach by certain false teachers who taught the Thessalonians that the day of Judgement was so neer that it should happen in their age Where by the way you may take notice of the exceeding great subtilty of the Divel that labours by all means possible to bring men to one of these extreams Either that the day of Judgement shall never come or it shall come in such a limited time and age And indeed it is ranked among the opinions of some that held that the day of Judgement should be just 6000 years after the Creation 2000. before the Law 2000. under the Law and 2000. under the Gospel But Saint Paul answers these false teachers among the Thessalonians and all of the like opinion therefore to arm them against their assaults he bids them for a certainty beleeve it 2 Thessal 2. that the day of judgement was not at hand And he gives the reason vers 3. For saith he that day shall not come except there he a departing first and that man of sin the son of perdititon be revealed But how is it that the Apostle tells the Thessalonians that the day of Judgement was not at hand seeing it is plain in the places before recited that the end of the world was at hand and that now was the last times and Heb. 9.26 Christ appeared in the end of the world It was in the end of the world that Christ appeared to sacrifice himself for our sins how is it then that he tells the Thessalonians here that the day of the Lord is not at hand Master Calvin saith the answer is easie for saith he in respect of God it was at hand but as for us we must be continually waiting for it But Master Beza and Rollock give another Exposition which I take to be more natural to the place for say they in all those places where it seems to be avouched that the day of the Lord is at band they understand the word in the Original to signifie generally a time drawing neer As to say the day of judgement may be this day as well as to morrow and to morrow as well as this day and many dayes hence as well as now But in that place where he saith it is not at hand they understand the word precisely to be meant of a precise time so the Apostle speaks truly the day of judgement is not at hand so as that any man can say it shall be this hour or this day or this month or this year or this age This is no more but the doctrine of Christ Of that day and hour no man knoweth no not the Angels in heaven no not Christ himself as man but the Father only So you see it is plain and evident that the day of Judgement is at hand but in what precise limits of time or age it shall happen it is uncertain Our Saviour Christ tells his Apostles Act. 1.7 It is not for you to know the times and seasons that the Father hath put into his own hands It is not for you to know these times Then beloved why should we have an ear to hear where God hath not a tongue to speak Let it suffice us to know that it is at hand which if we make good use of it will make us wary and watchful and Vigilant over all our wayes that we say not with the evil servant Our Master defers his coming let us eat and drink and beat our fellow servants but betake our selves to the good servants duty to watch Watch we therefore we know not the day and hour when the Son of man cometh But when he cometh and finds us doing well dealing faithfully and living holily happy nay thrice happy shall we be we shall be sure to partake of the blessing of those upon mount Gerrazim we need not fear the curse of those upon Mount Ebal We need not be afraid of the Thundering and lightning on Sinai nor the fire and tempest nor smoak of the furnace nor of the sound of the Trumpet for all our joy shall be in Sion But when he comes if he find us living wickedly dealing unfaithfully cursed nay thrice cursed we be we are sure to partake of mourning for joy of ashes for beauty of a rent for a girdle whatsoever becomes of our garments assuredly our hearts shall be rent in sunder Watch we therefore we know not the day and hour when the Son of man will come In the second place that the children of God may be armed and prepared for his coming he hath set down in his Word certain signs which being effected and come to pass they may easily judge that then the day of redemption draweth nigh Now these signs are of three sorts Some are in respect of us a long time before he comes to judgement A second sort are imediately before his coming The third in his coming The signs that prognosticate his coming long before are these First of all the preaching of the Gospel to the whole world which is set down by Christ Mat. 24.14 The Gospel of the kingdome shall be preached to the whole world for a testimony to all Nations then shall the end be Which words of our Saviour Christ we are not so to understand as that the Gospel should be preached to the whole world at any one time for that never was nor I think never will be but if we so understand it that the Gospel shall be preached to all Nations successively and at several times then if we consider the times since the Apostles we shall find that the sound of the Gospel hath gone out to all the Nations of the world as it was spoken by the Prophet so that this first sign is already past the end cannot be far The second sign is the revealing of Antichrift saith the Apostle 2. Thessal 2.3 That day shall not come except there be a departing and that man of sin the son of perdition which is Antichrist be revealed Concerning this sign in the year of our Lord 602. after Christ S. Gregory seemeth to avouch that whosoever taketh the name of universal Bishop and Pastor of the Church that was Antichrist Five years after Boniface succeeding him by Phocas the Emperour had the title of Universal Bishop of the Church and ever since all their successours have taken that name so that it is evident that at Rome hath been and now
is the Antichrist so that the second sign being fulfilled the end cannot be far The third is the general departure of the most from the Faith There hath been a general departure in former times when Arrius spread his heresies almost all the whole world became an Arian and for the space of 500 years together from the time of Boniface the world was so infected with Popish heresies that the faith of Christ could scarsely be discerned they were as a handful of wheat to a great deal of chaff so that this sign it is already fulfilled in part but there shall alway be a falling away and a departing from the faith till Christ come to judgement The fourth sign stands in exceeding great corruption in the manners of men And the Apostle makes this a sign of Christs last coming to judgement 2 Tim. 3. This know that in the last dayes perrillous times shall come men shall be lovers of themselves covetous boasters proud blasphemers disobedient to parents unholy without natural affection truce-breakers false accusers incontinent fierce dispisers of those that are good traitours heady high-minded lovers of pleasures more then lovers of God The Apostle makes this a sign and mark that shall be in the last dayes Beloved if ever this were fulfilled in these dayes of ours for there is a general corruption in the manners of men It is very hard to find those that in all truth and sincerity labour to discharge a good conscience towards God and men And Christ hath said himself that when he comes to judgement he shall scarse find faith on earth such a general corruption there shall be in the manners of men so that this fourth sign being already past the end cannot be far The fifth sign is exceeding great persecution and affliction of the Church and the Saints of God This hath been fulfilled in former times You know there were ten fearful persecutions in the Primitive Church And so it is fulfilled even in these dayes of ours for the Whore of Babylon that spotted beast she laboureth to make her self drunk with the bloud of Gods Saints There are but few years nay months or weeks wherein some of the bloud of Gods Saints is not sacrificed to appease the wrath of the Persecutors Then if in these dayes this sign be fulfilled the end cannot be far The sixt is a general security so that men will not be moved neither with the preaching of the word of God nor yet with judgements from heaven they have such exceeding dulness and deadness of heart that neither of these will move them For the former you know God hath sent many judgements amongst us we have had fire and famin and pestilence and invasion of forrein enemies inundation of waters thunder and lightning from heaven but all these will not work upon our hearts The Lord he hath scourged us oft but yet we set light by his corrections we harden our hearts against all his judgements our hearts will not be softned and mollified what effect hath all these wrought where is our humiliation our repentance and reformation And for the preaching of the word of God alas that can get no entrance at all mens hearts are so crusty and so hardned that the seed of Gods word it lies uncovered it takes no root at all in the heart it works no reformation at all so that if ever this sign were fulfilled it is in these dayes It shall be saith Christ speaking of the general security that shall be when he comes to judgement as in the dayes of Noah and of Lot they were eating and drinking and marrying and giving in marriage till the fire came from heaven and burned them and the water over-flowled the world so that this sixt sign being past the end cannot be far The seventh and last sign of Christs coming to judgement is the calling of the Jewes which the Apostle Rom. 11.25 calls the fulfilling of the Gentiles When God hath the number of his Elect among the Gentiles then the Jewes shall be called again but of the time and the manner and number the word of God doth not reveal it so that it is likely this sign is yet to come all the rest are fulfiled and therefore the end cannot be far The second sort of signs are such as are immediately before Christs coming to Judgement and that is the darkness of the Sun Moon and Stars The Sun shall be darkned the Moon shall lose her light the Stâ—…rs shall fall from heaven the very powers of heaven shall be shaken the foundations of the heavens shall tremble Alas what shall the little shrubs in the Wilderness do when the tall Cedars of heaven shall be shaken what shall poor sinful man do when the Angels shall be afraid The last sign shall be in Christs coming to Judgement Mat. 24.29 it is called the sign of the Son of man Then shall appear the sign of the Son of man and then all the tribes of the earth shall mourn What this sign of the Son of man is Divines do vary Some hold it is the sign of the Cross which all eyes shall behold even they that pierced him as John saith Revel 1. Some others which I rather assent unto take it to be the glorious beams of Christs Majesty immediately before his personal appearance to enlighten the world being darkned by reason of the want of the light of the Sun and Moon So you see what these signs shall be The signs that prognosticate Christs coming Those that shall be fulfilled long before they are all effected but one as you heard Therefore it stands us all upon as wise Virgins to prepare oyl in our lamps that when our Bride-groom Christ shall come we may be ready to enter into eternal joy So we come from the signs that prognosticate the judgement to the judgement it self Concerning the judgement it self You must know that after death there are two judgements There is a particular and there is a general Judgement The particular Judgement is immediately as soon as ever the breath is gone out of the body As soon as ever the soul is gone out of the body it is conducted by the Angels before the Tribunal seat of God and there receives the particular sentence either of joy or torment according as it lived in the body in this life We need not speak of this we have example for the proof of it in Scripture of Dives and Lazarus the one whereof being dead was presently carried to joy the other presently to torment The other is a general judgement so called because it shall be of all men in general that ever lived and breathed upon the face of the earth men women and children all shall be presented before the Tribunal seat of Christ all must hold up their hands at the Bar of his judgement all must give an account of all their words thoughts and actions all must
godly which is a great incouragement and comfortable to the servants of God I will only speak in general The Prophets when they spake of the Kingdome of Christ they set it out by good things there is no need of their good things Nation shall not rise against Nation they shall break their spears into mattocks The wolf shall dwel with the lambe and the Leopard with the Kid They shall eat of the tree of life and the hidden Manna there They shall be made pillars in the Temple of God There they shall be cloathed with long white robes Which places take us by the hand and bring us to some conceit of those joyes How then doth it stand every one upon now while we have time to labour to have intrest in those joyes Thrice happy is that man or woman that comes to enjoy those joyes It is spoken of Christ that he the joyes of heaven being set before him he sustained the cross Saint Paul accounted all but dung that he might win Christ and come to those joyes And Ignatius faith that breaking of bones fire and gallows quartering of limbs come what will so I may come to those joyes I would we had all the like zeal after those joyes Our coldness in seeking those joyes come from a base esteem of them for if we did esteem them we would labour exceedingly after them Many things for use might be inferred hence As first here is comfort and incouragement to all the Saints of God the servants of Christ that take pains to live a godly life However here they indure afflictions and mockings and reproaches and scoffs of the world yet Christ hath a great reward for them Let them rejoyce great shall their reward be Give me a man then that hath buckled with the sins of the times that hath studied the advancement of Religion give me such a one as hath incouraged those that are feeble that hath provided for the Lords Prophets that hath reformed the abuses of the Lords day as Nehemiah what will inflame his zeal more then this that Christ his Saviour sees it and regards it and will reward him And lest he should faint before the reward come he saith he will come shortly This comforted Elias in the Wilderness and Jeremiah in the Dungeon and Job on the Dunghil so that they were more then conquerours through Christ Secondly is it so that Christ shall come to Judgement and hath his reward with him here is terrour to all the wicked workers of iniquity Behold faith Malachie Mal. 4.1 The day of the Lord cometh it shall burn as an oven and all the wicked and ungodly of the earth shall be as stubble and straw and fuel for the furnace of Gods wrath What a woful and heavy day will this be to all the wicked and ungodly Me-thinks they might conceive the terrour and they shall cry out at the last day when he shall come to reward them is not this he whose lawes we have contemned whose sides we have pierced whom we have nayled to the Cross whose Ministers we have reviled whose servants we have reproached And this shall strike great terrour to the hearts of all wicked men when Christ shall pronounce against them Go ye cursed Whither to the divel and his place of torments Then they shall cry to the mountains to fall on them Oh that some wild beast would follow them and tear them in peeces but it will be too late their part and portion is in that Lake that burns with fire and brimstone Lastly this would stir every one up to fit himself to prepare for this Judgement And let us continually therefore lift up our hearts to heaven and as the Apostle speaks wait for the appearing of Christ to Judgement Then all tears shall be wiped from our eyes there shall be no more sorrow and mourning there we shall fit with the Saints and sing with the Angels Halelujah halelujah all praise and honour and glory and might and dominion and majesty be to him that is upon the throne the Lamb Christ Jesus for evermore THE SAINTS LONGING FOR THE GREAT EPIPHANY SERMON XXIV TITUS 2.13 Looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ THe former Verses you may remember I chose to speak of upon another occasion I shewed you how the grace of God that brought salvation to all men appeared Secondly how it teacheth those men to whom it brings salvation Every man would be glad to be saved by grace but they love not that grace should teach them now grace saveth none but whom it teacheth it first teacheth them and then saveth them Now it teacheth us as the Apostle faith three lessons First Quid vitandum what we are to shun ungodliness and worldly lusts Then Secondly it teacheth us Quid faciendum what we are to do to live soberly and justly and piously in this present world Soberly toward our selves righteously toward our Neighbour and piously towards God this is the second Lesson Then it teacheth us a third lesson quid expectandum what we must look for looking faith the Text for the blessed hope the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ The two first points I handled then And I told you I would reserve the third point till it pleased God to give me a fit occasion It hath pleased God to give me a fit one but a very sad accasion It is the Lord let him do what seemeth good in his eyes I will go over the words in particular and observe something out of them And then out of altogether I will raise this Doctrine that A child of God must live so soberly so justly so godly in this present world as becometh a man that looks for a more blessed hope at the great day at the appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ I begin with the first The first word is Looking and it hath in it these four things First earnestness a Saint of God must look and look earnestly The Apostle when he sets down the looking of the creatures for the creatures look too together with us to be freed from the bondage of corruption in the glorious liberty of the Sons fo God when he speaks of the looking of the creature he useth a strange word which signisieth a putting out of the head looking to see what it can espie a great way off to see if there be any sign of his coming Rom. 8.19 And he tells us that the creature doth not only put out the head and look but waits and groans and sighs and travelleth as a woman in pain and quoth the Apostle not only the creatures do thus but we that have the first fruits of the spirit Nay if the creature put out the head and groan and wait and is in pain till that day come how much more should we that have the first fruits of
man that gives a thing upon merit he gives it not freely I answer it is free in respect of us whatsoever Christ hath done we did not merit it If it be replyed Christs merits are made ours and we merit in him and so it cannot be free I answer this reason were of force if we our selves could procure the merits of Christ for us but that we could not do but that also was of free gift Ioh. 3. God so loved the world that he gave his onely begotten Son that he that beleeves in him should not perish he gave him freely of free gift so that though eternal life be due to us by the merits of Christ yet it is the free gift of God I will stand no longer in proving the truth of the Doctrine I come to the application and use to conclude with the time First it serves to confute our adversaries of the Church of Rome in the point of merit They look for heaven and eternal life as wages we see the Apostle teacheth us otherwise that eternal life is not given in that manner but another manner of way It is not given as wages it is the free gift of God And in Rom. 8. he saith that the sufferings of this life is not worthy of the glory that shall be revealed all our sufferings all our works they are not worthy of the glory of God we connot properly merit them This was the constant Doctrine of the primitive Church that a good life when we are justified and an eternal life when we are glorified they all grant that all that is good in us is the gift of God that eternal life is not a retribution to our works but the free gift of God When God crowns our merits he crowns nothing else but his own free gift these and many other sentences we find among the ancient Fathers plainly convincing our adversaries that in this point they swerve not only from Scripture but from all sound antiquity Secondly then to come to our selves this should humble us in respect of our own deservings do all the good thou canst take heed it do not puff thee up think not to merit heaven alas thou canst not do it for what is it to the Almighty as it is said in Job that thou art righteous Thy well doing extends not to him thou canst do him no good therefore thou canst look for nothing at his hands since thou canst do him no good but all that thou dost in his service it is not for his but for thy good yet he commands thee and thou art bound to do it but all thou canst do is no more then thou art bound to do Therefore when thou hast done all that thou canst acknowledge thy self to bean unprofitable servant and thou hast done no more then thy duty If thou hast many good works yet thou hast more sin and the least sin of thine in the rigour of justice will deprive thee of thy interest in God Therefore thy appeal must be to the throne of grace and thy only plea must be that of the Publican every one of us God be merciful to me a sinner when we have done all we can it must be mercy and not any merit of ours that must bring us to heaven Thirdly here is comfort for the children of God in that this inestimable treasure of eternal life is not committed to our keeping but God hath it in his keeping It is his gist it is not committed to the rotten box of our merits then we could have no certainty of it the devil would easily pick the Lock yea without picking he would shake in pieces the crazy joynts of the best work we do he would steal it from us and take it away and deprive us of this excellent benefit but the Lord hath dealt better for us he hath kept it in his own hands he hath laid it up in the Cabinet of his own mercy and love that never fails for with everlasting mercy he hath compassion on us Isa 54. he loves us with an everlasting love It is his mercy that we are not consumed because his compassions fail not and whom he loves he loves to the end It is laid up in the mercy of God he will have it his gift lest we should keep it and it should be lost he hath reserved it in his own hands Therefore in temptations when they drive us to doubt of our attaining of eternal life let us cast our eye upon the keeper of it it is the Lord he is wary to discern and faithful to bestow it therefore let us comfort our selves and say every one of us as Saint Paul 2 Tim. 1.12 I know whom I have trusted and I am perswaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him against that day Lastly seeing eternal life is the free gift of God it must make us thankful to him for it which we should never do if we deserved it doth a master thank his servant for doing his duty So if we did think heaven were our due we should never be thankful for it Pride is a great enemy to thankfulness therefore the way is to humble our selves and to consider that we deserve no good thing at Gods hands then we will take this great benefit at Gods hands most thankfully Especially when we consider it is all that God requires of us as he saith Psal 50. Call upon me in the day of trouble I will hear thee and deliver thee and what shalt thou do Thou shalt glorifie me Glorifying God and being thankful to him is all the tribute we are to pay to this our royal Lord and shall we deny him this It is a small benefit that is not worth thanks We set eternal life at too low a rate if we forget to be thankful There was never a precious Jewel afforded so cheap as eternal life for our thankfulness If we did know what it were to want it we would give ten thousand worlds rather then be without it Therefore as Naamans servants said to him concerning his washing in Jordan if the Prophet had commanded thee a greater thing wouldest thou not have done it So if God had commanded us a great matter for eternal life we should have done it how much more when he saith take it and be thankful be but thankful Thus I have described to you this twofold service the wages of sin that is death temporal eternal The service of righteousness the wages and reward of that eternal life which is not wages but the gift of God So that I may now say to you as Moses did to Israel Deut. 30.19 Behold I have set before you life and death cursing and blessing Therefore choose not cursing chuse not sin nor the wages thereof it is death but choose life that you and your seed may live If we follow sin the wages will be death if we apply our selves to righteousness in the
we must part and in this respect a man who wants a lively faith may acquit himself in a tryal when he sees that floods of tears will not help him specially when he sees it is past recovery he resigns up a comfort when he can keep it no longer he will part with a blessing when he cannot avoid it But then there is a pious acquitting of our selves when God calls for a comfort back the hand of Faith presents the comfor to God again when God calls for Isaac Abraham presently resigns up his beloved Son again upon this ground God is the Lord who gave him and now the Lord calls for him back again I and the Lord shall have him thus Faith acquits the soul in great tryals and joyns with God against all our own contentments to set down with much patience in great losses to submit to Gods call and Gods appointment Now the reasons why Faith can acquit a man in great tryals may be these First Faith can exalt Gods will above all and submit our wills to Gods will remember this God is the Author of mercy when he will he gives us and when he pleaseth he takes it away again It is well to have abundance saith nature and sence we cannot be without it no saith Faith I will yeeld to Gods will it is good to enjoy this saith Sence it is better to part with it saith Faith when God calls for it Secondly Faith can give God the glory of all outward comforts this is a great occasion of stilling our souls to find out the right owner of our comforts if a man did once discern that by faith that God is the Author of all comfort and that all mercies come from God this would make us submit in the day of tryal this is certain God is the God of our bodies and of our souls and of our comforts who hath more right to a possession then the owner all our comforts are but Gods servants God is the great Land-Lord of heaven and earth the God of all our possessions what if he be pleased to gather a flower we are but tenants at will and whatsoever our outward estate is Faith over-looks all and submits all to God and receives it by Gods permission and doth as it were hear the Lord say I must do what I will with mine own Faith makes a man say nothing is mine own my Child is not mine own my Wife is not mine own it is Gods possession when God calls for it Faith resigns it up as Gods due faith renders unto God the things that are Gods Thirdly Faith can make the soul acquit it self in great tryals because faith finds no loss by obediencial submission for all our unwillingness to resign up and to part with any comfort it doth arise from infidelity or from the stubbornness that is in a person when a man haves and holds his comfort contrary to Gods will or else it doth arise from a conceit that some dammage will redound to our selves â—…parting with such a blessing but faith sees safety enough to yeeld up all into Gods hands who is the Father of mercy and God of all consolation Thus we see Abraham being put to it about his only son he gives up his child his Isaac and God bestows Isaac upon Abraham again nay a further degree of blessing confirmed with an oath In blessing I will bless thee and in multiplying I will multiply thee and will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven This is ever true faith makes a man give back a blessing with this conclusion either God will continue the comfort to a person or else he will give him more or a better for it Fourthly a fourth reason why Faith can make a man acquit himself in great tryals because Faith can find all losses made up in God alone Faith can find God as a most ample and universal good Faith doth look upon God as a particular good and such a good that answers all again that abundantly makes up all losses There be many broken peeces of comfort that must concur to make up our outward good for our good here below is a compounded good the Wise is a part that makes up our good below and our children are a part that makes up our good below and our health and our riches and our friends many of these concur together to make up our good here below is a compounded good the Wife is a part that makes up our good below and our children are a part that makes up our good below and our health and our riches and our friends many of these concur together to make up our good below but God is all this in himself and much more whatsoever good whatsoever comforts are in a Child a Wife a Husband or in friends in riches in health all that is in God and much more to faith what is that thou seest in a Husband or in a Wife or in a Child that thou mayest not see in God What is that thou findest in a friend that thou mayest not find in God and what is there in riches that thou mayest not have much more in God the Husband can do thee no good without God who can do thee so much good as God the Husband can comfort thee who can comfort thee so much as God a friend may counsel thee and direct thee but he cannot deliver thee Faith sees more in God than in riches more in God then in all outward blessings bring all the outward comforts together they cannot make up a Christians comfort Faith is never satisfied with these things it is not a Child alone nor a Husband alone nor a Wife alone nor a friend alone that makes up a Christians comfort but God alone can do it whatsoever is in any outward comfort Faith find it much more in God God and his favour God and his gracious countenance these make up a Christians comfort this alone supports the Christian and in the want of all things Faith can comfort it self in the favour of God in the loss of all things Faith can find all again in the favour of God This is a fourth reason why Faith makes a man acquit himself in great Tryals A fifth reason why Faith makes a man acquit himself in great troubles because Faith knows upon what terms we possess all these outward comforts upon what small grounds we possess them upon moveable and changeable titles Faith looks upon all these things as upon things that he must part from we have here no abiding City our place and being here is but for a short time and remember this God never bestowed any comfort upon thee and me with an assurance of an immortal possession all the assurance that he hath given thee is nothing all the creature is but vanity it is of a shifting nature and therefore it is said of riches that they do take to themselves wings they skip away honour is soon
he putteth in this Male and Female and of these he saith All are one in Christ no difference for the Female at first were made after the same Image that the Male were He made them Male and Female in his own Image Gen. 1.27 Both sorts have the same Saviour and are redeemed by the same price A Woman said My soul rejoyceth in God my Saviour Luke 1.47 they are both sanctified by the same Spirit the Apostle saith that when an unbelieving Husband is knit to a believing Wife The Husband is sanctisied by the wise as well as in the other case the Wife is sanctified by the Husband And this my brethren giveth a check to the undue the unjust consure that many do give to this weaker vessel that this Sex is as it were the imperfection of nature and I know not what I will not stand upon it as most unworthy the confutation But for the Sex it self it is a particular consolation against that matter of griese which it might conceive through Eves first sin not only in sinning her self but in taking Satans part to tempt her Husband whereupon followed subjection to the Man and likewise pain in travel and bringing forth of children But notwithstanding saith the Apostle of that Sex they shall be saved if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety So that you see they have a right too And the truth is that God hath graciously dealt with them in making them the means of bringing forth the principal ground of this right of the one and of the other which is the Lord of life the Saviour of the world who was born of a Woman Now this Sex is to comfort themselves in this that notwithstanding there be some differences in outward condition yet they are made partakers of the greatest and best priviledge alike joynt heirs of the grace of God I find but two things that in Scripture are exempted from that Sex two priviledges one to have jurisdiction over the Husband another publickly to teach in the Church of God But yet notwithstanding mark a kind of recompence made for this The former is but particular between Husband and Wife but in lieu therefore a Woman may reign over many men yea over Nations Queens shall be thy nursing mothers saith the Prophet Isaiah to the Church And for the latter to recompence that they may be and have been endued with the gift of prophesie so that we see how God doth every manner of way incourage them One word more concerning men and so I will conclude this point Namely admonition to them answerably to respect the other Sex as those that are Co-heirs with them and therefore while they live according to their places according to their gifts according to the bond of relation that is between them to respect them and to shew the same when they are dead by a decent comely Funeral and maintaining their credit and giving of them their due praises Thus much for the Text. And now my brethren give me leave I beseech you to step a little further and to speak a word concerning this object before me Howsoever I am not over-forward at any time to speak much on such occasions yet at this time I suppose I should do much wrong to the party in concealing those things that are meet to be made known to the honour of that God who bestowed those excellent endowments upon her and also injury to those that knew her I do not fear to be accounted a flatterer by any that hear me and if any else shall imagine any such thing it may it must needs be their envy in that they censure what they know not My fear is lest those that did know her should think that wrong is done to her by that little that shall be spoken for enough cannot be spoken of her You see here a black Herse before you a body in it deprived of life and within these few dayes animated by a divine soul now as we have just cause to believe glorified in heaven The body of Mistris I. R. in regard of Marriage being the Daughter of Master I. B. a Gentleman in C. It seemed that as God endowed her with excellent parts every way so she had good education She was married to Master I. R. a grave prudent man that lived in the fore-named place who had been twice Major there and long continued Alderman still relyed upon when any matter of employment was to be performed and therefore oft chosen to be a Burgess of the Parliament out of that Corporation In the beginning of her marriage she attending to the Word as Lydia did God was pleased to open her heart and that specially under the Ministry of a reverend Pastour now some years with God faithful painful powerful in his place while he lived who yet liveth in the many works he published in his life-time I say by his Ministry being wrought upon she wonderfully improved the grace that was so wrought in her and used all means for the growth thereof by continual applying her self to the publick ministry of the Word conscionably on the Lords day frequently also on other dayes both in that City and in this also whither she came often times upon sundry imployments both while her Husband lived and likewise since she hath been a Widdow which hath been about the space of five years Now I say as she did thus help on the growth of grace by this publick means so also by private diligently reading the Word not contenting her self with a coursory reading it over by task as some do but she had a Paper-book by her and in reading would note down particular points note specially duties that belonged to such and such persons to Magistrates to Ministers to Husbands to Wives to Masters to Servants General duties that belonged to Christians as they were Christians and that in such a manner as if so be they had been the Common places of some young Divine And here by the way let me tell you what my self have seen of an Alderman of this City some while dead who left behind him Volumes of books written with his own hand his manner was first he would read and after that he would walk up and down and meditate upon what he read and write down the sum and particulars of it as he conceived by which means he made himself excellently skilful as in Divine so in humane learning Thus did this grave Matron hereby she came to much knowledge she gathered also many signs whereby she had evidence of the truth of grace and there yet remain divers such heads noted by her with her own hand signs of grace signs of the truth of it of the growth of it of the effects of it means to grow in grace c. An excellent course Thus she shewed piety in reading of the word of God the like she did in prayer hearing others perform that duty in her Family but
know all the house sets against him and never rest till they cast him out and if they want strength they cry for help but the Master of the house comes in and then all the servants are in their places to do him service all take care to please him and give him content How entertain you the motions of sin look upon your former wayes upon your former customes and vanities look upon your wonted course of ill and consider now whether there be an endeavour to satisfie the sinful inclination of your hearts or is there a striving and using all means 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 sin purged out Is this the matter of your prayer to God do you cry to Heaven for help to get out this theif that is stollen into your hearts this traytor that conspires against the glory of God this rebel that maintains a fight against the kingdom of Christ do you so look on it It is a sign you are dead to sin or else sin is alive in you and you are dead in sin Thirdly and lastly consider your actions consider your conversation doth sin get strength or is it weakened For know that this is not the mortification of sin that a man be never troubled with it more that he never hear more of it that he be never more troubled with the motions of sin no As a man that hath a deadly wound given him it may be he 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 sin think not when sin is dead by vertue of our union with Christ that we shall not be tempted any more to sin that you shall not have sin any more in you no it will be in you and molest you But what fruit do you bring forth What actions do you what strength hath sin all the strife it hath is but to disquiet and disturb you not to rule and command you as it was wont to do It is a sign that sin is dead naturally by way of incoation it will die in the end you shall hear no more of it at the last and though it a great while disturb you and disquiet you yet this is your comfort you are disturbed and you maintaine Gods quarrel against your corruptions and fight against it it is a sign it hath a deadly blow Therefore let every one consider his estare let no man deny himself his own portion let him that is dead in sin know that he is dead and the wretchedness of that condition eternal death begins in that death And let him that is dead to sin know that he 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 we are dead to sin Then as you hope for any comfort or priviledge or advantage by Christ labour to make this good to your souls and labour to secure this evidence more and more that you are dead to sin There are none that hears me this day but they profess they hope to be saved by Christ and they look for no other name under Heaven to be saved by but the name of Jesus It is certain but who will Christ save they are such as whom he sanctisies and will he sanctisie such as by union with him are dead to sin and alive to God Then I beseech you make this good to your selves strive more and more to kill sin take this as a quickning argument that you are in Christ and therefore you must be conformable to Christ Saith the Apostle He bore our sins in his body on the Tree 1 Pet. 2.24 that we might be dead to sin and live to righteousness Why did Christ bear your sins in his body upon the Tree but for this very end that as he died for sin you might die to sin Now that we may perswade you know that it is upon special ground you lose nothing but get much by it the more you die to sin the less you lose by it First you shall not lose any thing that is comfortable and good you shall not lose life by it nay indeed the more you sin the more you die every sin is deadly and mortal every sin tends to your destruction to the taking away of life this is certain Therefore look as a man when he is in a mortal dangerous disease that every man concludes if the disease prevail he will die nay it hath so far prevailed that it will be the death of him you need no more to perswade him to spend all his estate upon Physitians to cure that disease Now the sins that you cannot endure should be reproved that you cannot abide to reform they will be death in the end your eternal death therefore labour especially against them When we diswade you from sin and perswade you to purge outsin we perswade you to your cure to be free from your disease to be free from that that will end in death You shall not lose any rest and peace by it the more you mortisie sin the more rest and peace you shall have nay the more sin rules the less rest and peace There is no peace to the wicked but they are as the troubled waves of the Sea that alway foam and cast up mire and dirt as the Prophet speaks such is the restless agitation of a man that goes on in sin he is ever restless and unquiet Would you have peace and quiet get out sin that hinders all peace and quiet Again you shall not lose outward good things not credit and name and esteem Nay what dishonours you and exposeth you to reproach and shame and obliquie is it not sin For what is it that men are evil spoken of is it not for this and that particular evil Do you love your name avoid sin sin will end in shame it is the issue the fruit of it God will give you honour with his servants nay even in the hearts of the wicked You know the more men strive to mortifie their sins the more the world reproacheth them ordinarily but we must not judge what men do in their jollity and in their passion but what themselves do when they are upon the wrack of a trouhled conscience upon their death-bed oh then if they might die the death of the righteous oh then they would they had lived the life of the righteous or any thing then if they had been like such a one whom they scorned This gained esteem of John in Herods heart Again you shall not lose your wealth your estate all losses of estate that are judgments and punishments they are but the
So the Church of God is called the house of God and sometime it is understood of the Church militant and sometime of the Church triumphant Of the Church triumphant In my Fathers house are many mansions There it is heaven the place of the blessed Then for the Church militant Moses was faithful in all his house faith the Text. And Paul exhorts Timothy how he should carry himself in the house of God that is in the Church militant As for those that live above us they need not our good works and actions therefore it is intended of those that are here in the Church militant that is called Gods houshold because there is such a communion amongst beleevers as amongst those that live in the same house that abide under the same roof that live under the same government that eat at the same Table c. So then you have the meaning of all which is no more but this Take those advantages of times which you can obtain or else many will slip unprofitably to be conversant in such actions of mercy which tend to the relief of those that want them If there be extream necessity do good to all but if you may make choyce of persons to whom you may do good choose the houshold of faith Thus you have the substance and the meaning of the words In them you may observe briefly these three parts The first is a determination or limitation of time to which the Saints are tied in the performance of the duties that are in joyned them as you have opportunity and while you have time Secondly there is a declaration of duty do good Thirdly there is a description of the persons to whom this good must be done first more generally Do good to all and then more particularly and with an especial note Especially to those of the houshold of Faith Of these in order First for the determination of time to take the words as they lie while you have time therefore or as you have opportunity the words themselves do render the main point It is the duty of Christians to take their advantages of times to take the best opportunities of their life to do good I will speak somewhat by way of Explication of the point and something by way of Application and so proceed to what follows First for the Explication what is intended or meant in it when we incite you to embrace times and opportunities Briefly these two things are meant in it First that you should be sure not to lose the time of life And Secondly that you should not forego the advantages and opportunities of estates You shall not alwayes have life to do good and it may be if you have life you shall not alwayes enjoy means and ability to do good While you have life therefore and time do good or while you enjoy means and so power to do good embrace these opportunites That is the meaning of the Apostle in this place First then there must be a doing good while you have life let your good works go before you do things while you live and defer not the performance of them till your death Make you friends of the unrighteous Mammon that when you want they may receive you into everlasting habitations He calls that unrighteous Mammon not that it is unrighteously gotten only though that may be meant but that which is unrighteously kept is unrighteous Mammon to you if you procured it never so justly unless you do rightly dispose of it and if you be desirous to do right in disposing of your Mammon of your wealth do it now That when you want that power and those times you may enjoy the comfortable fruit of the well-redeeming of the time of your life to receive you into everlasting habitations In the 25. verse of the 16. Luke it is the challenge of Abraham to Dives Son remember that thou in thy life-time haddest thy goods for so the word signifieth thou haddest thy opportunities of life and of goods too but now thou hast neither life nor goods left thee to do good with and therefore he is blessed and thou art tormented It was the folly of those five Virgins they took not the opportunity of life for that is the thing meant there but they posted over all to the last and hoped that all might be effected in a trice or miniute of their life which would have held them employment enough all the dayes of their lives And therefore they came short of heaven the gates were shut against them as you see when the Bridegroom came If any man imagine because it is said Blessed are they that die in the Lord for they rest from their labours and their works follow them That therefore it matters not so long as a man doth good at his death though he have neglected the wayes of goodness all his life Let them know that by works there is not meant the actions of men but the fruits of their actions Their works follow them not the works they have deferred untill death but the fruits of those works they did while they were living and received not the benefit of them untill death Their works follow them that is the fruits of their works It is more good and pleasant by far to have the actions go before and the fruits and comfortable effects to succeed and follow after But if any man yet suppose that he may make that up in his Will which he hath neglected all his life long and though he have lived miserably covetously and unprofitably all the dayes of his life yet his thoughts may tell him that by the Charitable Requests of his last Testament as bequeathing largely to the Church and Common-wealth and to all sorts of people be may at the last make fit compensation and satisfaction for neglect of former duties Let no man deceive himself with such a bad resolution for first it argues a sign of infidelity that a man will not trust God for fear he should want in his life-time what is the reason else that he defers the doing good in health unless it be for fear of wanting himself such distrust he hath in the providence of God Besides the same God which bids thee do good when thou hast opportunity and while thou enjoyest the advantage of life he expects it now And it may be truly said of many that neglect those times of doing good while they lived and have now supplyed that defect in their death by the large benevolence of their Wills Their will is good but their deed is naught So much for the first point I proceed unto the second that is thou must not only take the time of thy life but also the opportunity of thy means and thy estate while there is yet a price in thine hand while thou hast opportunity and enjoyest wealth to do good with redeem the advantages and opportunities by employing them in
represented to Saint Polycarpe and Saint Cyprian their passage per viam sanguineam The bloody way of martyrdome Policrape not many moneths before he was sacrificed for a whole burnt-offering to God dreamed that his bed was all on fire under him and Saint Cyprian saw in a Dream the Proconsul-give order to the Clerk of the Assizes to write down his sentence which was to have his head cut off with a Sword which when the Clerk by signs made known to Saint Cyprian the godly Bishop earnestly desired a little delay of the execution that he might set his house in order and the Clerk answered him in his dream that his petition was granted and so it sell out accordingly that that day 〈…〉 Dream this Saint of God closing first his own eyes 〈…〉 ceived a glorious crown of martyrdome in heaven The second thing I observed in the manner was that these 〈…〉 way of promise to Abraham whence Galvin rightly 〈…〉 life was a favour of God unto him not the purchase of his own merits 〈…〉 the fruit of his own care for although speaking in ordine 〈…〉 a man may be said by the observation of physick rules to prolong his dayes upon 〈…〉 did who was otherwise a man of a very crazie body and could not 〈…〉 have held out half so long yet if we speak simply 〈…〉 that as no man can by his care add a cubit to his stature nor an hour 〈…〉 the period set by God before all time for my times are in thy hands 〈◊〉 David and our dayes are determined faith Job the number of our months is with 〈◊〉 thou bast appointed man his bounds which he cannot pass Job 14.5 and 〈…〉 appointed time to man are not his dayes as the day 〈…〉 tree groweth not upon the head of any without 〈…〉 bloomed in a seasonable time If life be a blessing long life is a 〈…〉 specially if it be crowned with a happy death for the last Act maketh 〈…〉 medy or a Tragedy and as the evening proves the day so a man 〈…〉 and after over-run the verdict of his life Dicique beatus Ante obitum nemo supremaque funera debet and so I fall into the road of my Text and begin to treat of the peaceable end of those who die in the faith and lie in the bosome of Abraham Go to thy fathers in peace There is a great difference about the interpretation of this phrase 〈…〉 and the reason of the difference is the difficulty which insueth upon every interpretation For if we refer these words to the body of Abraham and the 〈◊〉 thereof in the Sepulchres of his Fathers this Exposition complieth not with the truth of the story for none but Sarah lay in this cave Abrahams Fathers were 〈◊〉 where bestowed If we refer them to the soul of Abraham and illustrate them with this gloss Thou shalt go on in thy soul to the glorious troup of thy 〈…〉 then will grow what that place is whither his Fathers went before him 〈◊〉 Heaven but some of Abrahams Fathers were Idolatours and we have no warrant to place any Idolatour there Is it Hell thither no man goes in peace neither did ever yet any Jew or Christian so rub his forehead or rather arm it with brass as to affirm that the soul of Abraham in whom all generations of the earth were blessed was in Hell shall we then send him to the Rabbins Limbus or the Popish purgatory or the ancient Fathers occulta receptaâ—…ula hidden receptacles or unknown places wherein Tertullian conceiveth that the souls of the faithful departed resemble those among the Romans who stood for offices and the day of the election while the voyces were in calculation expected in a white gown whether they were chosen 〈…〉 Saint Austin also is very express for these hidden Cells from the death of 〈…〉 the last Resurrection the souls are bestowed in hiddeâ—… 〈…〉 as every 〈◊〉 worthy either rest or pain To dispel this mist which hath 〈◊〉 many to miss their way first by the light of the Scripture I will clear the 〈…〉 question and then interpret the phrase First then for the souls of the faithfuls flight 〈…〉 is free from this clog of flesh I answer that it is straight to Heaven 〈…〉 of the first born there and the spirits of just men made perfect for of 〈◊〉 who 〈…〉 that he might 〈◊〉 with God and of Elias who was carried up into Heaven in a fiery Chariot there is little doubt can be made and less of Abraham to whose besome in Heaven Lazarus was carried and least of all on the Thief to whom Christ promised on the Cross this day thou shall be with me in Paradise Why should Saint Paul so earnestly desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ if after his dissolution till the day of judgment he should not come near him nor see his face Why should all godly Christians be so willing to be absent from the body that they might be present with the Lord if after they were absent from the body they should not come into the Lords presence who dare question that which the Apostle so expresly and so considently delivers we know that if the house of our earthly tabernacle be dissolved we have an eternal in the Heavens As for the phrase thou shalt go to thy Fathers it is but an elegant circumlocution of the period of our life a quaver upon the close thereof for the meaning is thou shalt die or go the way of all flesh Quo pius AEneas quo dives Tullus Ancus Whither all thy Fathers went before thee good and bad rich and poor for Deaths sickle like the Italian Captaines sword which could not distinguish between a Guelf and Gibelive slaies all and makes a prey of all The righteous soul must for a time be divorced from the body as well as the soul of the wicked and in the graves the Worms claim kindred of the elect as well as of the reprobate the consideration whereof put the Preacher into a passion how doth the righteous man die as well as the wicked as it is said of Abraham that he is gathered to dis Fathers so it is said also of Ishmael and may be of the wickedest man that breaths And herein the language of Canaan and the lauguage of Ashdod do not much differ for what the Romans mean by that their phrase abijt ad plures he is gone to the many The Hebrews in a sanctified phrase express by abiit ad patres he is gone to his Fathers or gathered to his people whereof some interpreters give this acute reason It cannot be said of us here whilest we live that we are gathered to our own people in a spiritual sence because here good and bad are gathered together Elect and Reprobate sojourn together all are as it were joynt Comminers upon the earth the City of God and the City of the world sayl in the same ship to
rest with trouble nor reward with punishment but all that die in the Lord are blessed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a tempore mortis from the time of their death as venerable Beda and other expound the words and so blessed are they that they rest from all pain and pains and so rest that their works follow them that is as I shall declare hereafter the reward of their works If this lave not out the Romish fire which scareth the living more then the dead and purgeth their purses and not their soul we may draw store of water to quench it out of divers other Texts of holy Scripture as namely First If the tree fall towards the South or towards the north in the place where the tree falleth there it shall be Which Text Olympiodorus thus illustrateth in whatsoever place therefore whether of light or of darkness whether in the work of wickedness or of vertue a man is taken at his death in that degree and rank doth he remain either in light with the just and Christ the King of all or in darkness with the wicked and Prince of the world To little purpose therefore is all that is or can be done for the dead after they have taken their farewel of us after we are gone from hence there remains no place for repentauce or penance no effect or benefit of satisfaction here life is either lost or obtained but if thou O Demetrian saith Saint Cyprian even at the very end and setting of thy temporal life dost pray for thy sins and call upon the only true God with confession and saith pardon is given unto the confessing thy sins and saving grace is granted to thee by the divine piety or mercy and at the very moment of death thou hast a passage to immortality Secondly Eccles 12.5 Man goeth to his long home and the Mourners go about the streets Which words Gregorius of Neocesarea thus paraphraseth The good man shall go to his everlasting house rejoycing but the wicked shall sill all with lamentations And S. Cyprian alluding to this passage resolveth that after this temporal life is ended we are diversly bestowed at the Innes of death or immortality at neither of which hangeth any sign of Purgatory as any man may see Thirdly Luke 16.22 The beggar died and was carried by Angels into Abrahams bosome This beggars case Machareus a learned Monk of Egypt maketh a president for all the servants of God who when they remove out of the body the quires of Angels receive their souls into their own side into the pure world and so brings them unto the Lord. And Saint Jerome raiseth a strong fort of comfort upon the ground of this parrable Let the dead be lamented but such a one whom he doth receive for whose pain everlasting fire doth burn but let us whose departure a troup of Angels doth accompany whom Christ cometh forth to meet account it a grievance if we do longer dwell in this tabernacle of death And as Machareus and Saint Jerome so Saint Hillary also draweth a general rule from their example that as soon as this life is ended every one without delay is sent over either to Abrahams bosome or to the place of torment and in that state are reserved till the day of Judgment Fourthly Luke 23.43 This day thon shalt be with me in Paradise and Philip. 1.23 I desire to be dessolved and to be with Christ and 2 Cor. 5.18 If our earthly tabernacle be dissolved we shall have an eternal in the Heavens and when we are ab sent from the body we are present with the Lord From whence Justine Martyr inferreth After the departure of the soul our of the body there is presently made a distinction betwixt the just and unjust for the souls of the righteous are carried by Angets into Paradise where they have commerce and sight of Angels and Archangels but the souls of the unjust to hell and Tertullian colletcteth that it is an injury to Christ to hold that such as be called from hence by him are in a state that should be pittied whereas they have obtained the chief aim of their desires If we repine at this that others have obtained this their desire by this our grudging at it we seem to be unwilling to obtain the like and his schollar S. Cypriam censureth them yet more severely who either fear death or leave this world in dis-content it is for him to fear death who is not willing to go to Christ it is for him to be unwilling to go to Christ who doth not beleeve that he beginneth to reigne with Christ if thou dost truly beleeve in God and art secure of his promise why doft thou not embrace the message that thou art called to Christ why dest thou not rejoyce that thou shalt be rid of the devil Fifthly 1 John 1.7 the blood of Christ purgeth us from all sin no sin is therefore left for Purgatory fire to burn out Were there sins to be purged yet after the night of this present life there is no place left saith Gregory Nazianzen for purging it is better to be corrected and purged now saith he then to be sent to torments there where the time of punishing is and not of purging But to leave other springs this in my Text affordeth store of water to extinguish Purgatory sire and therefore our adversaries seek to dam it up two manner of wayes First by restraining this Text to Martyrs onely who die in the Lords quarrel though their souls flie to heaven their wings being not singed with this fire yet others say they are not saved but after some time of abode in it Secondly by cooling the heat of this fire and making it not only tollerable but also comfortable bearing us in hand that they that are in Purgatot may be said to be blessed because they rest from the labours of this life and they are secure of their eternal estate they are sure to feel no other hell From the first starting-hole I have beaten them already by demonstrating that all that beleeve in Christ are ingrafted by faith into his mystical body and consequently that as they live in him so they die in him in which regard the Apostle speaking of all that depart in the faith of Christ saith they sleep in the Lord and die in Christ Their second starting-hole is less safe then the former for to say that this blessedness and Purgatory pains may subsist in the same soul is an affertion neither politique nor reasonable First it is not politique for if they cool Purgatory fire in such sort they will stop the Popes Mint from going perswade the vulgar that the souls in Purgatory are in a tollerable nay in some sort in a blessed estate because they rest from their labours and their works follow them and the Priests may set their heart at rest for gaining any remarkable sums for Dirges and the Popes tole-gatherers also for sucking
any great advantage out of pardons to ransome souls out of Purgatory And as this answer standeth not with their profit so neither agreeth it well with their own tenents for they teach that Purgatory fire is as hot as Hell for the time surpassing the smartest torment that can be devised or ever was endured on earth and call they those happy who lie soultring in this fire yea but when they are there they receive singular comfort in this that they are sure they shal never go to hell Surely small comfort to one who is in hellish torments and shall continue there he knows not how long to tell him that he is sure he shall go to no other Hell and how prove they that Purgatory is a supersedeas to Hell What security have they for it Gods Word but in all Gods Word there is no syllable of purgatory neither let they the people to know Gods Word for in Spain and generally where the inquisition is in force the proverb is that he smels of a Faggot who is found with a Bible about him in the mother tongue These things being so I wonder that any ordinary Papist be willing to die seeing the best he can hope for is to be cast presently into the flames of Purgatory and there to fry he knows not how long perhaps a hundred perhaps a thousand years But God be blessed for it we have otherwise learned of Christ and his blessed Apostles We know that if our earthly tabernacle be dissolved we shall presently have not a temporary habitation in Purgatory but an eternal in Heaven we know that those who beleeve in Christ come into no condemnation but pass from death to life Wherefore let us not take on too much for those whom God hath taken away from us let us not trouble our selves for them that are at rest let us not shed over-many tears for them who can now shed no more tears let us not too much grieve for them who are free from all pain and grief And for our selves let us not be as some are strucken dead with the very name of death let us not draw back when God calleth for us when we draw on and our Sun is setting when the pangs of death give us warning again and again to go out from hence out of our houses of clay let us embrace the day which bringeth us to our everlasting home which having taken us away from hence and losed us from the snares of this world returneth us to Paradise and the Kingdome of Heaven It followeth And their Works follow them In the handling of this branch before we taste of the sweet juyce we must pill the root wherein we shall find a four-fold difficulty 1. How works are here distinguished from labours 2. How works may be said to follow them 3. Whither they follow them 4. When they overtake them The first difficulty is thus expedited the works of the dead are here distinguished from their labours as the fruit from the branches that bear them the hire from the day labour the prize from the race As those who taste the fruit of a tree are said by an Hebraisme to eat of the tree to him that overcometh saith the Spirit I will give to eat of the Tree of Life which is in the midst of the Paradise of God So here in this Text works are taken for the fruit of works or their recompence of reward But how are works in this sence said to follow the dead For all the works of the dead are either transient as meditations prayers pious ejaculations present relieving the poor and the like or they are permanent as their writings their building Colledges Hospitals Churches and other Monuments of Piety the former cannot follow the dead because they remain not now nor the latter because they stay behind them here on earth I answer the speech is figurative and signifieth no motion of the deads works but rather promotion of their persons and plentiful remuneration for their works the phrase imports no more then that all their works whether they be actions of Saints or passions of Martyrs shall not come short of their guerdon but shall be most certainly and undoubtedly rewarded If we follow this interpretation of the verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may some say will not Popish merit follow thereupon is not Heaven compared to servants wages to the souldiers crown to the racers garland and here to the labourers pay and doth not a true labourer merit his pay a faithful servant his wages a valiant souldier his crown a speedy racer his prize this doubt may be cleared and the question resolved by these Assertions following 1 That our good works shall undoubledly be rewarded for it is the very dictate of nature that he that soweth should reap and it is one of the first principles of Divinity that there is a God and that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him yea so exact a rewarder is he that not a widdows Mite not a cup of could water but shall have an allowance for it Did Abraham did Isaac did Jacob did Joseph did Job did Solomon did Constantine did Theodosius and other prime servants of God serve him for nought did he not open the treasure of his bounty in such sort to them all that they could not but in thankfulness subscribe to that protestation of the Prophetical King verily there is a reward for the righteous even in this life and much more in the life to come for Ecce venio behold I come quickly and my reward is with me to give to every man according as his works shall be to them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality eternal life whence Saint Bernard draweth this corollary though charity is not mercenary yet she never goes from God emptyhanded 2 That this reward is some way due unto our works for the labourer saith Christ is worthy his hire and the Apostle is bold to say it is just with God to recompence them that trouble you tribulation but to your rest and he seemeth to claim a crown to himself as his due I have fought a good fight henceforth is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord the righteous judge shall give unto me it is said to be given indeed but given by a righteous judge and as a crown of righteousness and therefore some way due 3 Our good works concur actively to the attainment of this reward the words of our Saviour seek ye first the kingdome of God and the righteousness thereof labour for the meate that perisheth not and strive to enter in at the narrow gate and of the Apostle work out your salvation with fear and trembling and this momentry affliction worketh unto us a superexcellent weight of glory import no desire 4 Notwithstanding all this our good works no way merit at Gods hand their reward
shall be the Revelation of the sons of God who are here obscure and shall be till that day come They know well that all the graces and perfections that the child of God can attain to in this imperfection all is but the first fruits all is but a taste and therefore they cannot possibly but lift up their heads and raise up their hearts to the expectation of that day wherein these first fruits shall be perfected with full measure shaken together and running over whereas there shall be an absolute freedome from all sin and from all the appurtenances of it an absolute perfection not of grace only but of glory which is the highest grace They shall be one with the head this is that which makes them look for it Heb. 9.28 the place I named before it is said Christ shall appear to save them that wait for him He shall bring a full horn of salvation he shall perfect the salvation of the Saints till that day there is no perfection in the salvation of the Saints No though they go to heaven yet before that day there is no perfect salvation because their bodies are not joyned to their souls This is a third Reason even the expectation of the full accomplishment of all the promises The Lord hath dealt with us as he dealt with his own Israel in their wilderness he gave them a taste of the fruit of the good land he caused the searchers to carry some clusters and bunches of the fruit to the Israelites in the Wilderness that they tasting of it might hie themselves to that rich and goodly and fat countrey so the Lord giveth us some drops of grace and only giveth us a taste of that happiness that we wait for that we may hie our selves so much the faster through this wilderness to enjoy it This therefore is a strong reason wherefore the people of God must needs say Come Even so Amen let it be so because I say they know till Christ come the second time they must not expect the accomplishment of their hope and the perfection of their happiness The fourth and last Reason of this Point may be this because we are taught by our Lord and Saviour Christ to pray Thy kingdome come That is not only that the kingdome of grace may come into our hearts while we are here but that the kingdome of glory may hasten upon us and we are sure that this Petition shall never be granted to us till Christ his return again to judgment till he come to accomplish this main promise of all for then only Christ cometh as our Lord and Jesus Then he cometh as a Lord and makes an end of all the warrs of the Church then he shall throw down all enemies before him treading Sathan and all his instruments under his feet then he shall manifest to the world that he hath the Keyes of hell and of death then he shall destroy the kingdome of Antichrist that must be abolished by the brightness of his coming And then and not till then he shall come as a Saviour to perform perfect salvation for his Church to deliver his Church not only from condemnation but from the molestation of sin not only from tyranny and oppression of enemies but even from all the presence of enemies that at that day a separation being made it may be said to the Saints of god as Moses said to the Israelities when they were afraid of the Egyptians stand still fear nothing the enemies that your eyes have seen to day ye shall never see them more they shall be so far from oppressing the Church that they shall never molest the Church not so much as by their presence then he shall dispose the kingdome to his members as the Father hath disposed the kingdome to him These are strong and effectual reasons to prove this point to us that the members of the Church true beleevers cannot possibly but wait and expect and vehemently desire the coming of Christ the second time for the salvation of his Body the final salvation of his people Here one objection may be made by the way and so we will descend to the Use and Application of it Here it may be said But why do the people of God thus expect and wait for the coming of Christ in all the Ages of the New Testament for the space of 1600 years and yet he cometh not What reason have they to be commanded to expect and wish and wait for the coming of Christ when he cometh not in so long a time Have not all been frustrate of their expectation And may not we as well as they that lived in the Ages before us for we see no appearance of his coming no more then was many hundred years since To this we answer That the patient abiding and waiting of the just never miscarrieth the Saints of God never lost nor shall lose for their expecting and waiting for Christs second coming to Judgment The Saints of God in former ages 1600. years ago waited for Christs coming but were they losers by it though he came not This expectation of his coming it kept them in the exercise of their faith of their hope of their patience of their watchfulness it kept all their graces a working therefore they were no losers by it though they had not the accomplishment of the main promise in expecting the promise they were savers and no losers because all their graces were kept in exercise Besides this in the second place the very expectation of Christ in the Ages of the New-Testament though he came not it is fruitful and useful to draw up the hearts and minds of the godly to heavenly thoughts and to a heavenly conversation and so in the very first Ages of the New-Testament the Apostle tells us that this is the use of their expectation Phil. 3.19 Our conversation is in heaven from whence we look for a Saviour they looked for a Saviour then when he was but newly ascended was it fruitless because he came not of 1600. years after No but Our conversation is therefore in heaven because we wait for his coming In all ages since this expectation hath been a means to raise the heavy mold of earth the heart of man to heaven and heavenly-mindedness therefore this expectation doth not fail because it is of use to help them to the full fruition of it in the time of it Besides the Saints of God never murmure because Christ cometh not they never murmure as those that shall lose their hopes and expectation because they are taught to frame their minds and wills to the will of God and of Jesus Christ their head Now the will of God is that we should still wait though Christ come not because hereby the Lord doth glorifie himself in the gathering in together the number of the faithful The number of the Saints must be gathered in and none must be neglected Now is there any Saint of God and beleever in
as wisely continued upon a presumption and as an encouragement of the same vertures in their Successors Your Honor knows how long the greatness of your Family hath been preserved acknowledg first the vigilant providence and infinite goodness of God in the preservation of it while so many glorious Titles have been lost so many Noble Families cut off Next study to preserve and advance it further by the exercise of those vertues upon which it was first built and hath been since continued endeavour to uphold not only your own but the very name of Honor in this Age in which partly the want of such vertues as are necessary to support it partly the weakness of that power which first gave life unto it partly the unreasonableness of foolish men who endeavour to cast a dis-esteem upon it have too much eclipsed the glory of it Lastly as I have advised you with the Son of Sirach to let tears fall upon the dead and to use lamentation as he is worthy so I shall conclude with his following advice when that is done then comfort thy self for thy heaviness that is not only be comforted after sorrow that consolation may succeed your griefs this is the common revolution of the world not only be comforted in lieu of your sorrow that consolation may recompense your griefs that were but a vulgar compensation but take comfort in your sorrow and rejoyce in your self that you have been so happy as to be truly sad There is so much deceitfulness in the heart of man so much hypocrisie in Funeral mourning that you may bless God for your own assurance of the sincerity of your natural affection and religious respect to your Parents and take delight in a just expectation that it will be rewarded by the future respect of your children So having performed the duty of Joseph who made a mourning for his Father you may expect the blessing of Joseph given by the mouth of Jacob for whom he mourned Joseph is a fruitful bough even a fruitful bough by a Well whose branches run over the Wall That this Benediction may be your Honors portion shall be my constant prayer By the God of thy Father who shall help thee and by the Almighty who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above blessings of the deep that lyeth under blessings of the breasts and of the womb Amen Amen THE TRUE ACCOUNTANT SERMON L. PSAL. 90.12 So teach us to number our dayes that we may apply our hearts unto wisdome SUch is the pravity of our natures ever since the first fall of Adam as that we prove very apt Scholars to learn that which is ill but we are very dull and backward to mind any thing that is good We want no teaching to set us forwards in the wayes of wickedness but in the performance of the least good we are not able to move one step without the guidance and direction of the holy Spirit of God Therefore it is a good prayer of David for every one of us Psal 143.10 Teach me to do thy will for thou art my God thy Spirit is good lead meinte the land of uprightness There are many Teachers abroad in the world and more than know how to teach aright and there are many Doctrines which are dayly prest and intruded upon the weak and simple and more than are useful and saving But there is but Unum necessarium one thing that is needful one thing in special to be minded and looked after even so to live as that we may become wise for Eternity so to walk on earth as that we may be fitted for Heaven This is the main Doctrine we are to learn and our Instructer is God We have none to teach us but God and we have no other way to implore this favour of God but by our prayers in the words of Moses So teach us c. You know the Penman of this Psalm by the Inscription A Prayer of Moses the man of God and I think it is safer to keep to the letter of the Text than to busie your thoughts with the various and doubtful conjectures we meet with in ancient and modern Expositors The Text is a Prayer to God to teach us the true Art of Arithmetick to make us true Accountants for Heaven how we may know to number our dayes aright In this Prayer we meet with two things First what he begs of God 1. To number his dayes 2. To be taught this duty 3. To be taught it in such a manner So teach us Secondly the end wherefore he begs this of God That we may apply c. The end is the gain of true wisdome to make us wise for Heaven And here we have 1. The kind and nature of this wisdome what this wisdome is of which Moses here speaks and that is in making the best provision we can for the eternal welfare of our Souls 2. The subject of it our Hearts 3. The means of obtaining this wisdome and that is by the consideration and thought of Death By the careful numbring of our dayes we attain this wisdome The meditation of Death makes us truly wise Before we fasten upon the Text we will take a survey of the Context which stands thus 1. Observe Moses having spoken of the wrath of God in the foregoing verse Who knoweth the power of thine anger even according to thy fear so is thy wrath of the sudden he betakes himself to prayer The thought and consideration of Gods anger makes us to pray 2. Observe here after that Moses had given us a description of the wrath of God presently his thoughts are taken up with the meditation of Death The wrath of God thought on makes us to think of Death First of the first the anger of God meditated upon makes us to fly to our prayers The fear of this quickned the devotion of Jehoshaphat 2 Chron. 20.3 And Jehoshaphat feared and set himself to seek the Lord. He feared therefore he prayed The thought of Gods anger may well bring us upon our knees and when danger approacheth it is high time to seek the Lord. The Romans made Fear a god and worshiped it for a god the Indians worship the Devil for fear he should hurt them and all this shews us what a command fear hath over the hearts of men to make them to pray They that never think of God in the day of prosperity will hasten to call upon him in the day of trouble The text sayes When the ship was ready to sink the marriners were afraid and every man cryed unto his God Joh. 1.5 A man will never sooner acknowledg a Deity then in the midst of his fears Such is the base spirit of man as that the long-sufferance and patience of God makes some men turn meer Atheists Therefore it is that so many believe there is no God saith Tertullian quia seculo iratum tam diu nesciunt because they do not see that God is
the Hand-writing upon the wall appears in all our families and shews it self in our houses and in all places we come into whithersoever we go wheresoever we abide we want not many representations of Death before our eyes Let us therefore at all times and in all places think of the wrath of God and let the consideration and thought of this make us to consider and remember our latter end that come it never so soon this day before the next we may not be unprovided for it We have done with the Context Now let us take a view of the Text it self The first thing that presents it self before us is the matter of Moses his Prayer and that is to teach us the true Art of Arithmetick and make us good Accountants in the numbring of our dayes 1. The dayes that are past must be numbred 2. The dayes that are yet to come As God commanded the several mansions and places of abode where the Israelites did make any stay to be all numbred in a peculiar book entitled for that purpose The Book of Numbers So God would have us to take a special account of all our dayes and to reckon up those that are past and those that are to come to consider how long we have liv'd and how long we have yet to live 1. Our dayes that are past must be numbred David recounted the number of his dayes and found them to be wasted to nothing vanish'd away like smoke Psal 102.3 My dayes are consumed like smoke Our years consume and wear away and every day we rise we draw nearer and nearer to Corruption 1. We must reckon with our selves what is spent of our years how many are past and gone like a man that runs a race he looks back and considers how far he hath run already A good Christian calls to mind the whole course of his life and counts with himself how many years are gone over his head how much time he hath lost and cannot be recovered again 2. We must recount with our selves what is over-past of the goodness of our years what good we have omitted how many precious opportunities we have lost which we might have employed to Gods Glory and the furtherance of our own Salvation A good Christian reckons up every sin that is past wherein he fail'd and came short of the good he might have done how he might have amended what was amiss if he had not been negligent and careless like an exact Limner that looks over the Table to spy out what errours have escap'd him and if he find any he presently corrects them before he draw off his hand from the Table The like ought we to do and take a view of the several actions of our lives and consider where we have been peccant and seek to amend what is defective before we pass out of this world when it will be too late to cast up our Accounts and instead of numbring a few years in this life we shall be forc'd to number up innumerable years of sorrow and grief in another world This serves for the just Reproof of those that promise to themselves many and many years to come and yet never remember the years that are past they presume they have time enough to spare and yet never consider how much time they have spent already The fool in the Gospel befools himself with the hope of longer life but never makes reckoning of the years that are past Luke 12.19 Soul thou hast much goods laid up for many years We are good Accountants for the world but not for ourselves in what concerns the good of our Souls We can count our Money our Goods our Lands but not our Years which we have mis-spent in vain we can reckon up the years of others but not our own we can easily sum up the frailties of our brethren but we cannot cast up our own we know the frailties of other men but we are ignorant of our own Where 's the man that brings to his remembrance the sins of his years that are past who is there among us that reckons how many Sabbaths he hath profaned how many vain Oaths he hath uttered how many Lies he hath told how often he hath wrong'd his Neighbour by Deceit Fraud Injustice and Oppression how often he hath abus'd the good Creatures of God through Riot Excess and Intemperance How many soever our sins are that we have committed they are all forgotten what is past it is to us as if it were never done It is not so with such as truly fear God they make account of the least sin and call to mind day by day the many errours of their lives Holy men of God never have their sins out of their sight David had them ever in his eye Psal 51.3 My sin is ever before me it was never out of his thoughts but continually before him as matter of sorrow and grief to him A true penitent cannot easily forget his sins but thinks of them often and is daily and hourly troubled for them but the careless sinner never makes any reckoning of his sins as soon as they are past and the sweetness of the pleasure is once over He numbers his sins indeed but it is by Addition and Multiplication not by Substraction he continually adds to the old score but never takes ought from it or if he do number them at any time he makes but Cyphers of them he slights and makes light of them and thinks they stand for meer blanks Let us make more reckoning of our sins and take a strict account of them and compute the sins of our youth the sins of our grown years the sins of our old age let us labour to know the full number of tale of them otherwise if we do not take account of our sins and daily number them and sum them up as many as we can remember God will number them for us and one day bring them to our remembrance whether we will or no. God will return the like answer from heaven to us as he did to Belshazzar the King Dan. 5.26 Mene God hath numbred thy Kingdome and finished it Mene God hath numbred thy dayes and finished them Better it is for us to number our own dayes than leave them to God to number and take such an exact account of them as to inflict the severity of his wrath upon us for them It is better for us to trouble our thoughts a little with the remembrance of sin than to be tormented hereafter with the punishment of sin Think then betimes of numbring thy sins that thou maist prevent God numbring of them to thy endless shame and grief 2. Our dayes that are to come must be numbred we must reckon with our selves what dayes we have yet to spend and labour to give a good account of the years that are yet behind It was the prayer of David Psal 39.4 Lord make me to know mine end and the measure of
effectually but God alone no man can shew us the right way to heaven but God Therefore let us pray So teach us c. We now come to the end wherefore Moses begs of God to teach us to number our dayes That we may apply c. In which we meet with three particulars 1. The kind and nature of this wisdome wherein it consists and it is in making the best provision we can for the eternal welfare of our Souls 2. The Subject of it our Hearts 3. The means of obtaining this wisdome and that is by the meditation of Death 1. Of the kind and nature of this wisdome wherein it chiefly consists that is in having an eye to heaven in looking after the eternal welfare of our Souls Our next Conclusion is this It is the only true wisdome of a Christian to provide for his Soul Then are we wise indeed when we are wise unto Salvation when we know how to provide for Eternity True wisdome consists not in gathering riches but in living in the fear of God and ordering our steps so as that we may make sure of heaven another day It is our obedience to Gods Commandments which cries us up for wise Christians in the repute of God and man Deut. 4.6 Keep therefore and do them for this is your wisdome and your understanding in the sight of the Nations which shall hear all these statutes and say Surely this great Nation is a wise and understanding people What is it for a man to be wise for the world and a fool for heaven what 's the wealth and honour of the world to the happiness of the Soul what 's a man the better for being rich and honourable in this world if in the end his Soul be lost Mat. 16.26 What is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own Soul What the people said of David 2 Sam. 18.3 Thou art worth ten thousand of us the like I say of the Soul It is more worth than a thousand worlds and the Salvation of thy Soul is more to thee than the gaining of many worlds What the man pleaded to Joab for not slaying of Absolom 2 Sam. 18.12 Though I should receive a thousand shekles of Silver in my hand yet would I not put forth my hand against the Kings Son The like maist thou reason within thy own breast Though I might purchase the riches of a thousand worlds yet would I not seek the destruction of my Soul whatsoever thou dost still have an eye to thy Soul that that perish not in another world what if all other things go amiss with thee in this life â—…f thy Soul be in safety It is wisdome I confess to provide for the world for the body but the main wisdome is to provide for the Soul Be careful of the outward man but be sure thou dost not neglect the inward man Provide for both the body and Soul but let thy chief care be for the Soul which is thy better part It was the Symbol of Rodolphus the second Emperour of Rome who gave an Eagle with a double Head with the one he lookt upwards to the Sun and with the other downwards upon the Earth with this Motto Utrumque I have an eye to both Thus it is Lawful for a Christian to look downwards to the Earth and provide for the body but he must have one eye chiefly sixt upon the Soul and in the first place provide for it we must look directly to heaven obliquely upon the earth fix our eyes upon the one cast a glance upon the other It becomes a Christian to consider what may become of him hereafter and whither he is going Consider thy beginning from whence thou camest and consider thy end what will befal thee hereafter He cannot be a wiser man faith the Healthen wo does not know either from whence he came or whither he must go Sure enough he cannot be a wise Christian that knows not what will become of his Soul It is by way of just Reproof of such as are wise for the world but meer fools for heaven The wisdome of the flesh is meer folly in the sight of God Some men would be reputed wise in the world and yet know not which way to take for the gaining of heaven Such a man passeth in the world for a crafty subtile worldling that knows how to mannage his affairs with the best advantage to himself and yet he knows not a step of the way to heaven It is a Maxime amongst the Jesuites Uti scientia to live by their shifts so do many in the world who have only a little wit to carry them out in secular affairs and their brains serve them to gather a little wealth and muck but they are meer Idiots in all that concerns heaven and salvation and the purchasing of the true riches of the Soul And yet see the fondness of these men that though they know not which way to take to get heaven yet they make themselves sure of it as if Salvation and eternal life were within their reach and power to command it when they please Papyrius Massonus writes of the Jesuites that count themselves so wise ut se putant soelo vel ipsi quandoque imperaturos as that they think they shall one day have the command of heaven it self The like presumption is in many Christians at this day that they believe heaven is at their command and they shall easily obtain it though they do nothing for it Oh shake off this folly make what provision thou wilt for other things thou art but a fool if thou dost neglect thy Soul As provident as the rich man was in the Gospel God gave him the title of a Fool and Cajetan gives the reason of it because he did not provide for himself in such things as were needful for the Salvation of his Soul He is a fool that prefers and Apple before a piece of Gold who keeps those things that are to be cast away and neglects such things as are to be preserved who heeds not his house where he must abide for ever and beautifies that place where he is to lodg but for a night Such an one is he that forgets his Soul and is careful for all other things Give me leave to speak the truth and not alwayes to drop oyl into your ears and speak unto you smooth things Where shall we find the man that desires to save his soul that would willingly part with this world to gain a better We daily hear the word of God we talk much of Religion we boast of our interest in heaven but when the matter comes to decision when we are put to our choice whether Heaven or Earth whether we will forego the profits of this world for the love of heaven this is the fiery Chariot which divides between Elijah and Elisha which parts us and God and makes us to cast away our hope
specially when she was both husband and wife both master and mistris Death making a division between her dear Husband and her self she used to pray her self and those that heard her and have given testimony thereof admired her gifts that way Frequent she was as apeared in her often retiring her self to her Closet in her constant and secret devotion yea also she took occasion of much fasting specially when she heard of the troubles of the Church The cause of the Church much affected her either in matter of rejoycing or griefe she continued it till her dying-day and still her heart was upon the peace of the Church praying for it As thus she exercised her self in this holy manner so she did likewise wonderfully respect those that were the Ministers of God Amongst many others I have heard long ago that worthy Minister before mentioned from whom I have received most of what I have now related speak much of her and of her worthy Husband in this respect The feet of those that brought the glad-tydings of salvation were beautiful to her And as she was careful to testifie her respect to them so she her self gained no little recompence thereby for she was still asking them questions still desiring to have such and such doubts resolved by them As thus her piety was manifested so likewise was her Charity constantly every week giving relief to the Poor ready upon all occasions that she was moved to to open her hands and to open them wide and that again and again not wearied in doing good Sober and grave she was in her carriage and attire and therein a good example to the younger sort And thus she continued even to her dying day full of sweet meditations upon her death-bed my self partaked of some of them Being asked what evidences she had for her salvation she answered good whether she doubted not she replyed no though she were of a tender conscience yet she had laid such a foundation as her faith remained firm She sweetly ended her dayes with prayers of her own with desire of the prayers of Ministers still as they came to her for as she hearkned to and desired the benefit of their counsel when she lived so she desired the comfort of their prayers now in her death thus I say with a sound testimony of her faith and of her good estate she ended her dayes and we may be assured that she is in the Number of those that are Co-heirs of the grace of life I remember the Philosophers make mention of a word which contains in it a kind of collection or combination of all in one I may say of her that the graces and vertues and ornaments of others seemed to be gathered together and to meet in her And so her piety toward God resembleth her to the two pious Hanna's the one the Mother of Samuel the other the Daughter of Phanuel Her charity resembleth her to Dorcas her love to the Ministers of God to the Shunamite that provided a Chamber a Table and a Candlestick for Elisha In her relation to her Husband she shewed her self a true Daughter of Sarah In her relation to her children which she had a Bathsheba and Eunice To others a Priscilla the Wife of Aquila ready to instruct as occasion was offered And so my bretheren she hath shewed her self a follower of those that through faith and patience inherit the Promise It remaineth to us to set such examples before us and to be followers of them as they have been followers of others and as others have been followers of Christ that so walking in their steps we may also be in the number of such as have the comfort of this Text to be Co-heirs of the grace of life which that you may do c. PEACE IN DEATH OR THE QUIET END OF THE RIGHTEOUS SERMON XXXIV LUKE 2.29 Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace according to thy Word IN the Text it self to let pass other things you have First a Request and secondly a Reason upon which the Request is grounded Of each of these in order and first of the first The Request The sum whereof is That he may die Whereof is considerable First the disposition of the servants of God in respect of death viz. 1. A desire and longing after it 2. A care to be alwayes ready for it Secondly the warrant or guid of that desire according to thy Word Thirdly the nature and quality of the death of the Righteous a departure in peace Of each of these apart The point that ariseth from the first branch of the first general part viz. the desire and longing of the Saints for their day of death is this that The servants of God have in them a contented comfortable and willing expectation of death The rise of this Observation is obvious enough one spirit works in all Gods servants and brings forth like effects though not alwayes in the same measure that therefore which is true in Simeon which the very first view of the words import that the coming of Death was expected and desired by him is in some degree verified sooner or later in all that are the Lords Hereunto agrees that of Saint Paul I desire faith he to be dissolved c. And he averrs the same of all true beleevers viz. that they groan earnestly desiring to be cloathed upon with their house which is from Heaven and that they are willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord 2 Cor. 5.8 c. The foundation of this desire is the knowledg and right understanding of the truth of that speech of Solomon to wit that the day of death is better then the day of a mans birth They have learned to know that the day of death to Gods servants is the day of freedome from all miseries and of entrance into eternal happiness The miseries of this life which even the best are subject unto are many Loss of goods loss of credit loss of friends aches pains diseases severs consumptions c. bondage under original corruption and the fruits thereof as unbelief pride of heart ignorance covetousness distrustfulness hatred lust c. the buffetings and temtations of Satan society with the wicked all these miseries even the Holiest and dearest servants of God are exercised with and divers of these do make them many times mourn exceedingly and to cry one while O wretched man that I am and to groan out another while Woe is me that I am constrained to live in Mesech and to have my habitation in the tents of Kedar of all these miseries Death is the end to Gods servants And so also it is an entrance into happiness for albeit their bodies rot in the Grave and be laid up in the Earth as in Gods store-house untill the last day yet the soul forthwith even in an instant comes into the presence of the ever-living God of Christ and of
all the Angels and Saints in Heaven the spirits of just men made perfect to Abrahams bosome to be with Christ Et quanta 〈◊〉 felicitas What greater happiness It was much that Moses obtained to see the back-parts of God but how much greater favour is it to see him face to face to have eternal fellowship with God the father with Christ the Redeemer with the Holy Ghost the sanctifier The knowledg of this benefit of Death makes the face of it comfortable to Gods servants and causes them to strive with their own natural weakness that so they may even long for their day of dissolution But now against this point divers Objections may be alledged For first the Apostle Paul sayes that Death is the wages of sin And else-where he stiles it Christs enemy the last enemy that he shall subdue is Death How should not death then be rather a day of misery to be trembled at then a day of happiness to be longed for To this I answer that we are to distinguish touching Death for it must be considered two wayes First as it is in its owe nature Secondly as it is altred by Christ in the first sence it is true that Death is the wages of sin and the very suburbs and the gates of hell But in the second taking of Death it ceases to be a plague and becomes a blessing inasmuch as it is even a door opening out of this world into Heaven Now the godly look not upon Death simply but upon Death whose sting and venome is plucked out by Jesus Christ and so it is exceeding comfortable But then secondly it is objected that we read of many that have prayed against death as namely first David Return O Lord faith he and deliver my soul oh spare me for thy mercies sake for in death there is no remembrance of thee Secondly Hezekiah when the message of death was brought to him Thirdly Christ himself Father if it be possible let this cup pass from me To all these I answer first touching David that when he composed that sixt Psalm he was not only grievously sick but also exceedingly tormented in mind for he wrastled and combated in his conscience with the wrath of God as appears by the first Verse of that Psalm therefore we must know that he prayed not simply against Death but against death at that time in asmuch as the coming of it was accompanied with extraordinary apprehensions of Gods wrath for at another time he tells us that he would not fear though he walked through the valley of the shaddow of Death And the like I say touching Hezekiah that his prayer proceeded not from any desperate fear of Death but first that he might do more service to God in his Kingdom And with such a kind of thought was Saint Pauls desire of dissolution mingled Secondly he prayed against Death then because he knew that his death then would be a great cause of rejoycing to evil men to whom his reformation in the State was unpleasing Thirdly because he wanted issue God had promised before to David that there should not fail a man of his seed to sit upon the throne of Israel so that his children did take heed to their wayes Now it was a great discomfort to him to die chidless for then he and others might have thought that he was but an Hypocrite in as much as God had promised issue to all those Kings that feared him and for this cause God heard his prayer and after two years gave him a son Manasseh by name And so I say the same touching our Saviour Christ that he prayed not against Death as it is the separation betwixt Body and Soul as appears by what the Apostle faith that he was heard in that he feared for he stood in our room and became a Curse for us it was the Curse of the Law which went with Death and the unspeakable wrath and indignation of God which he feared and from this according to his prayer he was delivered But thirdly we see in most good men a fear of Death and a desire of life and I my self may some godly man say do feel my self ready to tremble at the meditation thereof and yet I hope I belong unto God I answer that there are two things to be considered in every Christian Flesh and Spirit Corruption and Grace and the best have many inward perplexities at times and doubtings of Gods favour Now it is a truth which our Saviour delivers that the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak And as in all other good purposes there is a combate betwixt the flesh and the spirit so is there in this betwixt the fear of Death and the desire of Death sometime the one prevails and sometimes the other but yet alwayes at last the desire of Death doth get the victory Carnal respects do often prevail far with the best care of wise children and the like These are their infirmities but as other infirmities die in them by degrees so these also at last are subdued and the servants of God seeing clearly the happiness into which their Death in Christ shall enter them do even sigh desiring to be clothed upon with their house which is from Heaven Here then is a good Mark by which we may know our selves to be Gods servants viz. by the state of our thoughts and meditations touching Death I will so deliver it as may be most for the comfort of those that truly fear God I demand therefore of thee Dost thou know that the confident and comfortable expectation of Death is the work of the Holy Ghost in Gods servants Dost thou desire unfeignedly that the same may be wrought in thy heart Dost thou labour to know what happiness comes by Death to those that feare the Lord Dost thou grieve at thine own weakness to whom the thought of Death is sometime troublesome and unsavory Dost thou pray the Lord so to assure thee of his favour in Christ that death may be desired before it comes and welcome when it is come Dost thou when thou hearest this speech of Simeon wish that thou wert able to use the like words with the like resolution Surely these things shew that thou art Gods servant and that by Death the Lord will draw thee to a place of rest If these thoughts which I have now named be strangers to thy heart and thou dost not love to trouble thy self to study about Death it is an evil sign The servants of God are not wont to be so secure in matters of this quality And thus much for the first particular in the first general part the desire in the godly of death the second is their care for it the point thence is that It is the care of Gods servants to be alwayes so prepared for death as at what instant soever the Lord shall send it they