heaven and to Iesus the Mediatour of the new Covenant and to â—he blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things then that of Abel See then that thou refuse not to come to this great marriage of the Kings Son with thy soul and see withall that thou comest not without a wedding garment that is to say unprepared For whosoever shall eate this bread and drink this cup of the Lord unworthâ—ly shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord But let a man examine himselfe and so let him eate of that bâ—ead and drink of that cup of the Lord for he that eateth and drinketh unworthily eateth and drinketh damnation to himselfe not discerning the Lords body 1 Cor 11.27 28 29. These are the words of a faithful witnesse and thou maiest beleeve them When therefore thou doest intend to be a partaker of this merciful and mysterious Sacrament be sure for three daies at least not to intermeddle with any worldly businesse but all that time redeeme those many daies which were vainly spent by thee enter into thine owne bosome examine what thou hast there and if thou findest any sons of darknesse lurking under those fig-leaves conceal them not but turne them out of doors and wash their Couch with thy teares have a care that in the Bridegroomes bed instead of myrrhe and flowers thou strowest not thornes and thistles The Evening before thou art to communicate feed but moderately and after supper use no corrupt communication but converse inwardly with thine own heart and meditate what an Almighty guest thou art to entertaine there next day Consider seriously thine own unworthinesse and desire of him that he would sanctifie and furnish the roome where he is to eate the Passeover with thee Intreat him to defend thee that night from all sinful Illusions and temptations and to keep the house cleane and garnished for himself When thou hast thus commended thy self into his hands let thy sleep that night be shorter then usual be up with the day or rather with thy Saviour who rose up early while it was yet dark Meditate with thy self what miracles of mercy he hath done for thee Consider how he left his Fathers bosome to be lodged in a manger and laid by his robes of glory to take upon him the seed of Abraham that he might cloath thee with Immortality Call to minde his wearisome journeys continual afflictions the malice and scorne he underwent the persecutions and reproaches laid upon him his strong cries and teares in the days of his flesh his spiritual agony and sweating of blood with the Implacable fury of his Enemies and his own unspeakable humility humbling himself to the death of the Crosse a death accursed by Gods own mouth Consider againe if thou canst of what unmeasurable love was he possessed who having designed and spent his time of life here for thy salvation did not onely leave thee those divine Oracles and Instructions to be guided by but to seale up the summe and make heaven sure unto thee did by his last Testament give himself with all the merits of his life and death to be wholly thine and instead of them took upon him all thy transgressions bore all thine iniquities and to appease the anger and satisfie the Justice of his Father became the holy harmlesse and undefiled sacrifice and perfect satisfaction for the sins of the world reconciling all things unto his Father whether they be things in earth or things in heaven When thou hast thus considered him in his acts of love and humility consider him again in his glory take thine Eyes off from Bethlehem and Golgotha and look up to the mount of Olives yea to heaven where he sits now upon the right hand of his Father Angels principalities and powers being made subject unto him Call to minde his Joyful resurrection his most accomplished conquest and triumph over the world death and hell his most gracious and familiar conversation with his Apostles before his Ascension with his most loving and comfortable carriage towards them at his departure leading them out as farre as Bethanie and lifting up his hands and blessing them Lastly close up these thoughts with a serious and awful meditation of that great and joyful though dreadful day of his second coming to judgâ—ment promised by himself and affirmed at the time of his Ascension by the two men in white apparel Yemen of Galilee why stand ye gazing up into heaven this same Iesus which is taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven Behold he cometh with clouds and every eye shall see him and they also which pierced him and all kindreds of the earth shall waile because of him Amen! even so come quickly Lord Iesus ¶ These are the duties reqâ—ired of thee and which thou must faithfully and punctually performe if thou wouldst be a worthy Communicant and receive those sacred and mystical Elements to that blessed end for which they were ordained But when I speak of three dayes preparation I do not impose that proportion of time nor conclude it sufficient as if it were enough for thee to recede from thy corrupt inclinations and the myre of thy sins for such a terme with an intention to returne and wallow in it again when that holy season is over for our whole life had we the purity of Angels and the innocence of infants bears no proportion at all nor can it without an immediate sanctification from God himself any way qualifie or make us fit for the reception of this unmeasurable mercy But when I spoke of such a proportion of time I did onely propose it to my Readers for the performing of those holy and necessary duties which have particular relation to this solemne Feast and which indeed are required then from every Christian. And as for a regular sober and holy life we should in all places and at all times labour for it for without holinesse no man shall see the face of God much lesse be partaker of his merits and by this spiritual eating and drinking become a member of that body whose life and head he is A Prayer for the grace of repentance together with a Confession of sins O Holy blessed and glorious Trinity three persons and one eternal God have mercy upon me a miserable sinner O who will give mine head waters and mine eyes a fountain of tears that I may weep night and day for my infinite transgressions ingratitude and rebellion against my most milde and merciful Creatour O God my God be not farre from me hide not thy face from the work of thine hands reject not my sighing and mournful spirit nor the earnest endeavours and desires of mine undone and miserable soul O thou that breakest not the bruised Reede nor quenchest the smoking Flax quench not in me these weak sparks this dawne and beginnings of the promised earnest Take away O my God! this heart of stone and give
Prayers and Meditations before receiving the Lords Supper p. 36 A Prayer for the Grace of Repentance with a Confession of sins p. 47 A particular Meditation before receiving the holy Communion p. 51 A Prayer when thou art upon going to the Lords Table p. 59 An Ejaculation immediately before the receiving p. 60 Admonitions after receiving the holy Communion p. 61 A Prayer after you have received p. 63 In time of Persecution and Heresie p. 66 In Troubles occasioned by our Enemies p. 68 MAN in DARKNESSE or a Discourse of Death p. 71 A Prayer in time of sicknesse p. 127 A Prayer in the hour of Death p. 130 MAN in GLORY or a Discourse of the blessed estate of the Saints in Heaven p. 133 FINIS ADMONITIONS FOR Morning-Prayer THe night saith Chrysostome was not therefore made that either we should sleep it out or passe it away idly and Chiefly because we see many worldly persons to watch out whole nights for the Commodities of this life In the Primitive Church also the Saints of God used to rise at midnight to praise the Rock of their salvation with Hymns and Spiritual Songs In the same manner shouldst thou do now and Contemplate the Order of the Stars and how they all in their several stations praise their Creator When all the world is asleep thou shouldst watch weep and pray and propose unto thy self that Practise of the Psalmist I am weary of my groaning every night wash I my bed and water my Couch with my tears for as the Dew which falls by night is most fructifying and tempers the heat of the Sun so the tears we shed in the night make the soul fruitful quench all Concupiscence and supple the hardnesse we got in the day Christ himself in the day-time taught and preach'd but continued all night in prayer sometimes in a Mountain apart sometimes amongst the wild beasts and sometimes in solitary places They whose Age or Infirmity will not give them way to do thus should use all Convenient means to be up before the Sun-rising for we must prevent the Sunne to give God thanks and at the day-spring pray unto him Wisd. 16. It was in the morning that the Children of Israel gathered the Manna and of the Just man it is said That He will give his heart to resort early to the Lord that made him and will pray before the most high Eccl. 39. So soon therefore as thou dost awake shut thy door against all prophane and worldly thoughts and before all things let thy God be first admitted offer unto him thy first fruits for that day and commune with him after this manner When thou dost awake O God the Father who saidst in the beginning Let there be light and it was so Inlighten my Eyes that I never sleepe in death lest at any time my Enemy should say I have prevailed against him O God the Sonne light of light the most true and perfect light from whom this light of the Sun and the day had their beginning thou that art the light shining in darknesse Inlightning every one that cometh into this world expell from me all Clouds of Ignorance and give me true understanding that in thee and by thee I may know the Father whom to know is to live and to serve is to reigne O God the Holy Ghost the fire that inlightens and warms our hearts shed into me thy most sacred light that I may know the true Joyes of Heaven and see to escape the illusions of this world Ray thy selfe into my soul that I may see what an Exceeding weight of glory my Enemy would bereave me of for the meer shadowes and painting of this world Grant that I may know those things which belong unto thee and nothing else Inflame me with thy divine love that with a true Christian Contempt I may tread upon all transitory Pleasures and seek only those things which are eternal Most blessed Trinity and one eternal God! as thou hast this day awaked me from this bodily sleep so awake my soule from the sleep of sin and as thou hast given me strength after sleep now again to watch so after death give me life for what is death to me is but sleep with thee to whom be ascribed all glory wisdome majesty dominion and praise now and for Ever Amen When thou dost arise ARise O my soul that sleepest arise from the dead and Christ shall give thee light Arise O daughter of Sion O my soul redeemed with the blood of Christ sit no more in the dust of thy sins but arise and rest in that peace which is purchas'd by thy Saviours merits Christ Iesus my most merciful and dear Redeemer as it is thy meer goodness that lifts up this mortal and burthensome body so let thy grace lift up my soul to the true knowledge and love of thee grant also that my body may this day be a helper and servant to my soul in all good works that both body and soul may be partakers of those Endlesse Joyes where thou livest and reignest with the Faher and the Holy Ghost one true God world without End Amen As soone as thou art drest before thou comest forth from thy Chamber kneel down in some convenient place and in this or the like Prayer commend thy self for that day unto thy Creator's Protection ALmighty eternal God the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ I blesse and praise thy holy name and with my whole heart give thee all possible thanks that out of thine infinite goodness thou wert pleased to watch over me this night to resist my adversary and to keep me from all perils of body and soul O thou that never slumbrest nor sleepest how careful hast thou been of me how hast thou protected me and with thy holy angels thy ministring spirits sent forth to minister for the heirs of salvation incompast me about yea with what unmeasurable love hast thou restored unto me the light of the day and rais'd me from sleep and the shadow of death to look up to thy holy hill Justly mighst thou O God have shut the gates of death upon me and laid me for ever under the barres of the Earth but thou hast redeemed me from Corruption and with thy Everlasting armes enlarged my time of Repentance And now O Father of mercies and God of all Consolation hear the voyce of thy Supplicant and let my cry be heard in thy highest heavens As I do sincerely love thee and beg for thy Protection so receive thou me under the shadow of thy wings watch over me with the Eyes of thy mercy direct me in the wayes of thy Law and enrich me with the gifts of thy Spirit that I may passe through this day to the glory of thy great name the good of others and the comfort of my own soul. Keep me O my God from the great offence quench in me all vain Imaginations and sensual desires sanctifie and supple my heart with the dew of thy
me a heart of flesh renew a right spirit within me cloath me with white raiment and anoint mine Eyes with Eye-salve that I may know and see how wretched and miserable and poore and blinde and naked I am and may be zealous therefore and repent O thou that didst cause the waters to flow out of the stonie rock and gavest to Magdalen such store of teares that she washed thy feet with them give to me true remorse and such a measure of repentance as may become a most miserable sinner I confesse dear God that I am not worthy of the least of thy mercies much lesse to appear at this great and solemne Feast this Feast of mercy and miracles where none but with holy hands pure intentions crucified affections and renewed spirits should presume to enter But as for me I am all uncleannesse a polluted vile creature and nothing belongs unto me at this great day but confusion of face and an utter separation from this glorions and saving Communion I have wasted thy stock consumed thy talents and destroyed thy goods I was restlesse and unquiet till I had found out wayes to offend thee I have broken thy Commandments laid open thine Inclosures and most grievously trespassed against thy truth and against the light of mine own Conscience I have preferred rottennesse and dust to the treasure of thy word and mine own voluptuousnesse to thy revealed will And now O thou preserver of men What shall I do unto thee Against thee onely have I sinned and my transgressions are ever in thy sight Lord God! I lay me down at thy footstoole and if thou wilt be extreme to mark what is amisse I shall from my very heart acknowledge and adore thy Justice But O my dear Creatour for Christ Jesus his sake have mercy upon me look not on my deserts but on thy glory O Lord do not refuse me but reforme and restore me O Lord hearken and do and deferre not but speak peace to my troubled soul and send thy loving spirit to strengthen and confirme me in the way of holinesse bring me home O Lord and leade me now unto these living waters incorporate me into the saving vine and purge me that I may bear more fruit O cast me not away like an abominable and withered branch but make me to flourish in the Courts of thy house where thy Children are like Olive-branches round about thy table O Lord hear and have mercy and forgive me and be reconciled unto me for Christ Iesus his sake To whom with thee and the holy Ghost be glory in the Church through all ages world without end Amen A Meditation before the receiving of the holy Communion HOly holy holy is the Lord God of Hosts the whole earth is full of his glory Behold to the Moone and it shineth not and the Starres are darknesse in his sight The Pillars of heaven do tremble and are astonished at his reproof O who then am I that I should appear before thee or what is man that thou shouldest regard him O light of light the all-seeing light that shineth in darknesse and the darknesse comprehendeth it not what will become of me when I shall appear before thy glorious and searching Eye What an habitation of darknesse and death wilt thou finde within me What abominable desolations and emptinesse What barrenesse and disorders wilt thou see there Many a time hast thou knockt and I have shut the doors against thee thou hast often called and I would not answer Sleeping and waking early and late day and night have I refused instruction and would not be healed And now O my God after all this rebellion and uncleannesse wilt thou come and lodge with me O Lord where shall I prepare and make ready for thee What communion can there be betwixt light and darknesse purity and pollution perfection and deformity O Rose of Sharon thou undefiled and everlasting flower the glory of the fields and the first fruits of the dead shall the wilde Asses and the beasts of the wildernesse feed now upon thee Wilt thou give the bread of life unto dogs and cast thy pearls before swine O Iesus Christ the lover and the redeemer of all humble and penitent souls Thou that feedest among the Lilies untill the day breaks and the shadows flee what is there in my heart where onely tares and thistles grow that thou canst feed upon Thy blessed body was wrapt in fine and white linen which is the righteousnesse of the Saints It was laid in a new and undefiled grave hewen out of a rock wherein never man was laid before But all my righteousnesse is a filthy rag my heart neither new nor undefiled but a nest of unclean birds where they have not onely laine but hatched and brought forth their viperous young ones I confesse dear God I confesse with all my heart mine own extrem unworthyness my most shameful and deplorable condition But with thee O Lord there is mercy and plenteous redemption Thou dost not use to reject and cast off those that unfeignedly repent and return unto thee the great design and end of thine Incarnation was to save sinners Thou hadst never come into this world but for thy love to thy lost sheep and those thou didst then love thou dost love still unto the end Thou didst not come unto the whole but to the sick The first had there been any such had no need of a Physician and the last hadst not thou come to restore them had perished for ever It was thy gracious pleasure while thou wert here in the world to receive Publicans and sinners and though thou art now ascended to thy Father yet hast not thou changed thy nature Thou art the same yesterday to day and for evermore Thy life here was nothing else but a pilgrimage and laborious search after sinners that thou mightst finde them out and make them whole And how willingly O blessed Jesus didst thou lay down thy robes of glory and cloath thy self with flesh that thou mightst afterwards lay down thy life a propitiation for our sins How many scorching and wearisome journeys didst thou undergo for our sakes How many cold and tedious nights didst thou watch and spend abroad in prayer when the birds of the aire lay warme in their nests and thou hadst not a place to put thy head in In the day time I finde thee preaching in the Temple and all night praying in the Mount of Olives a little after on thine own Sabbath travelling for me in the corne-field Another time wearied with thy journey sitting on the Well of Iacob and begging a draught of that cold water from the woman of Samaria Now again I meet thee on the Asse made infinitely happy by so glorious a rider by the God of Ieshurun who rideth on the heavens and in his excellencie on the skies Sure it was his simplicity and ordinary contempt with man that made him so acceptable in thy sight But Oh! with what language
shall I attempt thy passion thy bloody sweat thy deep and bitter agony thy lingring peece-mealed death with all the lively anguishments and afflictions of thy martyr'd Spirit O my most loving and merciful Saviour It is onely thy own Spirit that can fully character thy own sufferings These miracles of love and most comfortable circumstances encourage me O my God to draw neer unto thee for it is not probable that thou wouldst have subjected thy self to such bitter reproaches blasphemies and torments had not thy love to man for whose redemption thou didst suffer them been as infinite as thy self And greater love then this hath no man that a man lay down his life for his friends And lay it down thou didst for no man could take it from thee Thou couldst have commanded twelve legions of Angels from thy Father and when thou wentest forth to meet thy murtherers they went backwards and fell to the ground and without thy permission in whose hand their breath was they could have done nothing These merciful passages together with thy own voice and frequent invitation much encourage me to draw neer unto thee Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest Matth. 11.28 If any man thirst let him come unto me and drink John 7.37 These with many more are thy loving Invitations This is the voyce of the great Shepherd and thy sheep hear thy voyce Thus thou didst cry and these were the words thou didst speak while thou wert here upon earth and shall I then turn away from thee that speakest now from heaven Thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedech and thy preaching and Intercession shall last untill the heavens be no more and woe unto them that refuse to hear thee Wherefore most holy Iesus seeing thou dost invite sinners to thee and didst die to redeem them and art able to save them to the uttermost that come to God by thee and dost live for ever to make intercession for them Heb. 7.25 26. I the most wretched and the worst of sinners in full assurance of thy mercies and that thou art touched with the feeling of mine infirmities Heb. 4.15 and wilt have compassion upon my penitent soul draw neer to thy throne of grace that I may obtaine mercy and finde grace to help in time of need O Lord be merciful unto me forgive all my sins and heal all mine infirmities Cleanse my heart sanctifie my affections renew my spirit and strengthen my faith that I may at this great Feast discerne thy blessed body and eate and drink salvation to my self to the glory of thy great name and the comfort of my poor and sorrowful soul Amen Now unto him that hath loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood and hath made us Kings and Priests unto God and his Father to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever Amen A Prayer when thou art upon going to the Lords Table IN the name of the Father and of the Son and the holy Ghost Amen! Iesus Christ the Lamb the Branch the bright and morning-Starre the bread of life that came down from heaven have mercy upon me It is thy promise that whosoever eateth thy flesh and drinketh thy blood he shall have eternal life in him and thou wilt raise him up at the last day Behold O God I am now coming to thee O thou fountain of purgation thou Well of living waters wash me cleane be unto me the bread of life to strengthen me in my pilgrimage towards heaven grant that I may suck salvation from thy heart that spring of the blood of God which flowes into all believers Thy flesh is meat indeed and thy blood is drink Indeed O give me grace to receive both worthily that I may never incurre thy anger and eternal condemnation Lord Iesus Christ I beleeve all that thou hast said and all that thou hast promised helpe thou mine unbelief thou art the Author be thou the finisher of my faith And for thy glories sake for thine own names sake leade me in the right way to this great mercy and mystery Amen! Immediately before the receiving say O Lord I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which thou hast shewed unto thy servant all my life long unto this very day much lesse am I worthy thou shouldst come now under my roof but seeing it is thy institution and free mercy that will have it so be jealous O God of the place of thine honour cause me to remember whose Temple I am and suffer not my last state to be worse then the first Even so Lord Iesus come quickly Amen! ¶ Admonitions after receiving the holy Communion WHen you have received the Sacred Elements you should not presently after spit nor eate and drink but refraine untill they are perfectly digested and resolved You must lay aside all worldly communication and humane discourses though never so serious for judge of your self what an uncivil part it will be in you when you have received so great a guest as Iesus Christ with all his merits to turne your back upon him presently and neither to meditate of him nor to discourse with him and keep him company Wherefore you should all that day be instant in prayer meditations thanksgiving and good works you should consider and think upon the love of God who so loved the world that he gave his onely begotten Son to redeeme it You should meditate upon his birth life doctrine and passion his death and buriall resurrection and ascension and his second coming to judgement You should pray that you may be found blamelesse and without spot of him and so much the more because you see the day approaching Tread not under foot the Son of God and his precious blood wherewith you are sanctified and saved by returning again to your former sins like the dog to his vomit but be sure that you walk warily and fall not willfully into the myre Be not regular and holy for a day or two but all the dayes of thy life and number thy dayes that thou mayst apply thy heart unto wisdome Cast thy bread upon the waters be merciful to the poor and remember thy Creator for the dayes of darknesse are many but the outward darknesse is eternal and from it there is no redemption Instead of printed Meditations which are usually prescribed after communicating I would advise the pious receiver to read over all these following parcels of Scripture Iohn 6.22 to the end Iohn 17. Rom. 8.2 Cor. 5. Ephes. 1. 4. Heb. 10.1 Pet. 1. Rev. 5. A Prayer after you have received LOrd Jesus Christ very God and very man made in all things like unto us sin onely excepted I blesse and praise thy holy name and with all my heart with all my strength and with all my soul give thee all possible thanks for thy infinite love and pity towards
with a loud voice saying Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne and unto the Lamb. 3. And one of the Elders answered saying unto me Who are these which are arayed in white robes and whence came they 4. And I said unto him Sir thou knowest And he said unto me These are they which came out of great tribulation and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 5. Therefore are they before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his Temple and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them 6. They shall hunger no more neither thirst any more neither shall the Sun light on them nor any heate 7. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them and shall leade them unto living fountains of waters and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes MAny men when a holy conversation and good works are proposed unto them and when they are advised to exercise themselves therein and not to follow after the vanities of this world are wont to question for what end reward or retribution shall they do so The answer to these men must be this Because it is written that Eye hath not seen not eare heard neither have entred into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him 1 Cor. 2. Which words because they cannot plainly understand what is meant by them must be expounded to them by other circumstances and it must be told them that the reward which in the life to come shall be given unto those that serve God in this life is everlasting life eternal happinesse never-ending pleasures and a fulnesse and sufficiency of all accommodations to their own desires without any scarcity or want at all When these things are thus told them they seeme to be as they are indeed very great and very good But because that neither by this expression they do perfectly apprehend what those things are which they shall receive in the life to come nor can they of a sudden rightly perceive what is meant by a sufficiency of all accommodations without any want at all they continue still in a doubtful minde and are not effectually drawn to take any relish or delight in the things so told them What course then shall we take to render these eternal rewards more relishing and delightful to them I hold that the best way is to feed them as Nurses feed their little children who if at any time they give them a large faire apple which for the tendernesse of their teeth and the narrownesse of their mouths they cannot feed upon cut it according to the capacity of the child into several bits or parts and so give it them to eate by peece-meales We shall therefore divide this great sufficiencie of all accommodations in the life to come into several parts or portions that by so doing they may with those things we shall deliver be fed to eternal life And because they may appear more plainly to them we shall consider what those things are which the minde of man most affects in this life and by those as farre as we may we shall make it evident that they shall enjoy them after a more excellent manner in the life to come if being placed here in the midst of dangers and worldly temptations they stick fast to the precepts of Christ and when they have kept them they will of themselves quickly perceive that by no meanes they shall lose nor be deceived of the utmost of their desires This Course we shall take in the Explication of this Doctrine and beginning with the least passe on to our desired end That we may then in the first place briefly summe up all those things which have reference to the body I suppose them to be such things as are indeed desirable of themselves and for whose service or use all other things are desired of men and those are Beauty Activity Strength Liberty Health Pleasure Long Life But if amongst these we have reckoned there are some things which the servants of God have no respect to but take special care to neglect and avoid them as for instance sake beauty and pleasure are yet do they not therefore despise them because that naturally they affect them not but because they would not offend God in them for if they certainly knew that by caring for such things they could not offend God nor have their affections with-drawn from heavenly things without doubt they would take more delight in the fruition of them then in a contrary state These things being now thus premised I shall as briefly as I may treat of every one of them distinctly or by it self and labour to demonstrate unto you as God shall enable me after what manner they shall be enjoyed by us after the resurrection of the body To begin then Beauty is a certaine good which all men naturally desire to have But in the life to come the beauty of the righteous shall shine equally with the Sunne this the sacred Scripture testifies Matth. 13. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the Sun in the Kingdome of their Father Adde to this that the body of our Lord Jesus Christ which none I hope will deny shall out-shine the brightnesse of the Sun But by the testimony of the Apostle we shall be made like unto him for he saith He shall change our vile bodies that they may be fashioned like unto his glorious body and this is the confession of that authority which to contradict is blasphemy Now if any man would have this proved to him by reason I beleeve it ought not to seeme incredible to any that the righteous in that life which is to come when this mortality shall be swallowed up of life shall shine as bright as the Sun seeing they are truly called and truly are the temple and the seat of God himself which as I remember is no where in sacred Scripture spoken of this visible Sun As for Activity which is every way as desirable as Beauty we shall be indued with such a measure of it as shall render us equall for swiftnesse to the very Angels of God which in a moment passe from the highest heaven unto the earth and from the earth again into heaven which swiftnesse if it were necessary to prove it so in the Angels we might for instance produce that place of Scripture where it is written that the Angel of the Lord took Habakkuk the Prophet by the haire of the head and carried him through the vehemency of his spirit when he was yet in the flesh from Iury into Babylon and having delivered the dinner unto Daniel brought him again immediately to his own place Therefore I say again that a swiftnesse every way equal to that which is in them shall be given to those who labour in their lives here to be like unto them The Apostle also who affirms
that our bodies shall in the twinkling of an eye be perfectly raised notwithstanding that our limbs be separated or dispersed one from another and the distance of place never so great hath thereby sufficiently proved that our very bodies which in that day shall be raised incorruptible shall be gifted with the very lame swiftnesse for he testifies that this corruptible shall put on incorruption and this mortal shall put on immortality 1 Cor. 15. An instance or demonstration of this swiftnesse we have in the beams of the Sunne which as soone as ever the body of that Planet appears above the earth in the East passe in a moment to the utmost West By this consideration we may conclude that what hath been spoken touching our velocity in the life to come is not impossible especially because that animated bodies have in them a greater agility then those which are inanimate To this instance of the Sun-beams we may adde another of the like nature which we have in our selves for the beams or ray of the Eye when we open our eye-lids passeth immediately to the utmost point of the Horizon or visible part of the sky and when we shut them returnes wholly and unimpaired into it self Again it is a thing certainly known that the souls of the Elect which are in the hand of the Lord have not yet enjoyed the fulnesse of felicity untill their bodies shall be restored unto them incorruptible which when they shall enjoy there will be nothing more left for them to wait for and desire But these bodies whose redemption they long and grone for if they would retard of hinder their swiftnesse they would rather abhorre their fellowship then long for it therefore it is certain that such a swiftnesse or agility as we have spoken of shall be given us of God in the life to come The next thing we are to treat of is Fortitude or Strength which most men affect as it is opposite to imbecillity and faint-heartednesse But they who shall be worthy to walk with the Citizens of the new Ierusalem shall excell so much in strength that nothing can have power to resist them whether their desire be to remove or over-turn any thing out of its station or by any other way to divert it nothing can hinder them nor shall they in compassing their desire be put to any more trouble or pains then we are put to at present when we move an Eye or turne it towards any object we desire to look upon But let us not in this place forget to instance in the Angels to whom we labour in this life to assimilate our selves for if in this branch or in any of the rest which we are to handle we can finde no other example or demonstration we must apply to them I suppose there is none will deny but that the Angels excel so much in strength as to be able to effect whatsoever shall be enjoyned them But here some body may ask of what use shall this fortitude or strength be unto us in that life when all things shall be put in such perfect order that there cannot be a better when there shall be no need of mutations eversions or reformation wherein this fortitude or strength may be imployed Whoever shall ask this question let him attend a little to me and consider what use we make at present of the faculties given us in this life and he shall finde that we do not alwayes imploy some of those abilities with which we are now gifted in the body as the faculty of seeing our utmost strength and our knowledge of some select things with many more In the like manner shall it be then with this fortitude we are now speaking of for the onely possession of it will be an incredible pleasure and joy unto us though we shall have no use for it all things being as it is said before in the state of perfection If this objection be made concerning velocity or any of the other branches which are to follow in this discourse I hold this solution if we finde not a better satisfactory enough We are now come to the fourth branch which is Liberty and is no lesse desired then any of the former Whoever then shall leade and Angelical life here upon earth shall without doubt be admitted into an equal liberty with the Angels in heaven Therefore as nothing can resist hinder or confine the Angels but that they may passe freely through all things according to their own desires so shall there be no obstacle or restraint of the Elects there shall be no inclosure that can hold us nor any Element which shall not be pervious or passable for us when and how we please An eminent and most certain example of this we have left us in the body of our Lord Jesus Christ to which blessed body Saint Paul affirms that our vile bodies shall be fashioned and made like according to the working whereby he is able to subdue all things unto himself Now the Scripture beares record that he rose from the dead after the Sepulchre was made sure and sealed and that he came in to his Disciples the doors being shut upon them and at the same time caused Thomas to thrust his hand into his side all which without doubt was laid down for a strong and comfortable demonstration to us of the glorious liberty of the children of God Rom. 8. In this fifth place comes Health which of all temporal blessings is the principal and the most to be desired And of this what can be better said then that which hath been already spoken by the Psalmist The salvation of the righteous cometh from the Lord Psal. 37. What infirmity then can lay hold upon those whose health or salvation is from the Lord But what example or similitude to introduce whereby you may perceive what manner of health that shall be which we are to enjoy in the world to come I do not know for neither I in my own body nor the holiest man that ever lived in the flesh can finde in himself any state of health which may be compared or liken'd to this eternal and incorruptible health For in this life when we finde our bodies without any paine or disturbance we conclude that we are in health and yet are we therein oftentimes deceived For it happens very frequently that we are infirme or sickly in some particular member which yet we can by no means discover but by motion of the said member or by touching the place affected But to come to those that are not thus affected but seeme to themselves to be in perfect health what shall we judge of them that they are in health or that they are not Propose to thy self some one of a most healthful constitution and that thou shouldst enquire of him concerning the state of his body he will tell thee that in his own judgement he finds himself in perfect health But let his body be examined and