carefull to seek God in likelihood such as would have made better use of his mercies as Matth. 11.21 These are grounds of this holy Rhetorique which if by your selves you will work upon by meditation Trust me no more if ye finde them not such as will sweeten Gods favours towards you Reasons pressing the performance meditate these First Nothing sooner stops the fountain and current of Gods bounty then doth unthankfulnes this hazards to an utter deprivall as Rom. 1.21 Secondly Or else the blessing shall be scanted in the measure as to the Jews Amos 8.11 Thirdly or else the blessing continued shall turn to a curse and snare unto thee as riches reserved for hurt Eccles 5.13 The word to harden Isa 6.10 knowledge to aggravate sinne and punishment Ioh. 9.41 Secondly according to the measure of bounty and favour contemned or slighted so usually is the measure of wrath in the day of visitation Matth. 11.23 Jews highliest advanced in Gods favours Never did Nation under the sunne drink deeper of his wrath see Deuter. 28. Levit. 26. And my feet from falling Whether means he into penall misery and mischief or into sinne There is Lapsus moralis as 1 Cor. 10.12 Erre I or would David here be understood of sinning so Psal 73.2 My feet were almost gone my steps had wel-nigh slipt And if I be not deceived the cariage of the Text swayeth to such understanding rising still from the lesse to the greater First It is more bounty to be kept from grief then from death for there is a greater enlargement from misery but it is not more bounty to be kept from the sense of affliction then to be kept from death which is the greatest of temporall evills but it is more bounty in a gracious eye to be kept from sinne then from death Secondly How his eyes from tears If not kept from sinne That had sure cost him many a tear as Peter Matth. 26.75 But understand it De lapsu morali so still riseth the gradation to enlarge Gods bounty yea which I count the greatest blessing in these afflictions he kept me steady in my course of piety and suffered not afflictions to sway my heart from him still in a gracious eye the benefit seems greater to be delivered from sinning then from greatest outward affliction that is the reason Saint Paul Rom. 8.37 triumphs over all afflictions 2 Cor. 11. and 12. He counts them his glory his crown but speaking of the prevailing of corruption in particulars he bemoans himself as the miserablest man alive Rom. 7.24 The reason of this is for that rectitude of judgement is so farre vouchsafed that such men sanctified can discern twixt good and evill twixt evill and evill and in their eye Malum culpae is greater then Malum poenae The evill of sinne then the evill of pain For First That makes evill not this Puniri non est malum comparative scilicet sed fieri poena dignum Secondly In afflictions they know they may retain favour of God not so in sinning Thirdly That opposite to increated this to created goodnesse And besides this hahaving tasted the smart of sinne in the soul as who hath not that is Gods What affliction is comparable to that of an accusing conscience When may we hope to fasten this opinion in our multitude to think sinne greater then povertie then death then bonds c. The source of all sinnes is this in the people that in their sensuallity and Epicurisme they will redeem the least affliction with the greatest sinne Rather then want steal kill what not rather then loose life countrey liberty commit idolatry deny Christ rather then be counted odde or singular runne into any sinne of good-fellowship swear swagger drink and be drunken c. rather then feel a little sicknesse runne to sorcerer rather then a little losse in their goods to a Cunning-man a Witch that is saith Isa 8. from the living to the dead from God to the devill Oh that Christians had learned but what some heathens thought that to be vertuous is more happinesse then to have the wealth of Xerxes the pleasure of the Epicure the Dominions of Alexander the honour of the great Cyrus or Darius That it is more miserable to be vitiously inclined then to endure the poverty of Irus Learn I beseech you learn herein to reform and rectifie your judgements see Ioseph Gen. 39.9 How shall I commit this great wickednesse and sinne against God To this end meditate First The unavailablenesse of all outward benefits to stead us in the day of Gods wrath What then can be like to this Isa 38.3 I have walked before thee in the truth and uprightnesse of my heart Secondly What hazard thou makest of soul for fulfilling the lust of the body thou wilt be enclined to make Moses his choice Heb. 11.25 To suffer afflictions then to enjoy pleasures of sinne Thirdly How do we forget That for all these things the Lord shall bring us to judgement Eccles 11.9 Fourthly Fear him that can cast body and soul into hell Luke 12.5 c. Secondly Try we our selves by this I do not say all grace stands in this for I know a naturall mans judgement may be so farre cleared as to confesse it is greater evill to sinne then to be afflicted and yet it is something as Paul speaks * Phil. 1.10 To disâ—ern the things that differ And surely He is not farre from the kingdome of God who hath his judgement thus farre rectified But First In whom judgement so farre works that when the least sinne is offered or a great affliction chuseth rather to be afflicted then to sinne against God he hath in him something supernaturall Secondly He that can more heartily thank God for this that he hath delivered from the power of sinne then from bodily calamities he hath in him something supernaturall Thirdly He whom this meditation calms in his pressure Well though God suffer me thus to be afflicted yet he hath delivered from the power of darknesse he hath kept me from sinning against him and in that meditation findes contentment that man hath in him something supernaturall And tell me thou that art so much discontented at the course of Gods providence in dispensing outward blessings To whether of the two thinkest thou is he most bountifull To thee whom he hath made rich in faith though poor in this world or to those Epicures and worldlings whose bellies he fils with his hid treasure yet suffers to live in dominion of the * 2 Tim. 2.26 Devill Lazarus or the Glutton Say not therefore Gods wayes are not equall even now thou mayest discern betwixt the righteous the unrighteous if thou knowest how to value blessing with blessing and to give the spirituall preheminence above the temporall My feet from falling Yet warily understand Not as if David had not at all sinned under his afflictions for see vers 11. his extravagancie in his passionate censures and story testifies
as willingly carry a faggot to our burning as they now shoot out their arrows even bitter words I beseech you pray God to give you better hearts ye have heard that their blood is precious in Gods sight it will cost you dear honour or stupidity of conscience and in the end everlasting torment Secondly Remember who said He that toucheth you toucheth the apple of mine eye Zech. 2.8 Thirdly How strict the charge is Touch not mine Anointed and do my Prophets no harm Psal 105.15 Fourthly Set before your eyes the example of Gods wrath on former persecutours People Nations Kings Monarchies God hath not spared for this sinne Take we heed lest he spare not us Nay be sure he will not spare us if we have hand or least stroke in their persecution in their blood Not us of all people for clearly hath the light of the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ shined long amongst us that we cannot as missed forefathers pretend ignorance they had been nursed in Popish superstition we in the true faith of Jesus Christ if we so farre fall away as to imbrue our selves in the blood of Gods Saints for us is reserved the blacknesse of darknesse for ever Consider what I say and the Lord give you understanding in all things Thirdly Precious that is highly he esteems it as men do things that are most precious as their costliest jewels As if there were not vertue in all the whole roll of Christian vertues so great as this to suffer death for the Name of Christ Apoc. 12. They loved not their lives unto death Heb. 12 Ye have not yet resisted unto bloed in striving against sinne Phil. 1.29 To you it is given not onely to beleeve but to suffer for the name of Christ as if therein were Munus I say not in genere necessarii but in genere boni I am sure magni Hence the Apostles joy in it as in their glory Act. 5. ult and Paul when he would preferre himself before other Apostles 2 Cor. 11.22 23 c. useth this same Argument Ancients talk of Aureola Martyrum The crown of righteousnesse is reserved for all that love Christs appearing but there is a Coronet upon that Crown for them who suffer death for the Name-sake of Christ Tears are put into a bottle made varnish to our clarity and glorious splendour no drop of blood but wins us a river of glory effusion of it the whole Ocean as it were of beatitude It checks our cowardize Oh we 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we cowards dastards so timorous in declining our glorry Why are our spirits so dejected as to begin already to halt twixt two opinions or to resolve of neuterality or joyning to the prevailing side First Know there were sometimes who were ambitious of it Sum ego Christianus Secondly Christ promiseth to own us if we confesse him Luk. 9.26 Thirdly Protests to deny us if we deny him Mat. 10.22 Fourthly martyrdom is necessary in Casu Absolutely alwayes Quoad paeparationem animi Mat. 10.38 39. Fiftly weight of glory promised to light momentany afflictions 2 Cor. 4.17 Sixtly A cloud of witnesses yea our Saviour himself gone before us Heb. 12.12 c. What if the Lord select us from amongst his Army of Militants to be his Champions to take up or cast down the Gauntlet in the quarrell to his Kingdome First He hath promised to support 1 Cor. 10.13 Secondly Given us no Armour for the back Eph. 6. but thunders wo to the back-slider Heb. 10.38 Thirdly Honors with conformity to Prophets to Christ in suffering Mat 5 12. Fourthly We are far above the ordinary rate of his Saints when he culls us out as it were to resist unto shedding of blood Fiftly Let us not forget it is the condition of our raigning with him Rom. 8.17 2 Tim. 2.12 Sixtly This way went Christ into his Kingdome Luke 24. The disciple must not be above his Master Seventhly He hath begotten us to a lively hope by the resurrection of Iesus Christ 1 Pet. 1.3 and he first arising up hath given us a pledge of our resurrection to immortality Now the good Lord affect our hearts with these things that we may all rest assured of protection so long as God hath use of our service in life and couragiously resolve to glorifie him in our death if he shall call us to suffer for his Name to the shedding of blood knowing that our blood is precious in his sight and that a drop of it is not shed but wins us a River of blessednes But may we not think it meant of death naturall of Saints Certainly it is true their death is precious understand death in the childe of God is not a meer passion there is action vertuous action in it death of impious men is meerly passive as of brutes and not without resistance and sluggish reluctation and that I say not onely of Nature but of Will too Reasons of it are First This life they know the other they know not Secondly Have no assurance of better state in the life to come Thirdly Soul in passage sees terrour of Judge and knowing no share they have in the mediation of Christ would live alwayes that they might sinne alwayes Now in the death of Gods Saints there is action vertuous action the complement of all vertuous qualities Therefore St Peter calls it The laying down of the Tabernacle St Paul His departure Giving up the ghost Commending the soul unto God In which last act of a Christian is the perfection of Christian vertues First No faith like this Though he kill me when he killeth me I trust in him Iob 13.15 Secondly No love like this To love the present fruition of Christ Thirdly No hope like this Even when we are dying to expect life when the body is falling to expect Resurrection Fourthly No obedience like this willing to consent to the will of God in dying and herein to say Thy will be fulfilled and I am content to do it Psal 40.8 This makes even the Naturall death of Gods Saints precious in his sight VERSE XVI Oh Lord Truly I am thy servant I am thy servant and the sonne of thine handmaid Thou hast loosed my bonds TO discern Connexion in matter of Devotion is difficult the motions thereof being for the most part affectionate Howbeit here is no difficulty There is before mention of the favours God had done him here is the use of the favour Therefore I am thy servant And it contains a Protestation or acknowledgement of his obligations to so gracious a God as had rescued him from the jaws of death wherein note we First The occasion Secondly The matter of the Protestation amplified by the grounds of it Thirdly The vowed expression of it Vers 17. So see how favours of God work upon a gracious dispotion forcing after a sort not onely to acknowledgement of obligation but to tendering of service unto God see 2 Cor. 5.14 15. Isa 6.8 Lo here I am
disturb the sweet peace of our souls they may have their motions their stirrings in us but when they grow tumultuous check curb controule correct them How to judge of passions inordinate Thus learn to know when they are faulty First Do they exceed their measure Grow they unreasonable So that if thou shouldest ask thy soul as Rahel Why am I thus as David Why art thou so disquieted within me And canst thou give no reason when permitted to such measure Then think thy otherwise lawfull are turned to be sinfull passions Secondly Do they disturb reason and understanding stupifie and benumbe it that it cannot stirre it self to meditate or do they command in the soul Then know they are immoderate Thirdly Do they hinder performance of holy and necessary duties invocation meditation c. or but cast dulnesse upon the soul in the performance of these duties Then know they are grown immoderate I say not but to such measure they may arise in the wisest and most sanctified yet when they do rise to this height they have in them what deserves our check Now the remedy or means to work it in us is to consider Gods bountifull dealing with us see Psal 42.5 11. and 43.5 and but the expressions of Gods favour in that kinde nothing can settle the disquiet of the soul Vse Let us be exhorted in prudence to direct our meditations from our pressures to the bounty of God which in other particulars many and many we enjoy there was never childe of God so followed with Gods storms but he had left him some pledges of favor to support him had he had wisdome to meditate on them under Gods hand The cunning of the tempter is this To keepe the minde wholly musing on our evills diverting us from the mercy God remembers in the midst of judgement Hab. 3.2 See I beseech you see the enumeration of favours that David hath Psal 103.3 who forgiveth all thy sinnes healeth all thy diseases redeemeth thy life from destruction crowneth with loving kindnesse and tender mercies who satisfieth thy mouth with good things which executeth judgement for the oppressed which makes known his wayes to his children and which toucheth the point in hand Vers 9 10. He neither keeps his anger for ever nor deals with us according to our sinnes punishing ever Citra condignum rewarding Vltra condignum Oh that this people were wise to consider how favourable how bountifull God is in the sharpest of his corrections How would it silence passion How well should we hereby provide for the rest of our souls VERSE VIII For thou hast delivered my soul from death mine eyes from tears and my feet from falling IN this Verse David gives us the evidence of Gods bounty to him in the enumeration of particular favours conferred on him wherein are First The severall favours Secondly The result or issue of them Vers 9. The favour in generall is deliverance From what if you will know First From misery painfull from death yea from tears for the sentence riseth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Secondly From misery sinfull My feet from falling For the sense Thou hast delivered that is rescued as Psal 6.4 even when he was at the pits brink he rescued My soul That Tropically put sometimes for the Person as Exod. 1.5 Act. 27.37 sometimes for life as Hest 7.3 Gen. 9.5 Iob 2.4 6. whether sense you take you erre not they are co-incident Me or my life Else thus The soul hath a twofold consideration First As a naturall form of a body so organized so it lives in the body Secondly As a spirituall substance or subsistence having in it a power to subsist and exist in it self without the body Death for the time deprives it of the life that it hath in the body not of that life or being it hath in it self But this not all the benefit Not onely so set me out of deadly perill but which yet more amplifies his bounty Mine eyes from tears The meaning is From all sorrow or evidence of sorrow or cause of sorrow in respect of outward perill as Apoc. 21.4 When God is said to wipe all tears from the eyes of his Saints The meaning is He takes from them all sorrow and crying and pain as the Spirit explicates himself And my feet from falling That is Me from falling Synechdoche Metaleptica But so see we the nature of a heart truly thankful to God there is not a blessing nor degree of a blessing nor circumstance of a blessing but it takes notice of and publisheth My soul from death my feet from falling Rescued me when falling that the circumstance Mine eyes from tears the degree Psal 103.2 Forget not all that is not any one of his benefits so also Ephe. 1. From Verse the third to the fourteenth Paul for his own particular 1 Tim. 1.12 13 14. generally for us all Rom. 5. from vers 6. to the 11. see also Psal 107.8 To praise is not simply to say him a thank but to commend and amplifie the riches of his grace and mercy towards us Lord that we had Davids spirit Vse that our mouthes might thus be filled with the praise of the Lord How should the Lord rejoyce over us and delight to do us good Wonderfull hath the Lord been in his mercy towards us in the many deliverances of our Nation from forraigne violence in our peace plenty liberty of the Gospel and plenty of his word purely preached whether we consider the blessings in themselves or measures of the blessings or circumstances of time persons behaviour c. And yet I know not how whether through continuance and long enjoying or whether through opinion that they come to us by ordinary course the greatest blessings have lost much of their price that it is to be feared the Lord means by lack of them to let us see their worth and learn better to esteem them The better to enlarge our hearts to the duty and to teach you how in meditating Gods favours to be holily Rhetoricall Let me minde you First of the misery that is in the want suppose it be in remission of sinnes in knowledge of God in peace of conscience in ministery of the word c. Secondly Our unworthinesse to obtain such blessings Gen. 32.10 I am lesse saith Iacob then all thy goodnesse and the good Centurio◠Mat. 8.8 Lord I am not worthy which and much more we shall easily force our selves to confesse if we consider our behaviour before God unconverted full of obstinacie and of disobedience Tit. 3.3 1 Tim. 1.13 and with all our unthankfulnesse and neglect and abuse of his favours since our calling enjoyed see Ezra 9.8 13. Thirdly Our impotencie without grace of God to acquire or retain them Rom. 5.8 Fourthly The preferment God hath given us either in the blessings or in the measure of the blessings or in the circumstances see Psal 147.19 20. Fiftly Comparing our selves with others perhaps more righteous then our selves more
what more then Simulationem cautelae his affliction drave him unto before Achish King of Gath But there is slipping Psa 73.2.94.18 suppose in those passionate murmurings and discontentments Gods children feel rising under the Crosse Secondly There is falling perhaps into grosser sinne as impatience blasphemy abnegation as Peter Matth. 26.75 Iob 3. Ier. 10.14 And thirdly There is Prolaepsio or Ruina Psal 44.17 18. In one of these at least the Lord is gracious to support his children see Iob 1. and 2. Psal 44.17 18. Hebr. 11.35 Fourthly Stumbling at Rom. 14 c. Comfort your selves with these things Vse either all divine presages are false else certainly evill times will come some God is so mercifull unto to take away from the evill to come as * 2 Kings 22.20 Iosiah was taken and * Gen. 5.24 Enoch Ne malitia mutaret intellectum and many other righteous Isa 57.1 Yet questionlesse there are some whom God reserves to trialls perhaps sharp and bitter surely the tendernesse we shew towards verball persecutions may give us cause to fear in respect of our selves we shall be more delicate and timorous in the fiery triall yet here is our comfort God hath been mighty in mans weaknesse enabled many a weak Christian to endure great fights of affliction and to resist in striving against sinne to the shedding of blood that cloud of witnesses Heb. 12. are so many evidences of Gods goodnesse and power to support us see Rom. 15.4 This rest assured of either he will not suffer us to be tempted or else will give issue with the temptation 1 Cor. 10.13 Nothing shall separate finally from Gods favour Rom. 8.38 VERSE IX I will walke before the Lord in the land of the living THe Result of Davids Deliverance else as some conceive a Promise or Vow of thankfulnesse to God for his great bounty towards him Sense The reading may be diversly conceived I shall walk so it denotes the summe of the blessing or I will walk so it points at the duty Walk before the Lord Walking with God we read of Henoch Gen. 5.22 24 which the Apostle following the Septuagint renders Pleasing God Heb. 11.5 and in Gen. 17.1 we reade of walking before God prescribed to Abraham and the explication after a sort sub-joyned and be thou perfect or upright the practice of the precept in that sense see Gen. 24.40 by Abraham see also Isa 38.3 1 Sam. 2.35 I will build him a sure house and he shall walk before mine anointed for ever that is minister or do service to mine Anointed the Messiah in the Priests Office Confer Luke 1.74 75. In the land of the living Fondly do some Ancients here conceive heaven or the heavenly countrey to be understood and thereupon take occasion Allegorically to shew that this earth is Terra morientium Consult with Scripture ye shall finde it imports no more but this upper face of the earth where living men dwell and converse as Iob 28.13 where shall wisdome be found man knoweth not the price of it neither is it found in the land of the living that is amongst men here on earth Psal 52.5 David fortelling the destruction of Doeg God shall take thee out of thy dwelling place and cast thee out of the land of the living Clearly Isa 38.11 I said I shall not see the Lord in the land of the living I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world The whole sense amounts to this summe I shall live to do God service amongst men here on earth and that service will I perform in the uprightnesse and sincerity of my heart contra see Iob 10.21 22. Psal 88.12 Which me thinks he utters with the voice of joy and thankfull rejoycing that the Lord had so graciously delivered him from those deadly perils for this end that he should yet live amongst men to do service unto God Notice it then as no small blessing of God to have life prorogued to do good service upon earth whether in the Ministery or Magistracie or family as a craftsman or husbandman For in all these saith the Apostle Col. 3.24 ye serve the Lord Christ Three things we may observe in the practice of Saints serving to evidence this truth First Bitter wailings and lamentations when God hath threatened to take them away by untimely death see David making his bed to swimme with tears and with hearts grief piâ—â—ed away with sorrow in his sicknesse Why if ye ask Psal 6.5 he saw he was likely to be cut off from doing service unto God Hezekiah Isa 34.14 Like a Crane or a Swallow so did I chatter I did mourn as a Dove Ver. 3. Wept sore I said in the cutting off of my dayes I shall go to the gates of the grave I shall be deprived of the residue of my years compare Vers 18 19. Secondly A second thing observable in their practice is their earnest deprecation of untimely death and fervented supplication to have life prorogued Psalmes are full see Psal 102.23 24. his wailing he weakened my strength in the way he shortened my dayes Then said I O my God take me not away in the midst of my dayes let that wrath be upon my adversaries nay even when yeers were come upon them yet some remains of ability to serve God Psal 71.18 Now that I am old and gray-headed forsake me not untill I have shewed thy strength to this generation and thy power to them which are yet to come see Psal 30.8 9 10. Thirdly Observe again the joyfull thanksgiving that they have returned unto God when he hath pleased to renew hopes of surviving Isa 38.17 Thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption Papists would assigne this reason For that the blessednesse that stands in the vision of God they were excluded from shut up in the strait of Hell wherein though they rested from outward miseries yet wanted their souls the chief part of beatitude the blessed vision and fruition of the God-head Was that the matter Yet were they In refrigerio in a place where they received comfort Luke 16.25 And of Elias it is noted he was taken up into heaven that he with Moses appeared unto our Saviour at his Transfiguration Matth. 17.4 who doubts but clad with heavenly glory Our people fancie another reason and that forsooth is because they had not in the old Testament that clear revelation of the glorious state of Gods Kingdome nor that plentifull assurance of their salvation that we now have And was that the reason they desired so long to live First herein we affirm untruths for had not Abraham Moses and David as firm assurance of the blessed state of Gods children after this life as the ordinary rate of Gods people now see Heb. 11.10 26 27. And secondly slander the generation of the righteous not because they had lesse assurance of Gods love then we but because they had lesse self-love then we yea more zeal
for God and desire to do good to his Church willingly suffering the respit of their own glorious reward to the end they might though on hardest tearms bring glory to God and do him service in the land of the living Therefore this reason themselves give alwayes First For that they saw the one half then of them which also was made to be an instrument of Gods service to lie brute and senslesse in the grave Secondly For that they desired to benefit the generation then living and to propagate Gods praise to succeeding posterities Psal 71.18 Isa 38.19 20. See also Psal 30. and 88. and 6. and 115. Beloved Remarkable is Gods providence to me in casting me without any thought or choice of man upon a Text presenting to my memorie even according to the time this great mercy of God to my soul delivering my soul from the pit of corruption that I might yet live to do him service in the land of the living Worthy were my tongue to cleave to the roof of my mouth my right hand for ever to forget her cunning if I should now forget or passe over with silence the great love God hath shewen to my soul in delivering it from the pit of corruption O Lord enlarge my heart to praise thee At Bristoll Even upon this day according to the time of life this time twelve moneths was I in the jaws of death none that beheld me saw so much as the least hope of life my soul had not the least commerce with the body so farre as I know Much about this hour God was pleased graciously to look upon me to shew me some glimpse of his mercy some beginnings of life some hope that I should walk before him in the land of the living and hitherto by Gods mercy I live performing him weak but hearty service in his Church Lord what is man that thou so visitest him Who am I the least of all Saints the chief of all sinners on whom thou thus magnifiest thy mercie What is that service poor I have done What that service thou reservest me to do O Lord be pleased to reveal it unto me to make me worthy by thy grace chearfully to perform it Da quod jubes jube quod vis for thou hast redeemed my soul from hell my life from death thou hast continued abilities and opportunity to do thee service to walk before thee in the land of the living Blessed be thy glorious Name O Father of mercies and God of all consolation blessed be thy Name for ever and ever and let all thy people say Amen Secondly Correct that errour of your judgements wherein I know you please your selves many of you ignorantly as if it were a matter of grace more then ordinary to pray for death untimely in respect of the tearm of nature This hold for a Rule I dare say it is certain While God gives ability to do him service or opportunity or hath use of us in meanest service be it but as David to declare Gods righteousnesse to the generation present as Hezekiah the father to the childe to shew Gods truth Isa 38.19 so long ought we to desire to live we sinne in wishing our premature death And well weigh it and tell me whether such desires upon what ground soever argue not rather self-love more love of our selves then of our God when God hath use of our service on earth to wish our selves out of the world Who can shew me any Saint of God in old or new Testament who ever made prayer to God or approved himself in the desire of death when God had use of him here in the land of the living without apparant fault Elias * 1 Kings 19.4 14. he indeed in a passion prayes unto God for death and his reason mark which should have been a reason rather to move him to pray for preservation of life because now there was so great use of his service for the benefit of the Church That of Iob and Ier. 3. and Ier. 20. are apparantly passionate wishes of flesh and blood arising from discontent at their crosses which I think no gracious man allows in himself or another And make what pretences you will I dare undertake to evidence the prayers the desires are sinfull to wish death as long as there is ability or opportunity to do God any service upon earth or use of service upon earth First That of * Iob 6. Iob upon this ground I have not yet denied the words of the holy One seems fair neither can I blame his fear of his own infirmity but yet there was faithlesnesse in the wish for hath not God promised to support 1 Cor. 10.13 Secondly That of imperfection of grace and sinnes by defect in the service of God is as plausible as any thing to legitimate the desire yet it proceeds from a false ground It is false that the longer we live the more we sinne if we be Gods the longer we live the lesse we sinne sinne is mortified daily and we bring forth * Psal 92.14 more fruit in our age Thirdly That of evills to come from which to be taken away aforehand is promised as a favour Isa 58.1 and 2 Kings 22.20 yet warrants not the wish This let us be assured of First Simply if we speak Proroguing of life to the utmost tearm of nature is the blessing untimely death simply considered is the judgement That it turns to a blessing is by accident it is a blessing by accident Secondly I do not think but Iermiâ—hs blessing was in the fruit as great as Iosiahs for though Iosiah saw not the evill yet Ieremiah endured the evill with patience in the mean time did service to God in sustaining his Church Iâ—siah went before Ieremiah to heaven Ieremiah had more glory in his time In a word Some God takes away from evills to come in mercy and favour they are such as he sees likely to be overcome of the evills in that respect he shews them favour others he reserves to taste the evills to give testimony to his truth To them this is a favour yea and simply the greater favour Is the question which is rather to be desired Answ Simply if we speak Prerogation of life for that is natively the blessing Secondly For the comparison it is to be meâ—sured by the quality and state of the persons Hath God use of their service upon earth First They ought to preferre Gods glory before their own salvation Secondly They shall be assured God will give issue with the temptation 1 Corinth 10.13 Thirdly Neither loose they ought in the measure of their reward as according to pleasures in sin so much torment so according to pains in this life is the measure of our glory If you will ask me how we shall know whether God hath use of our service upon earth Surely The question is obscure and curious to be measured onely by continuance of abilities opportunities or calling from God
But because it is uncertain This rule walk by First Though simply if we compare state with state it is best to be with Christ for that is the end of our life there is perfection and consummation of holinesse there is fulnesse of joy and pleasures for evermore Yet secondly for thee whose service God hath use of on earth it is better to live on earth the yeers of Methuselah doing God service then to be whirried as Elias with chariots of Angels presently into heaven In heaven thou hast thine owne glory on earth thou promotest Gods glory and in the end findest a glorious reward proportioned to thy measures of doing service to God here upon earth What then may we say of them whom God hath taken away in the prime of their life as that peerlesse Iosiah amongst the posterity of David Answ What but what Saint Paul speaks of the Martyrs The world was not worthy of them that people unworthy of such a pearl a Prince so peerlesse as was Iosiah for now the Lord remembred the sinnes of Manasseh and the time of vengeance drew neer upon that rebellious and gainsaying people Secondly Or that God saw their weaknesse and some likelihood of their corruption therefore took them away by death as Henoch by transmutation Ne malitia mutaret intellectum Thirdly Or they had served their generation according to Gods will as is said of David Act. 13.36 therefore fell asleep or as our Saviour Had finished the work which God had assigned them to do and were therefore taken away unto glory Ioh. 17. they had finished their course and kept the faith and were now to receive their crown of their righteousnesse 2 Tim. 4.7 8. And yet it is true while God gives ability and opportunity to do him service upon earth while he calls us to do him service upon earth while he hath use of our service of men upon earth it is his great blessing to reserve us to walk before him in the land of the living to be preferred in our choice before the hastening of our salvation and glory in the kingdome of heaven Blessed be thy glorious Name most glorious God Father Sonne and holy Ghost for all thy mercies for thy marvellous loving kindnesse shewen to me in a strange city in rescuing me from the gates of death and from the jaws of the grave in love delivering my soul from the pit of corruption preserving my life to walk before thee in the land of the living Lord God What shall I render unto thee for all thy benefits thou hast done unto me for this unspeakable mercy thou hast vouchsafed unto me It is little too little for so great a favour to praise thy power thy goodnesse thy grace thy mercy thy truth and my heart is too narrow to comprehend the heighth and depth of thy love to me in Christ Iesus even in this one favour vouchsafed unto me Lord enlarge my heaâ—t and â—ffectioâ—s fill it with love of thy Majestie zeal of thy glory Take up body and soul what ever I am or have to thine own use Behold Lord truly I am thy servant disiâ—ing to do thee service upon earth Lord accept my endeavours pardoâ— mine imperfections give more strength to perform Lord I am willing to do it yea my heart is ready Be pleased Lord to accept these calves of my lips this poor weak morning sacrifice of praise and thankesgiving which goeth not out of fained lips Lord thou knowest it accept it therefore for thy promise sake for thy mercy sake for the merits sake of sonne Iesus the Mediatour of all Grace and mercy to the sonnes of men To him with thee O Father of mercies O holy Spirit Comforter of the Church and chosen children be all honour and glory for this and all other thy mercies towards all Churches of thy Saints for ever and ever Amen That might here be annexed by all good means to cherish life that we may perform the service God expects from us Scripture points us to four causes or means of shortening life First Immoderate sorrow especially for things of this life Prov. 12.25 Heavinesse makes the heart sloope Prov. 15.13 By sorrow of heart the spirit is broken see 2 Cor. 7.10 Secondly Intemperance whether in diet or other luxurie which what tends it unto but the shortening of the dayes Plures gula quam gladias and it is that the Lord foretells to men given to the flesh Prov. 5.11 The flesh and bodâ— are consumed see Prov. 6.26 and 7.23 Thirdly To this adde those other grosse crimes for which God hath threatened untimely death the blood-thirsty and deceitfull live not out half their dayes either the sword of the Magistrate seizeth on them or else Gods immediate hand taketh them away as we see in Absalon Adonijah c. Fourthly immoderate pining of the body with immoderate fasting watching labour though never so religiously imployed see Col. 2.23 If we follow the second reading which perhaps is here implied it implies the promise or vow of David in thankfulnesse unto God for his marvellous deliverance vouchsafed unto him Wherein are three things considerable First The act Secondly The manner Thirdly The mean First The act is to walk or to serve God Secondly The manner in sincerity Thirdly The meane implyed in the Trope Before him But so see we the generall fruit of all Gods gracious deliverances vouchsafed us the duty we owe him in liew thereof that is to do him service in that rank or station whatsoever it is God hath placed us in so Zacharie speaking of the end of that great deliverance from spirituall enemie it is to serve him in holinesse and righteousnesse Luke 1.74 75. and Psal 50.15 23. hence Davids acknowledgement and protestation Psal 116.16 17 18. To fill up the meaning that must be weighed That the Lord expects in respect of speciall favours speciall service increase of our measures according to the measures of our abilities Ye must understand that there is upon all a generall obligation and duty of service that they owe unto God arising from benefits they enjoy in common with others as Creation Providence Redemption Word c. which bond yet by speciall favours grows more strait especially when they grow towards personall and we become after a sort proprietaries in them for example Israel had a bond of service as heathen from Creation and Providence but much more for the specialty of Gods favour in their deliverance from Aegypt wherefore that is prefixed as a reason of obedience to the Decalogue Exod. 20.2 in shewing his word unto Iacob his statutes and ordinances unto Israel so is the bond yet more increased Psal 147.20 Levi had yet more then Israel God had singled them out of all the Tribes of Israel to minister before him Num. 16.9 therefore he looked to be sanctified by them especially Levit. 10.3 wherefore see this a circumstance of aggravation upon Hezekiah 2 Chron. 32.25 that he rendred not unto
thou so regardest him The rather because it is a teaching peculiar to Gods children that though the generalls of Doctrine touching Gods Nature and Will and speciall love to his children be propounded to all mens mindes in the Church yet this experimentall teaching in things that concern life and godlinesse is the priveledge of the chosen Ioh. 6.45 They shall be all taught of God they onely in this manner no men but Gods Elect have that experience of what God hath made severall to his servants There are two kindes or degrees of knowledge One speculative the other practicall or experimentall The speculative standeth in contemplation this had Balaam Numb 23.10 thence grew his passionate wish Oh let my soul die the death of the righteous The all-sufficiencie of the merits of Christ to salvation wicked contemplate so of remission of sins c. but the experimentall knowledge of all these is the privelege of his chosen onely But note we how from particular experience he inferres a generall Rule Will it proceed God tenderly respects the life of David Is he therefore so to all his children Above in the handling of the fifth Verse we had an enquiry How farre generall inferences of duty might be made from particulars and the last Lords-day how farre the same might be made from example Now it is to be enquired How farre generall Doctrines of favour may be made from particular experiments Surely ye shall finde it common in Scriptures from particular actions of God in patience or mercy or power to inferre generall conclusions see 2 Pet. 2.9 He saved Lot Noah therefore knows how to deliver his He had mercy on me repenting therefore will save all penitent sinners 1 Tim. 1.16 With Jews receiving Sacraments he was not pleased 1 Cor. 10.5 therefore may not Christians presume of favour because they enjoy the Sacraments He plagued them for murmuring for idolatry fornication therefore take heed of like sinnes Rom. 11.20 He spared not naturall branches therefore not thee but fear also not being high-minded thine own cutting off likewise Cautions here are these First Be sure thy conclusion be delivered in the word of God then spare not to inferre according to the latitude thereof with God there is no respect of persons A conclusion in the word of God I perceive it saith Saint Peter Act. 10.34 All penitents shall be saved Ezek. 18. that 's confirmed from Saint Pauls experience 1 Tim. 1.16 Precious is the blood of Saints in Gods sight Psal 72.14 from experience David affirms it And this Rule well arms us against all Enthusiasmes and such like delusions wherein Anabaptists runne to the shipwrack of their souls Secondly Distinguish generall from personall priveleges for such ye shall read many in the word of God Num. 12. If there be a Prophet I will speak to him by dream or vision my servant Moses is not so To be instructed in all things thou mayest expect but to talk with God face to face or to be informed by dream or vision expect not To the Law and to the Testimony Isa 8. And Mal. 2. Priests lips shall preserve knowledge Thirdly Where the favour is generall yet the manner and mean of convayance may be personall for example to be fed in famine is a generall promise Psal 37. but to be fed as Elias by a Raven or as the widow of Sarephath by miraculous multiplying the meal and oyl was their personall privelege Fourthly As in the Modus and mean so in their measure there are that have prerogative in common favours as in knowledge Moses in faith Abraham in patience Iob in zeal David in revelations Paul A measure except according to the promise of God who gives to every one severally as he will 1 Cor. 12.11 Fiftly In application of the generall in other mens experiments to thy self be sure thou bring like qualification It is true God had mercy on Paul repenting therefore he will have mercy on all but repenting c. Slight not therefore thine own or other mens personall experiences they bring great good unto much confirmation to faith concerning the generalls in them we are grown me thinks too wavering That is a true Rule Gal. 6.18 Mercy shall be upon such as upon the Israel of God yet it is upon such as walk after the right Rule That 's a true Rule God will provide thee competencie according to thy state and person if thou keep his wayes precisely yet false weights and false measures we must use else how shall we live That God will finde us a hiding place in the day of his wrath is a true Rule Zeph. 2.3 most plentifully we have seen it experimented to Elias Elisha the Prophets under Iezabel Why doubt we Oh we of little faith and our selves have experimented in many particular perills and deliverances and preservations and provisions that God hath made for us And surely God is rich in mercy to all Rom. 10.12 and with him is no respect of persons His dealings are exemplary Rom. 4.24 1 Tim. 1.16 so we resemble in behaviour Follows now the matter of observation It is enunciated in one simple proposition tending to explicate the esteem God holds of the death of Saints which some interpret of his Saints in death Rather of the death of his Saints I could cloy you with interpretations but Quorsum The like phrase of speech we reade 2 Kings 1.13 14. Psal 72.14 Now whether he means their naturall or violent death inflicted by persecutours may be quaere'd Rather this latter as Psal 72.14 Their blood is precious to this circumstances of the Text invite us First Rarely doth God give way unto it for so finde we the word Precious put for Rare 1 Sam. 3.1 Never but upon speciall cause And this is that we have doctrinally Psal 72.14 He doth redeem their soul from deceit and violence that neither sword nor cruelty prevails to overthrow it Psal 37.32 Wicked watcheth Righteous seeketh to slay him Vers 33. The Lord will not leave him in his hand Plentifull instances we have in Scriptures I could begin with Iacob and so hold on to Eliah Elisha the Three Children Dan. 3. Fires action suspended and Dan. 5. Lions mouthes stopped Besides many extraordinary deliverances of others in latter times wherein the wisdome and power of God hath strangely shewed it self for their deliverance and preservation 2 Tim. 4.18 God delivered Saint Paul out of the mouth of the Lion Saint Peter destined to death by Herod miraculously delivered by an Angel Act. 12 c. Thus understand it First While God hath use of their service upon earth Ioh. 11.7 8 9. Are there not twelve hours in the day Luke 13.32 Go and tell Herod that Fox c. Ioh. 7.30 No man laid hands because his hour was not yet come and 8.20 Secondly Except by their death they may bring more glory to God then by their life Old Polycarpus having served Christ fourscore yeers in life if now to teeth of Lions he
become a prey it is his glory When Paul hath finished his course then time to die Martyr 2 Tim. 4.8 Thirdly Marvellous are the dispensations of providence in this kinde sometimes by peace propagating the Church sometimes by persecution Act. 9.31 Phil. 1.12 Under Dioclesian the Emperour especially this was the course when weekly daily hundreds of Christians were Martyred in so much that the rate of one moneth taken amounted to seventeen thousands yet out of their Ashes sprung up New which made Tertullian say Semeâ— est sanguis Christianorum I say in our Saviours language Luke 12. Fear not little Flock Though evill dayes approach us and come on fast yet if God have any service for us to do on earth it is not all the spight of the world shall shorten our dayes First A hiding place we shall finde in the day of Gods wrath Secondly Fire shall not burn The Lions shall not devour Daniel while God hath service for him here on earth Some Ebedmelech God will raise up to speak good for Ieremie to the King some one or other Boyling oyl or lead shall not destroy the Evangelist Saint Iohn Marvells Miracles we read in Church-Story of strange deliverances of Saints If these move not yet let us consider First Our hairs are numbred Luke 12. Secondly Are ye not of more value then Sparrows Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints I remember it for this end because perhaps our hearts may be surprized with fears in this wavering condition we live in and our fears may perhaps distract or deject us As they spake Dan. 3. The God we serve is able to deliver us and the Lord will certainly preserve us in life while he hath use of our service upon earth Why are we timorous Oh we of little faith First Meditate seriously the examples of Gods marvellous deliverances of his people in former times Secondly Think of the promise First Either God will keep evils from us Or Secondly Take us from evils Isa 57.1 Or Thirdly Support in or under the evill that the issue may be comfortable 1 Cor. 10.13 2 Cor. 12.9 Secondly As precious things are not parted withall but at a dear rate So certainly it is true dearly they pay for the blood of Saints that spill it Truly said Cyprian There never was bloody persecution raised against the Church but there followed it as an acoluthite some extraordinary remonstrance of Gods vengeance in famine sword pestilence captivity and the like From the time of righteous Abel to Zechary Matt. 23. from that very day to this hath it been verified Cain had his mark as some say terrour and trembling set on him not slain indeed lest the people should forget it but plagued in the posterity their vitious manners brought in the flood upon the world of the ungodly Of Manasseth it is noted He filled Ierusalem with blood from corner to corner himself is carried away captive and repenteth yet to this cause is imputed the seventy yeers captivity in Babylon And our Saviour giving reason of the destruction of Ierusalem Matth. 23. saith They had killed the Prophets and stoned them who were sent unto them Those Civill warres read of in Romane Monarchie began not till persecutions raised against Christians decay of the Empire in the heat of persecution till at length Mahomet first and after him the Turk had seized the more part of the Christian world What should I speak of particular persons There is scarce any noted for notorious in bloody persecutions who is read to have died a dry death or not to have lived in horror of conscience or hardnesse of heart and blasphemy as we read of Herod of Pilate of Iulian c. I spare mention of those endlesse and unsufferable torments reserved for them against the life to come 2 Thes 1.5 Tribulation to them that trouble us for them is reserved the mist of darknesse for ever And do not marvell it For First They cost Christ dear even his own precious blood 1 Corinthians 6.20 1 Peter 1.19 Secondly They were nearly knit to Christ so near as members one to another as the body to the head Ephes 1.22 Ephes 5.30 and by compassion he is tortured when they are tormented Thirdly The malice bent toward Christians in respect of Christianity is bent indeed against Christ himself the head of Christians and certainly they who desire to root Christians out of the earth would if they could pluck Christ out of heaven In a word The cause they suffer for is Christs no marvell if he so tenderly take the shedding of their blood which for his sake they spill For thy sake are we killed Amongst many presages of some great evill coming towards us as First The death of so many Righteous Secondly The ripenesse of sinne Thirdly The unprofitablenesse of our smaller corrections Fourthly Our long Peace and which grows up with it our deadly security Fiftly The melting of our hearts as Rahab speaks Iosh 2. at the noise or rumour of the approaching enemy c. Give me leave to minde you of this as one A principall meritorious cause of all the wrath that hangs over our heads You may call to minde the Tempora Mariana The dayes of Queen Mary How much precious blood of Saints was spilt as water upon the ground which yet was never perhaps expiated by any wrath of God or by any solemn humiliation of the people Lest any say These dayes are past and gone and we have since had gracious Princes who have been Nursing-Fathers Nursing-Mothers to the Church as was King JAMES and Queen ELIZABETH both of most blessed memory It is true but so had Ierusalem after Manasseh Iosiah that peerlesse King of Iudah there was none like him before or after yet God remembred the sinne of Manasseh and therefore sent Nebuchadnezzar a wicked Idolater to carry them away captive Oh that we could think of it and lay to heart this amongst all our other sinnes Blood defiles the land the blood of Innocents the blood of Martyrs is precious in Gods eyes we must by our smâ—rt know the price of it Oh sirs that amongst all our other sinnes this might be matter of our humiliation peradventure yet the Lord would return and have mercy upon us I confesse we have many sinnes of our own personall committing but this sinne of our fathers how do we not tremble at If that be it that the sonne smarts not for the father except he resemble in the fathers sinne True indeed in eternall not so in temporall judgements that made Daniel confesse the sinneâ— of his fathers Dan. 9. and the Lord threaten to visit the sinnes of the fathers upon the children Exod. 20. It serves me thinks for caution to all the brood of Cain amongst us whose hands indeed are restrained but hearts boyl with malice against Gods people for Christianity-sake And I am perswaded there are amongst us who if times would serve for it would