thou art quite cold in the matters of Religion I charge thee in the Name and fear of the Eternal God that thou presently bethink thy self what an aggravation this will be of thy continued and increased wickedness and that thou turn from it least God turn thy body into the grave by some other distemper as an Ague or Feaver or Consumption though he did not by the Plague Oh think with thy self God hath taken away some of thy sinful Companions that were wont to be drunk and swear with thee who if God should bring them back again from the dead would tell thee that they are damned for their Drunkenness and that they have been in Hell among Devils and have felt the wrath of God to be heavy and intolerable for those very sins they have committed in thy company and thou with them Would not they tell thee if they had thy time they would pray but swear prophanely no more if God had suffered them to out-live the Plague or would after death and tryal of the torments of Hell entrust them with life again they would be better Remember some of them that the other day were drinking unto drunkenness in the Ale-house dying in final impenitency are now damned with the Devils that some of them that the other day thou hadst by the hand and drunkest unto in the Tavern and did sing and roar together at your Cups are now howling and roaring amongst the damned and are scorched in those flames and rowling in that Lake of brimstone where there shall be no mercy no mitigation no cessation of their torments And know thou whoever thou art that if thou dost not speedily return to God if thou dost not mend thy life and that quickly too if thou dost not repent and reform and that quickly too thou shalt be a companion with them in torments with whom thou wast companion in sinning It was but a few dayes since that they were with thee upon the earth and if thou art not changed it will be but a few dayes hence and thou shalt be with them in Hell and when thou art there remember once thou readest such lines that told thee so Therefore if thou art not resolved for Hell be perswaded to be better after such an awakening Judgement if thou valuest thy soul if thou hast any fear of Hell and Wrath yet left in thee let it work to a speedy Reformation Tell me what if God had set thee in some place when five six seven thousand dyed in a Week of the dreadful Plague amongst whom no doubt but many went to Heaven and are now viewing the Son of God c. that thou mightest have seen impenitent Drunkards and impenitent Worldlings and impenitent Swearers seized upon by Devils and carried into torments gone crouding in at the broad gate into pains eternal and unspeakable and couldst but have heard their words or perceive their apprehensions of their manner of life upon the earth how would this have affected thee after such a sight as this what wouldst thou doe Be drunk still wouldst thou be a Sweater and a Worldling still a Formalist and Hypocrite still then if thou wilt be damned goe on who can help it But rather return repent that thou mightest have everlasting cause to admire God that thou dyedst not in this Plague till thou repentest of thy sin and wast prepared for another World SECT X. Secondly WIcked men will be worse under the dispensations of Gods Ordinances But here I shall be the shorter because it hath been the Providence of God in the late Plague that hath moved me to this work to which I would have my words have more immediate reference Many wicked men are oftentimes the worse 1. For the Word of God and the preaching thereof Not that there is any thing in the Word to make men so but it is accidental to the Word it may be occasioned by the Word but caused by their own corruptions Ministers might preach till they waste their strength and yet they will be Whoremongers and Adulterers still they will be envious and malicious still The same Sun that softens the Wax doth harden the Clay Obed-Edom was blessed for the Ark of God but the Philistines were cursed for it Ungodly men suck poyson from the sweet Flowers of Gods Word which yields nourishment to the souls of Gods people Weak eyes are the sorer if they look upon the Sun Naturalists observe that the fragrancy of precious Oyntments is wholsom for the Dove but it kills the Beetle and that Vultures are killed with the Oyl of Roses And St. Paul that the Word is to some the savour of life unto life and to others the savour of death unto death 2 Cor. 2.16 17. 2. For the Sacrament of the Lords Supper That which is to Believers Calix Vitae a cup of Life is to Unbelievers Calix Mortis a cup of Death Wicked men call good evil so they turn that which is good in it self to be evil unto them Donum male utentibus nocet Good becomes evil to those that use it not aright St. Paul treating of the Sacrament sayes Ye come together not for the better but for the worse 1 Cor. 11.17 The red Sea saved the Israelites but drowned the Egyptians And the reason why the Devil maketh drunkards and profane swearers so eager after this Sacrament as our first Parents after the forbidden Fruit is because he knowes it will do them harm not good as a bad stomach full of crudities turn the food received not into the nourishment of the body but for the feeding of their humours As a mans Sea-sickness is occasioned by the waves but the foulness of his stomach is the cause thereof They must needs be worse For 1 the Devil takes fuller possession of their hearts When Judas had eaten the sop the Devil entred into him that 's a fatal morsel when the Devil follows it Joh. 13.26 27. 2 Their presumption and false hopes of heaven are hereby strengthened they think if they doe but receive their sins shall be pardoned and their souls saved 3 Their guilt is more encreased because they are guilty of the body and blood of Christ This is dreadful guilt this is a 〈◊〉 fact 4 They prophane Gods Ordinance and abuse Christs Institution 5 They are thereby riper for temporal Plagues 1 Cor. 11.30 6 They eat and hasten their own damnation 1 Cor. 11.29 But I dwell not upon this because I must pursue my design in reference to the late providence in the dreadful Plague SECT XI Why God is pleased to remove Judgements though many men are worse than they were before THat God should stay his hand and put up his Arrows into his Quiver and his Sword into his sheath and call in the destroying Angel is indeed matter and cause of great admiration that when men sin still God doth not slaughter stil when men provoke him still that he doth not by the Plague punish
of the price of the land Vers 4. Whiles it remained was it not thine own and after it was sold was it not in thine own power Why hast thou conceived this thing in thy heart that thou hast not lied unto men but unto God Vers 5. And Ananias hearing these words fell down and gave up the ghost The like I might say of thy vow before thou hadst made it it was in thy power Deut. 23.22 But if thou forbear to vow it shall be no sin in thee but if thou hast vowed God will surely require it of thee and to slack to pay would be sin in thee Vers 21. Why then hast thou conceived this thing in thy heart to lie to the Holy Ghost in making a vow and not paying thou liest not to men but unto God Oh fear and tremble least death should seize thee presently and thou fall down and give up the ghost In thy vow thou liest unto God if thou dost not pay because we must vow onely to God for sacred vows are a part of Religious worship which must be given onely unto God Deut. 23.21 Eccles 5.4 But in thy promises thou hast made to men thou hast lied unto men and all this doth aggravate thy neglect of coming up to thy vows and promises in time of sickness and fears 5. To Neglect the keeping of thy resolutions and purposes against sin and for an holy life is it not a sinning against conscience and against knowledge It seems thy conscience hath told thee when thou resolvedst to pray more fervently that luke-warmeness in prayer was a sin and yet now thou dost not strive against it thy conscience told thee that the ways of God were the best ways and best for thee to walk therein and yet now thou dost not do it thy conscience hath been so far inlightned to dictate this unto thee and yet thou goest against the dictates of thy conscience thou dost not onely sin with knowledge but against it and sins against knowledge and conscience are aggravated sins and such a sinner is an inexcusable and self-condemned sinner Rom. 2.1 didst thou not condemn thy self in time of Plague that thou hadst taken no more pains for heaven and for thy soul that thou hadst prayed no more and lived no better And what need we any further witness when thine own conscience will come in against thee 6. This will make death terrible indeed unto thee when it comes in good earnest to seize upon thee and then thou shalt finde that the same purposes and resolutions will not quiet thee when in former sickness thou hast had them and in after recovery thou hast neglected to perform them Thy last sickness will come and death at last will come and then thou wilt remember what vows thou hast made and how thou didst not pay them unto God how thou hast resolved against sin and a wicked life but hast made no conscience of living answerable unto them and this will make thee much afraid to dye 7. This will be great unthankefulness unto God for his preservation from or restoration out of sickness To God belong the issues from death but you deny it to him When Hezekiah was restored from his sickness its thought the plague he was thankful unto God for his restoration Isa 28.19 The living the living he shall praise thee as I dâ— this day the father to the children shall make known thy truth Vers 20. The Lord was ready to save mee therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the Lord. And is this to give thanks to God for preservation for restoration from sickness Hath God given you your life from the very borders of the grave and is this the fruit you return to God not onely not to be so good as you ought to be but not so careful as you purposed to be Or do you give thanks to God with your mouth that God hath kept you from the grave and contradict it in your life Your orall thankesgiving is nothing without practical thankes doing Or do you praise God in words and dishonor him in your works and do your lips acknowledge you are engaged to God for his protecting providence and do you so live as if you had received no such mercy from him and that your dependance were not now upon him Is this your thanks to God to break your word with him 8. This will make you loose the spiritual benefit of your sickness and affliction to be worse by the mercies of God is to have mercies in judgement to be better by judgement is to have judgements in mercy But when you live no better and are no better nor endeavor to walk according to your resolutions in time of sickness it is a sign your affliction hath not been sanctified to you that as to spirituals you are not benefited by it God hath put you into the furnace but you are not purified your dross remaineth God hath corrected you but you are not amended If affliction had worked for your good if you had been bad if would have made you good if you had been good it would have made you better David could say Before I was afflicted I went astray but now I have learned to keep thy commandment Psal 119.67 But you might say in my affliction I purposed to walk close with God but after I have been afflicted I go astray Surely your heart is very bad when afflictions made you not better and when mercies makes you worse 9. What is this but to like of sin and disapprove of stricktness of holiness after you have professed your dislike of sin and approved of closest walking with God In your affliction you seemed to be sorry for your sin but now the affliction is over you seem to be sorry that you were sorry for your sin in your affliction you seemed to repent that you had sinned else why did you resolve against it When your affliction is removed you seem to repent of your resolutions against sin else why do not you live and do as you did resolve what is this but to smile upon sin after your deliverance which you seemed to frown upon in time of danger of death and the grave What is this but to finde sweetness in sin after you have tasted something of the bitterness of it To re-imbrace that which you seemed to have cast from you and this is an aggravation of the evil frame of your heart 10. What if thou hadst dyed in thy affliction thou hadst gone to hell upon a mistake and perished for ever when yet thou hadst some hope though upon false grounds that thy condition was good and that thou shouldest have obtained mercy When thou wast sick or in danger thou thoughtest thy condition was good because thou foundest thy heart to resolve to forsake thy sin and purpose to close with the closest wayes of holiness
make an alteration or a change in the heart of a sinner from worse to better except God sanctifie it The Plague upon the body is not a remedy in it self to cure the Plague of the heart for men love more the plague of their hearts than they loathe the plague of the body Possibly outward Judgements may put a stop to some mens sinnings for the present but they will return to them afterwards except God speak effectually to their hearts and consciences as well as lay his heavy stroaks upon the body Judgement to a sinner may be as a Barre to a Thief it may stop him from the present act but doth not change his heart or as a storm to a Mariner may make him cast Anchour for the present but still he retains his purpose of sayling in his Voyage when the storm is over they are oftner salve for their eyes to shew them their sin than physick for their hearts to purge them out sinners in Judgements might declaim against their sin but without a setled purpose in their hearts to decline their sin where there is Grace Afflictions work patience and submission but where there is nothing but corruption they often work passion and repining not Repentance the more God sent his Judgements and his Plagues upon Pharaoh and the Egyptians the more they hardened themselves against God and his people and by Gods Judgements were not the better but the worse Exod. 7.19 to 23. Isa 1.5 Why should ye be smitten any more ye will revolt more and more Psal 78.30 They were not estranged from their Lusts but while their meat was in their mouths v. 31. the wrath of God came upon them and slew the fattest of them V. 32. For all this they sinned still and believed not for his wondrous works And as it was with the woman that had an Issue of blood twelve years in respect of her bodily distemper after great cost and charge and use of means she was nothing bettered but rather grew worse Mar. 5. 25 26. so under Gods Judgements it is with most wicked men in respect of their spiritual state they are nothing bettered but rather grow worse And this appears First Because in time of Judgment they are not separated from their dross Ezek. 24.13 In thy filthiness is lewdness because I have purged thee i. e. God used purging Judgments and thou wast not purged thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more till I have caused my fury to rest upon thee God hath been purging our houses but many have not been purging their hearts but retain their heart-filthiness stil and their life-wickedness stil If God in Judgement say to such You shall not be purged their case is irrecoverably miserable Secondly Because they are not more serious in Religion than they were before either they omit it wholly as before or are as dull and formal as they were before Thirdly Because they are not brought nearer unto God but are rather removed were it possible at a further distance from God than before And the Reasons of this are 1. Because When Gods hand is lifted up they will not see Isa 26.11 they look more to second Causes than to God 2. Because they search not after the sins that provoked God to so great indignation 3. Because if they do see their drunkenness and whoredoms and Sabbath-breaking yet they will not be humbled for them nor forsake them SECT IX III. WIcked men are oftentimes worse by Gods delivering them from Judgements and calamitous distresses Take a wicked man upon his sick bed when God is shaking him over the Grave and threatning him with death and affrighting him with the terrours of Hell you shall hear him acknowledge his sin confessing his drunkenness his neglect of his soul and you shall hear him it may be with tears in his eyes promising if God will raise him from his sickness and trust him with life and time a little longer he will forsake his wicked company and prophane the Sabbath no more If God will but try me saith the sick dying man how will I live and what will I doe and how obedient will I be to the Commands of God And when God answereth his desires in his restoration he performeth not his Promise in his reformation but is more wicked and more vile than before You might see this in Pharaoh when the Plagues were upon him Oh then send for Moses and let him entreat the Lord for me and then I will let Israel goe then he confesseth I and my people have sinned but the Lord is righteous Though many wicked men will not acknowledge nor confess their sin in times of Judgement so much as an hardened Pharaoh did But yet when the Plagues were removed he hardened himself more against God still Read Exod. 8.8.15.24.28.32 and 9.23.27 So Nehem. 9.27 28 29 30. And the Reasons are 1. Because after Judgements removed they are more secure and think the bitterness of death is past 2. Because they break their promises made to God in time of Judgements and so their sin is greater and their guilt is greater and therefore they the worser of this more under another Direction 3. Because Judgement is removed from them before they are purged from their sin When the Plaister is taken off before the sore is healed it will be worse the course of physick is not continued till the vitious humours are dispersed and purged away but Gods people desire the cure may be wrought before the Affliction be removed But Pharaoh was for the removing of the Plagues but not the hardness of his heart 4. Because they adde Incorrigibleness unto all their former sins and must answer for all those Judgements that were lost upon them Wicked men shall not only answer for their Mercies but for the Judgements God sent upon them to reclaim them Sinner God sent the Plague into thy house and then he looked thou shouldest have hastened to have thrown sin out of thy heart but thou hast not done it God did cast thee upon a bed of sickness but thy bed of sickness was not to thee a bed of sorrow for thy sin thou howledst and cryedst our of thy loathsom running-sores but not of thy filthy heart and more loathsome sins thy body was pained but thy heart not broken thou hast been punished and delivered but art not reformed but know the more thou hast sinned and the more thou hast been punished here and yet sin still the more shalt thou be tormented in hell For these thou shouldest look upon as means which God doth use to bring thee to himself and the more means thou hardenest thy self against the more is thy sin and the more shal be thy misery Thus wicked men are oftentimes the worse by Gods Providences But if this be thy case that readest these Lines that wast a drunkard before and wilt be drunk more frequently now that wast a lukewarm Formalist before the Plague begun but now
what manner of persons ought you to be in all manner of holy conversation after such a sight as this IV. In this great house of so great mourning God hath been teaching you the worlds vanity You have seen what miserable comforters riches are to men in time of Plague and at an hour of death you have seen death haling men from that which they had set their hearts upon you have seen death dragging men from their riches and from their pleasures and hath forced them to come away to the Bar of God and leave their riches behinde them and their pleasures behind them You have seen that riches could not go with them into another world but left them in a time of need You have seen that those that loved riches could finde no comfort in them when they stood in greatest need of comfort You have seen that what men have been laboring for and scraping together all the time of their health and life death hath come and scattered in a moment Oh how weaned should you be from the world and the riches and the pleasures thereof after such a sight as this Oh how much less should you afford the world of your heart and affections of your love desire and delights that is so unkind to dying men even unto those that served it most and loved it most Oh do you learn to deal so with the world as you have seen the world to deal with others i. e. turn it out of your heart with as little love and pity to it as you have seen the world turn its followers out of it and shake them off notwithstanding all their entreaties to abide and stay therein The world may now entreat you that it might stay in your heart and live in your love but hearken you no more to its entreaties than it hath hearkened unto others and you must expect the world ere long will deal with you as it hath dealt with others therefore part with the world before you leave the world V. In this great house of so great mourning God hath been teaching you the short continuance of all relations you have seen death taking Husbands from their Wives Parents from their Children Ministers from their people and so Wives from their Husbands Children from their Parents People from their Ministers Those that had but one onely Son Plague and Death hath stripped them of him and teared one relation out of the others bosome fain they would have kept them but death would not suffer them they wept and cryed but death would not have pity on them nor hear their cries nor regard their tears but said this is your childe but I must have him this is your husband but I must seize upon him God hath given me a Commission and I always use to do according to the Commission I receive from God if God will not spare you in vain you look for pity at mine hands I saith death am blinde and cannot see the beauty of your childe that hath drawn out your heart so much towards him I am deaf and cannot hear your pleadings for the continuance of your childe or husband or friend if God doth not hear you I cannot and if God doth not spare and pity you I will not therefore I will smite him and stick my arrow in his heart and dippe it in his life-blood and take him from you Oh how many have thus experienced the dealings of death and you have seen it and will not you learn to sit looser in your affections towards your nearest and dearest relations You have seen death hath seized upon them that were most beloved by their friends and perhaps did therefore do it because they were over loved and took up too much of that love and that delight which should have been more and would have been better placed upon God Your lesson then is set down by the Apostle for I would not teach you by rott nor without the book of Gods word 1 Cor. 7.29 But this I say Brethren the time is short or rolled up or contracted a metaphor taken from a piece of cloth that is rolled up onely a little left at the end so some As Mariners near the Haven winde up their sails or make them less When the sails of time are thus contracted it is a sign we are near the Harbor of eternity It remaineth that both they that have wives be as though they had none Vers 30. And they that weep as though they wept not and they that rejoyce as though they rejoyced not and they that buy as though they possessed not and they that use this world as not abusing it for the fashion of this world passeth away VI. In this great house of so great mourning God hath been teaching you the lesson of humility How many humbling sights have you seen every Corpse that you have seen hath been an humbling sight It may be you have been proud of your beauty but have not you seen that beauty vanisheth away when death comes that beautiful bodies by the Plague and Death have been turned into loathsome bodies and those that you have loved and been delighted to look upon you have been glad to have them buried out of your sight when once dead How many open Graves have you seen and those that have been nice and curious of their comely bodies have been interred and given to be meat for worms and to be a prey to rottenness and putrefaction Have you seen any difference betwixt the poor and the rich beâ—wixt that body that was fed with courser fare and that which was nourished with more delicate dishes Have you not seen bodies that were made out of dust been turned to the dust to be turned into dust and will you be proud after God hath taken such an effectual course to teach you to be humble VII In this great house of so great mourning God hath been teaching you that all things fall alike to all that the wise must dye as well as the fool and the good must dye as well as the bad And though God hath promised conditionally preservation from the Plague unto his people which hath been literally fulfilled to some of his yet some of his have fallen in this general mortality God hath been teaching of you that though grace doth deliver from eternal death yet not from temporal though from the sting yet not from the stroke of death that you though godly should be preparing for your own departure out of this world VIII In this great house of so great mourning God hath been teaching you the difference between the death of the wicked and the death of the righteous that though good and bad alike have dyed yet they have not dyed alike But as there was a difference in their life so God did make a difference in their death Have not you seen some wicked dye without any sense of sin or fear of God or Hell and
danger 5. Sickness and diseases do take away mens delight in those things which men in perfect health do take pleasure in Sick men have no delight in the pleasures of the world and in the riches of the world which other men finde So sin takes away that delight in God and spiritual duties and in heavenly things which those whose souls are cured do experience 6. Sickness and diseases do spoyl the beauty of the body They spoil the fairest complexion and make the ruddy cheeks to become pale and many diseases bring deformity in the room of beauty So sin doth spoyl the soul of that spiritual beauty wherewith it was adorned in its first Creation which did consist in likeness unto God so that now instead of the likeness of God there is nothing but blackness and deformity that the soul that was comely and amiable in the sight of God is now become loathsome and abominable SECT II. II. Wherein doth it appear that Soul sickness and spiritual Judgements upon mens hearts are worse thâ—n sickness and temporal Judgments upon mens bodyes THough most men in the World look upon bodily sickness and corporal Judgments to be more dreadful than sin upon their souls yet if we take a right estimate and make a true judgment of both spiritual Judgements are the greater evils In respect of the 1. Cause or manner of conveyance 2. Signs of greater wrath 3. Subject in which they do reside 4. Number being many 5. Effect that they do produce 6. Difficulty of cure 7. Want of sense 1. Spiritual Judgements and soul-sicknesses are greater evils than temporal Judgements and sickness upon the body in respect of the cause or manner of Conveyance which is by natural propagation and so unavoidable Sin is born with us it is derived from Parents to Children from one generation to another There are some diseases that are conveyed from Parents to Children but this is not general nor perpetual to all generations But the propagation of spiritual diseases is universal and general it is constant and perpetual The seed of all sin is derived from Adam to all his Posterity 2. Soul-sicknesses and spiritual Judgements upon mens hearts are Signs of greater wrath than bodily sicknesses are You may be sick of the Plague and yet God may love you you may have bodily afflictions and God may be at peace with you and because he loves you he may afflict you But spiritual Judgements as judicial hardness blindness are signs of Gods anger yea his sorest displeasure yea which is more they are signs of Gods Hatred to such a man that lyeth under them Now that which doth alwayes argue Hatred in God to a sinner is worse than those things that might proceed barely from his Anger and sometimes from his Love God loathes and abhorres that man the plague of whose heart is not at all cured 3. Spiritual Judgements and soul-sicknesses are greater evils than temporal and corporal sicknesses are because they be spiritual and have the heart and soul for their seat and subject As mercies are better that are spiritual and that are soul mercies so Judgments and sicknesses spiritual are the greater evils because they are the disease of the better and more noble part of man that which doth corrupt the soul must be worse than that which doth corrupt the body by how much the soul is more excellent than the body 4. They are worse because they are more numerous there is more diseases in the soul than in the body If the body be diseased in one part it may be well in all the rest if in more yet not in all if in all yet your case is not so bad But there is no sinner but is diseased in every part there are spiritual distempers in all the faculties and powers of the soul in the Understanding Will Affections Conscience Memory Phantasie In the members of the body no part free Nay there are many spiritual diseases in every faculty in the Understanding there are many ignorance errour c. in the Will many stubbornness choosing the Creature and sin before God c. In every affection of the soul there are swarms of sin In the heart there are innumerable distempers evil thoughts murders adulteries fornications thefts blasphemies false witness Maâ— 15.19 Spiritual diseases naturally be all in every man and be in every part of every man 5. They are worse in regard of the Effects The effects of bodily sickness at the utmost and the greatest is but the death of the body it brings the body to the dust and the grave it doth but separate from friends and betwixt the body and the soul But the effects of spiritual soul-sicknesses except they be healed are dreadful and inconceivably great great and dreadful in this world but greater and more dreadful in the world to come they cause Gods anger they deprive the sinner of communion with God they will separate betwixt God and him for ever they will bring the soul to the place of Devils and the torments of the damned 6. They are worse in regard of difficulty of Cure Bodily distempers may be cured by the skill of man in the use of natural means but the sickness of the soul with nothing but the blood of Christ Of which more afterwards 7. They are worse in regard of the want of sense Where one man cryes out of the hardness of his heart and complains of the unbelief and earthliness of his heart there are many cry out of the sickness of their bodyes If their finger doth but ake they are sensible of it but though the whole head is sick and the whole heart is faint and exceedingly distempered yet they are not sensible of it Therefore though God hath cured the Plague of thy body and not the Plague of thy heart if thy bodily disease is removed but the sickness of thy soul remain without cure thy case is deplorable And while thou art rejoycing that thou hast escaped the Plague thou hast more cause to goe unto thy Chamber and be deeply humbled and mourn before God for the Plagues and Judgements that remain upon thy Soul SECT III. III. How may a man know whether he be healed of Soul-sickness THe cure of these distempers are but partial yet so far are they healed that they shall not be the death of the soul The cure will not be perfect till we die Death we say cures all distempers and so it doth those of the soul There is a double wound that sin doth make there is the wound that doth certainly destroy the soul by hindring it from salvation and eternal life and there is the wound that destroyes the peace and comfort of the soul So there is a double Cure which Christ doth work the one for the safety and happiness of the Soul the other for the peace and comfort of the Soul The first of these we enquire after 1. Every man that is healed of Soul-sickness hath been
sensible of it Sin hath been thy sorrow and thy grief and the burden of thy heart thou hast groaned under it as the greatest load as the greatest evil in the world Every man that is bodily sick and is sensible of it and is unfeignedly willing to be freed from his sickness and desireth nothing more is not cured but it is so in spirituals He that is sensible of sin and is heartily and unfeignedly willing to part with his sin as ever sick man was of sickness is certainly healed by Jesus Christ But such as never found so much sorrow for sin nor sense thereof as to make them willing to part with every sin were never yet cured How can a man that is wounded have his sore dressed and lanced in order to a Cure and not be sensible of the smart and pain thereof Or how can he be healed while the sword that made the wound abideth in it It is as impossible that man should be healed of his spiritual sickness and wounds that is not willing to part with sin as for a man to be healed of his bodily wound while he will not have the sword pulled out that did make it Sin caused the wound and the sickness of thy soul and if thou art not willing to part with every sin thou art not healed thy soul is sick and if thou dost not feel it that is the worse 2. Where the soul is healed the sin is killed the life of sin is the death of the soul and that which is the life of the soul is the death of sin if Christ heal the soul he wounds sin he never heals both if sin be wounded to death the soul is healed unto life as in the body the more health is repaired the more the disease is weakned so the more the soul is cured the more sin is mortified 3. Where the soul is healed there grace is infused sickness being removed health is restored When Christ heals a sinners soul he doth not onely mortifie the sin but sanctifie the sinner when a man is restored from sickness to health that which made him sick is not onely removed but that is introduced which maketh him well so when Christ cures the soul he doth not onely take down the power of sin which did make him bad but he infuseth that which doth make him good 4. Where the soul is cured of the disease of sin it is sick of love to Jesus Christ it is not onely weary of sin but exceedingly longeth after the presence of Christ and communion with God Cant. 5.8 I charge you O daughters of Jerusalem if ye finde my beloved that ye tell him I am sick of love 5. Where the soul is cured of the disease of sin it doth receive Christ by faith when the Israelites were stung with the fiery Serpents and looked up to the brazen Serpent they were certainly cured Num. 21.8 Faith is an healing grace because it eyeth Christ the soul-Physician and fetches vertue of healing from him Mat. 15.28 And Jesus answered and said unto her O woman great is thy faith be it unto thee even as thou wilt And her daughter was made whole from that very hour Mat. 9.2 And they brought unto him a man sick of the Palsie lying on a hed and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the Palsie Son be of good cheer thy sins be forgiven thee The blood of Christ is the healing plaister and faith is the hand that takes it and applyeth it unto the sore 6. Where the soul is cured of the disease of sin it is getting strength for spiritual work and employment more and more it is growing stronger and stronger in grace and goodness as a man whose distemper is broke and going away he is recovering strength more and more to go about his calling and employment he is stronger to walk and work he can endure cold and bear burdens more than before A man that is spiritually cured is waxing in the fruits of the spirit and growing in all the graces of the spirit of God is more and more able to resist temptations to perform duties to bear afflictions and endure hardships for the sake of Christ By these signs you may discern whether your soul is cured so far of the diseases it lay under that they shall not be its death and damnation SECT IV. IV. What should such do that are under soul-sicknesses that they may be healed 1. YOU must be sensible that you are sick he that doth not feel himself sick will take no care about the means of health it is those that are sensible of sickness that will value the skill of the Physician and send to him and desire his direction Mat. 9.12 But when Jesus heard that he said unto them they that be whole need not the Physician but they that are sick 2. When you are sensible of your soul-sickness you must apply your self to Christ the great Physician of souls It is Christ that cometh to those that feel themselves diseased with healing under his wings Mal. 4.2 It is he that healeth the broken-hearted Luk. 4.18 Christ healeth us by his wounds and cureth us by his stripes Isa 53.5 It is matter of admiration and to many past belief that applying of Medicines to a sword should heal the wound made thereby but this is above all reason and beyond all dispute that the bleeding wounds of Christ will be healing to the bleeding wounds of the sinner Christs Golgotha is our Gilead and that you may be the more encouraged to come to Christ when you feel your self sick consider 1. Christ can heal every disease and cure every wound he hath a salve for every sore There are some Physicians that can cure some diseases but not all but Christ when he was upon earth did heal all manner of diseases Mat. 4.23 whether thy eyes be blinde or thy heart hard or thy minde earthly he can open thy eyes and soften thy heart and make thee spiritual yea though thy sickness hath been Chronical of long duration yet he can heal thee yea though thou art sick of a relapse which is most dangerous yet Christ can cure thee 2. Christ will heal your souls without putting you to any charge though you be poor and mean and have nothing to bring to Christ yet you may come for healing he will give you his advise and counsel freely he will give you your Physick his own blood freely you have nothing and he expecteth nothing The woman that had been diseased twelve years and suffered many things of many Physicians and spent all and grew worse came to Christ and was presently and freely healed Mar. 5.25 3. Christ will proceed in this cure with all compassion and tenderness he will not deal more roughly with you than is needful he exerciseth bowels of compassions while he is dressing his patient or if he give you bitter poâ—ions or sometimes useth corrosives he will be exceeding tender
empty and unsatisfying pleasures they do not fill content nor satiate them that give themselves most to follow after them IV. Should not you be dead to and take heed of resting in the wisdom of the World in the attainment onely of Humane Learning after you have seen the Learned die as the Ignorant and the Wise Man as the Fool Humane Learning is more desirable than Riches and Honours and the Pleasâ—res of this World but yet it is not to be acquiesced in without the knowledg of God in Christ Notions in Learning will never deliver from the Torments of Hell many learned sinners have gone to eternal Misery and their torments there are greater than the torments of the Ignorant and unlearned the vanity of the wisdom of this World compared with the knowledge of Christ appeares in that 1. It cannot redress the sinfulness of the thoughts nor help against the vanity of the mind The wise and learned Heathens became vain in their imaginations Rom. 1.21 2. It doth not prevent sinful elections and choise of the will Men of great knowledge choose the World and Honours and Ease and Preferments before Christ 3. It doth not remedy a sinful Conversation Mâ—ny know things to be evil and yet do them and so is an aggravation of their sin and will be of their misery 4. It doth not season Mens communications nor prevent corrupt Discourses but makes them more witty and able to scorn Godlâ—ness jest with Scripture and deride the Professors of the Gosspel But the knowledge of Christ iâ— is 1. the sweetest knowledge 2. It is the surest knowledg being by the Revelation of the Spirit of God 3. It is saving knowledge Thus take a true account of all the things the best the most excellent the most desirable things in this world and you will see no reason why you should wholly spend the residue of that time which God hath â—ent you from the Grave in such an eager pursuit of any thing of this life SECTION II. BUt that you may know whether you yet living are dead to the things of this world I shall give you this general Character viz. If you carry your self towards the world as those that are dead to God do carry themselves towards God then are you dead unto the world and this general is resolved into these particulars 1. Those that are dead to God they see no real excellency in God and Christ but they see something more in the things of the world they see more excellency in their Gold and Silver in their Profits and Preferments in their Pleasures and Delights so if you are dead to the world you do not admire the Choisest and the Chiefest things that are therein but do see more real worth in God and Christ and one dram of Grace then in all the Mines of the most precious things in Nature and in your practical judgment do account them but dung and dross in comparison of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord. 2. Those that are dead to God do make choice of the World and the things thereof before God The will following the ultimate comparative practical dictate of the understanding in wicked Men doth choose Earthly things before God and Christ For though their absolute judgment might be for God yet the comparat judgment all circumstances considered is for the world and their will doth make choice of it accordingly So if you are dead to the world you make choice of God for your chiefest good and greatest happiness For though you may in your absolute judgment look upon the Things of the world used with moderation and kept in their proper place as good yet in your comparative judgment all circumstances considered you do ultimately conclude That God is better in himself and for you yea in both respects and your will doth choose him accordingly 3. Those that are dead to God though they may Pray to God and talk of God yet they do this as though they did it not and Pray as if they Prayed not God hath their Tongues but the world hath their Hearts So if you are dead to the world though you may talk of the world and Trade in the world yet you do all this as if you did it not You buy as if you possessed not and you use this world as if you used it not and though the world may have your hands yet God hath your heart 4. Those that are dead to God they are not troubled at the loss of God nor rejoyce at the tidings how they may have the enjoyment of him So if you are dead to the World you are not chiefly troubled at the loss of these things nor count it so great matter of joy if you have them and enjoy them A man that is dead to God desireth the world and let who will look after God So a man dead to the world desireth God and let who will look after the World as his portion and his chiefest happiness he will not 5. A man that is dead towards God is not restrained from sin by Gods most terrible threatnings though God threaten him with eternal death and everlasting damnation with the loss of heaven and eternal happiness if he persist in his wickedness and continue in sin yet fear of the punishment of loss nor of the punishment of sense will not awaken him to Conversion and through Reformation So a man that is dead towards the World all the threatnings of men that he shall have inflicted upon him divers penalties loss of goods liberty life yet all this is not cogent to bring him in to a course of sin and to do wickedly 6. A man that is dead towards God is not drawn nor allured with the precious and most glorious promises of God to do that which is good Though God promise him heaven and eternal happiness the pardon of sin and his favour yet all this moves him not to come to Christ nor forsake his sins So a man that is dead to the world all the offers preferments enticements of the world to allure him into sin will not prevail he is dead to these things and offers and overâ—ures of the greatest things move not a dead man Thus you may try whether you are dead to the world or no. You live in the world even after such a devouring Pestilence you cannot live answerably to this great mercy except you be dead to the World DIRECTION VII HAth God spared you in time of Pestilence then now be dead to sin kill your sin and solemnize the funeral of your lusts because you live after such a judgment such a mercy doth oblige to the death and burial of sin You are not buried with others in their graves but you should be buried with Christ Rom. 6.4 Therefore we are buried with him by Baptism into death that like as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father even so we also
should walk in newness of life Ver. 6. Knowing this that our old man is crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve sin In which Scripture are set down these things viz 1. The parts of Sanctification Mortification Vivification 2. The cause of our Sanctification viz. communion with Christ in his Death Burial and Resurrection 3. The Testimony and Pledge of it our Baptism 4. The growth and progress of Mortification we should aime at the total destruction of the body of sin by the Crucifying Destroying and Burial of sin You have seen the death of thousands and you have seen the Burial of thousands to all these add one more Funeral and that is the Funeral of your sins Do you out-live this Judgment and shall your sins do so too God forbid This would be to live altogether unanswerably to so great a mercy You live but your sins should be dead in you and you unto your sins Rom. 6.11 Likewise reckon ye also your selves to be dead indeed unto sin but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Though you live yet must you be buried Now Believers are buried in three respects 1. In respect of their good names as they are reproached by the wicked The throats of the wicked are the Sepulchres or burial places of the good names of Gods people this is part of a Believers sufferings 2. In respect of Self-denial Believers must be no more taken with the things of this World so far as to draw them from God than a person dead and buried and lying in his grave 3. In respect of the Mortification of sin and these two last are our duty and of this last I would speak a little following the Metaphor in which there is some difference and some agreement in the burial of our sin and in common burial The difference in these Respects First We bury our friends weeping for their death desirous of their life wishing oâ— that this my Friend had not died oh that I could have kept him in life But we must bury our sin rejoycing as those that are glad of its death Not weeping because sin is dead but that it once did live Secondly We bury our Friends with hopes that they shall rise again and live again But we must bury our sins with hopes they shall never live more never return to them more The resemblance holds in these particulars 1. The Burial of sin supposeth the death of sin Never any man yet buried his sins alive For while sin doth live it is in the heart as in a Throne and not as in a Grave 2. The Burial of sin supposeth the ceasing of the love of sin that we see not that beauty and comliness in sin as we did when it was alive A man that loves his Relation while he lived put him in his bosome yet will not do so when he is dead a man while he loves his sin will never bury it 3. The Burial of sin includeth the removal of it out of our sight and as much as may be out of our thoughts We love not to look upon dead friends nor many times to think or talk of them who while they lived were pleasing objects to our eyes and the delightful matter of our discourse While Sarah lived she was beautiful in Abrahams eyes but when dead he desired to have her removed out of his sight Gen. 23.4 I am a stranger and a sojourner with you give me possession of a burying place with you that I may bury my dead out of my sight The presence of sin is a trouble to you when it is dead and you would have it out of your sight and this removal of sin when dead and buried hath these three properties First It is a total removal the whole body of sin and all the members of it are buried Death might arise from the disease of some particular part but burial covers all He that makes a shew of the burial of sin and yet keeps any in his heart as his love and delight hath indeed buried no sin For who doth so bury his friend as to keep any of his members in his house Secondly It is a voluntary removal when one is dead we make it matter of our choice to have him buried Yea we look upon it as a sore evil and great annoyance to have burial denied to our dead friends So it is your choice to bury your sins and the thoughts of not having them buried is a great trouble to you Thirdly It is a perpetual removal we bury our friends so that we would not have them taken up again and brought into our house So you bury sin never to have it brought back to live again in your heart One that hath buried his sin doth earnestly desire it might be removed out of the sight of God by free pardon out of the sight of his own eyes by the evidence of the pardon and out of the sight of others by leading a contrary Conversation 4. The Burial of sin includes the rotting of the old man in its grave the mouldring of it and the daily wasting of it as dead Corps buried in the earth do consume and wast daily Though a body buried doth not presently totally consume Many years after the burial if the grave be opened you may find the bones and the skull the reliques of sin in the heart of a Child of God are but as the bones and the skull but the body of sin is destroyed 5. The Burial of sin includes the loss of the power and authority that sin had in the heart while it was alive Though a man were never so potent while he lived yet when he is dead and buried he hath no more power nor jurisdiction Though thy sin did sit as a Lord and rule in thy soul while it lived yet being dead and buried its dominion ceaseth Now if you are buried with Christ these things will be a comfort to you viz 1. Those that are buried with Christ are most comely in the sight of God A man that is naturally dead and buried is not so with us but he that is spiritually dead to sin is beautiful in the eyes of God 2. Those that are buried with Christ have converse and Communion with God those that are naturally dead have no more converse with us but a man hath no Communion with God till he is buried with Christ 3. Those that are buried with Christ are past the hurt of death As those that are naturally dead have past through all that death can do unto them if you are buried with Christ though you must come under the stroke of death yet the sting of death is taken out 4. Those that are buried with Christ shall be raised at the last day and shall for ever live with God and Christ and with holy Angels and Saints in the Kingdom of God Rom. 6.8 Now if we be dead
with Christ we believe that we shall also live with him Thus if you would live in some measure answerably to Gods mercy in preserving of you from death and the grave that you are not buried yet with others you must die to sin and be buried with Christ DIRECTION VIII HAth God spared you in the time of Plague that you yet remain among the Living If you would improve this mercie then Live to God and walk in newness of Life God hath not spared you that you should live to your self or to the flesh or that you should walk in your old courses But your duty is now to live to God and to lead a new Conversation God hath brought you to the borders of the grave and to the very confines of another world and shaked you over the grave and hath recovered and restored you and hath as it were given you a new life by reprieving you from the gates of death when you were so near unto it Rom. 6.4 That like as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father so we should walk in newness of life and the equipollent phrases of this new life are To walk with before and after God To walk after the Spirit Rom. 8.1 To serve God in newness of spirit Rom. 7.6 To walk as children of light Eph. 5.8 To walk in the waies of God Psal 119.3 To walk circumspectly Eph. 5.16 That you may being spared from the grave lead a new life I shall shew you The signs or nature of it The excellencies or dignities of it The Impediments and hinderances of it SECT I. THe nature of or that which is included in newness of life doth not consist in these things 1. It doth not consist in some new notions or new speculations which you had not before a new light might be made in an old house New speculations may consist with an old Conversation 2. It doth not consist in a newness of a bare resolution to lead a new life this is but in order to it though if it be real it is a good step towards this walking 3. It doth not consist in a bare performance of some new duties which you did not before an old course of sin may consist with the external performance of some New Duties as Praying Reading c. 4. Nor in a bare keeping of some new Company though this is to be desired that many would forsake their old wicked Company or if God hath taken thy wicked Companions away by death thou wouldst not make choice of those that be as bad 5. Nor in New discoursing of spiritual things A man that was wont to swear and reproach and blaspheme the name of God might now talk of God with others and yet not lead a new life 6. Nor in forbearing of many old sins which before you lived in you were drunkards before but not now I would more were so changed but yet this comes short of this newness of life which doth include these things following To walk in newness of life supposeth a new saving knowledge a new sight and a new judgement of things No man can lead this new life with his old judgment which was corrupt judging that good which was evil and that evil which was good 1 Pet. 1.14 As obedient children not fashioning your selves according to the former lusts in your Ignorance There must be a new sight and new discoverie of these things 1. Of God and his Excellency 2. Of Christ and his Sufficiency 3. Of â—in and itâ— Deformity 4. Of the World and its Vanity 5. Of Grace and its Necessity 6. Of Heaven and its Felicity 7. Of Hell and its extremity of Woe Till a man hath new eyes and hath his understanding opened to see the nature of all these things otherwise than he did before he will not walk contrary to what he did before if he see no more of Christ nor in the Attributes of God nor in Grace he will still flight all these and undervalue them if he have the same admiring apprehensions of the World and seeth as much beauty in deformed sin he will love it still and delight in it still There must be new light and new saving knowledge before there can be a new life To walk in newness of life includes newness of Principle a man with his old Principle can never lead a new life A man in old courses may live according to the Dictates of a natural conscience according to old customes but he that leads a new life must have a new Principle of love to God a new Principle of true fear of God he must have new strength from Christ a new heart and new affections To walk in newness of life includes the vigorous actings of this new Principle and living in the exercise of these new graces infused into the heart in the exercise of new love to God of new desires after Christ of new sorrow for his sin of new hatred to his sin To walk is to exert a principle of motion into act To walk in newness of life is to have a Conversation filled with new works and to have all things done according to the Rule of new obedience His old work was to please the flesh but his new work is to please God His old work was chiefly to get riches and encrease therein his new work is to get grace and more of it His old work was to obey the commands of sin his new work is to obey the commands of God To walk in newness of life is to walk according to the new Rule not according to the practises and examples of wicked men but according to the rule of Gods Word according to the example of Christ To walk in newness of life is to live for new ends his end is not now self-interest in the world not his own estimation amongst men not his preferment in this world old ends are inconsistent with a new life But this mans end is the glory of God all the actions of his life are ultimately resolved into this and all is in subordination unto this He trades for this end that God may be glorified he praies and preacheth he reads and studies that God may be glorified To walk in newness of life includes a newness of objects about which he is conversant such as keep their old course of life look no higher than worldly objects the honours and the pleasures and the profits of this world But such as are risen with Christ to walk in newness of life have proposed to themselves new objects things that are above God and Grace and Heaven things that are invisible to the eyes of carnal men To wâ—lk in newness of life it is to walk as Christ did after he was risen from the dead i. e. in our measure Christ did not incumber himself with the things of this world after his resurrection he did not converse with the men of this world neither must we use their
amongst them all It may be God had too little of your love and it was â—n offence and griefe unto your God that the Creaâ—ure should have that love which wâ—s due unto himself and therefore he hath cut off the Sâ—reâ—es that you may get nearer to the Fountain Thy Relation had more of thy affection then came unto his share and therefore in stead of Murmuring be more in loving of thy God and this will be to live answerably to Gods Correcting and Afflicting of thee in the loss of thy Relation and to his Mercy in sparing of thy self And look what Relation it is that is taken from thee while thou survivest and get clearer evidences that God will be in stead of that Relation to thee and be better to thee than that was Hast thou thy Husband removed by this Contagious Disease now make out more to God that he would be an Husband to thee Hast thou lost thy Children or thy onely Son see more diligently that God hath bestowed his onely Son upon thee and this will much satisfie and quiet thy heart Hath God done thee any wrong if he hath taken thy onely Son from thee and hath given his onely Son to thee Thus since you did survive others that are taken from you improve your Affliction and your Mercy in being advantaged in Spirituals and this will be to live in some measure answerably to Gods dealing with you DIRECTION XI HAth God spared thee in time of Plague then see what it was that thy Conscience did most accuse thee or commend thee for when the Plague was nigh thy dwelling or thou wast in fear and danger and order thy life accordingly What sin was it that thy Conscience did reproach thee for in a time of danger and in feares of death whether of omission or commission publick or secret of what nature soever it was and let it be the design of thy heart in the course of thy life to mortifie that sin and keep it under that thou carefully avoid the occasions thereof that when death shall certainly come and conscience shall have no more occasion or just ground to reproach thee thou mayest see that God in mercy did prolong thy dayes till thou hadst got the victory over and the pardon and the evidence of the pardon of that sin What was it in thy feares and when thou wast in expectation of death that Conscience did approve in thee it did then approve thy diligence in thy Family go on in this still it did approve of thy strickt and holy walking with God go on in that which was good and thy rightly inlightned Conscience did commend in thee and this will be to live in some measure answerably to so great a mercy as is Gods preserving of you in a time of such a wasting Plague DIRECTION XII HAth God spared you in such a time of so great Mortality and Contagion then learn to trust your self and all your Affairs with God for the time to come You have lived in time of danger and have been in hazard of your life and yet God hath preserved and kept you God hath called some to abide in the City because they could not remove their habitation without neglect of duty for where our duty lies and where our work is that God calleth us unto there we may trust God though our danger be never so great because while we are in our duty we are in our way and God hath promised to keep us in all our wayes in time of Plague Psal 91.11 Many had opportunity of retiring into the Country without neglect of duty without running away from duty those that went from their duty and work which God expected they should there have done have cause to be humbled for their slavish feares of death and great distrust in God and the use of meanes for preservation is not inconsistent with trusting in God but is supposed and included in it else it is not trusting in God but presumption but many were obliged to abide upon the place and God hath preserved you amongst them Oh what an obligation and encouragement is this for you for the time to come to put your trust in God in the use of meanes in a way of duty and the more you are able to commit your self to God in future dangers the more you do improve this Providence of God in preserving of you But because we need all helps and supports for putting our trust in God I shall lay down some considerations to help you more and more to trust in God premising first the nature of it that you may perceive what it is that you are exhorted to when perswaded to trust in God Trusting in God is a special fruit of faith and hope whereby the soul looking upon God in Christ through a Promise is in some good measure freed from fretting feares and cutting cares about the removing or preventing of some evil or the enjoying or procuring of that which is good 1. It is a fruit of faith for therefore a Man trusteth in God because he believeth and is perswaded of the truth of what God saith and believeth the performance of his promise and so it is called fiducia fidei 2. It is a fruit of hope for therefore I trust in God because I hope it shall be with me according to his Word If I had no hope of this I could not trust in God and so it is called fiducia spei 3. This trust hath God in Christ through a Promise for its object We trust in God through Christ eying the Promise For the Promise of God is the foundation of our trust in God and the Promise of God draws forth the hearts of his People to trust in him Psal 119.42 I trust in thy Word 4. The effect of this trusting in God is the quietation of the heart and a freeing of the Soul proportionably to the degree of his trust from fretting feares and cutting cares about good and evil to be avoided or procured Psal 56.3 What time I am afraid I will trust in thee Vers 4. In God will I praise his Word in God I have put my trust I will not fear what Flesh can do unto me The Arguments for the moving you to trust in God for the future are such as these 1. Will not you trust in God after such rich and full experience that you have had of Gods taking care for you Hath God cared for your life and will not you trust him for Food and Raiment experience is a great support for confidence in God 2 Cor. 1.10 Who delivered us from so great a death and doth deliver in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us When David had had experience of Gods delivering him from the Lion and the Bear he trusted in God to deliver him from the hands of the uncircumcised Philistine 1 Sam. 17.37 When thou hast been in danger God hath kept thee and when thou hast
say let him make speed and hasten his work that we may see it and let the counsell of the holy one of Israel draw nigh and come that we may know it Thus sinning with judiciall hardness and dying in finall impenitency are at the bottom round from whence they step into endless misery Thus you see how great a matter a little fire kindleth and from how small beginnings some have proceeded to the very pitch and height of sin that can scarce be worse save in the frequent iteration of the sins that they commit for they have got into all kinds of sin they are guilty of spirituall wickedness which the devill is malice enmity against God and goodness c. and of corporall wickedness as Adultery Drunkenness Gluttony c. Which the Devill is not capable of committing the Devill being only a spirit but men consist of body and spirit and so may commit more sins for kind than the Devill himself can do But God forbid that after such a judgement amongst us should be found such sinners this will be an evil requitall to the Lord for his removing his sore judgement from us SECT VII Vnder what dispensations do wicked men grow worse and worse IN the generall I answer wicked men are the worse in all conditions that God puts them into more particularly they are worse and worse Under Gods Providences Gods Ordinances First Wicked men wax worse under all Gods Providences whether Of Prosperity Adversity Deliverances I. Ungodly men are worse under their prosperity when the world smiles upon them and when they have all that their carnall hearts can wish and desire If the Sun shine it hardens the clay and the more it makes the dunghill send forth unsavory smels Rom. 2.4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long-suffering not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance ver 5. But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgement of God A wicked man is more hardened by Gods kindness to him Animus Iniquus beneficio fit pejor A wicked heart is made worse by every kindness As Christ fed Judas at his table and he runs presently to betray him The more God aboundeth to them in common goodness the more they abound against God in multiplied wickedness Neh. 9.16 ad 27. Psal 78.12 17. Prov. 1.32 The prosperity of fools shall destroy them Isa 26.10 Let favor be shewed to the wicked yet will he not learn righteousness in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly and will not behold the majesty of the Lord. They are worse by prosperity 1. Because they are thereby listed up with pride and carnall confidence many men the more rich the more proud and the prouder the worser the more their riches increase the more they set their hearts upon them and the more a mans heart is upon the creature the worse he is Prosperity is full of snares and we are apt then to forget God and to lift up the heel against him Deut. 32.15 But Jesurun waxed fat and kicked thou art waxen fat thou art grown thick thou art covered with fatness then he forsook God which made him and lightly esteemed the Rock of his Salvation Here is great prosperity and great impiety and God seeing how apt his own people are to be worse by prosperity doth caution them largely against it Deut. 8.7 11 12 13 14 17 18. 2. Wicked men are worse by prosperity because then they have more fuell to feed their lusts Sodomites had fulness of bread and that did feed their uncleanness They turn Gods grace into wantonness and his mercies into fuell for their wickedness Those things which should be cords of love to draw them to God they turn to the nourishment of their sinnes against God and desire riches not that they may glorify God but gratify their lusts Jam. 4.3 The more abundance of outward things a drunkard hath the more he is able to please his palate with great abundance of the richest Wines the more the adulterer hath the more he bestows upon his harlot and so the greater plenty the more they lead a sensuall bruitish flesh-pleasing life and the more of that the worse they be 3. Wicked men in prosperity are the worse because they are apt to gather Gods special love to them from the common bounty he bestowes upon them Because the world smiles upon them they think God doth so too Because Gods hand is opened to them therefore they think they are engraven upon his heart and think Divine Toleration is Divine Approbation when indeed it is a sign of Gods great displeasure to give prosperity to a man in a sinfull course God was angry with the rich man in the Gospel when he gave him more abundance than he knew how to bestow Luk. 12.18 19 20. and 16.19 20. They are apt to think that is the best way which is the most prosperous way Jer. 44.17 But we will certainly doe what soever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth to burn Incense to the Queen of heaven and to pour out drink-Offerings unto her as we have done we and our Fathers our Kings and our Princes in the Cityes of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem for then had we plenty of Victuals and were well and saw no evil Vers 18. But since we left off to burn Incense to the Queen of Heaven and to pour out drink Offerings unto her we have wanted all things and have been consumed by the sword and by the famine By prosperity they take encouragement to proceed in their Iniquity 4. Wicked men by prosperity are worse because they are apt to put far from them the evil day and the hour and thoughts of Death and Judgement and the Life to come In health they have not serious thoughts of sickness a wicked man is too apt to think that the Sun of Prosperity which shines upon him will never set nor be clouded Psal 49.11 Their inward thought is that their houses shall continue for ever and their dwelling places to all generations they call their Lands after their own Names In Prosperity they think little of death Luk. 12.19 And I will say to my soul Soul thou hast goods laid up for many years eat drink and be merry They promise themselves a continuance of their outward happiness and so sin more freely and abundantly Isa 56.12 Come ye say they I will fetch Wine and we will fill our selves with strong drink and to morrow shall be as this day and much more abundant This perswasion begets carnal security and the more secure still the worse SECT VIII II. WIcked men are often times worse under adversity judgements and afflictions that do befall them the more they are punished the more they are hardened there is nothing in adversity and judgements in sickness and plagues in poverty and distress to
those back that are come up to an height of sin sometimes he doth that none might despair but very rarely that none might presume It is to be feared thou art forsaken of God and he hath left thee to thy self when word nor rod can reclaim thee from thy sin nor put a restraint upon thee from waxing worse IV. The worse thou art after such a judgement The sooner God will be provoked to hast on thy destruction by some other God hath not spent all his arrows in the late judgement he hath his Quiver full still and if thou go on when God giveth thee yet a space to repent after so great a warning by the Plague he will ere long cast thee into a bed of trouble Rev. 2.21 22. Thy increased wickedness is to Gods wrath as the blast to the fire will quickly blow it up into a flame though thy conscience is asleep yet thy damnation slumbereth not 2 Pet. 2.1.3 while thou lingerest in thy sin Gods judgements do not linger but are upon the wing and the worse thou art the sooner will they befall thee and be more heavy when they come Jer. 48.16 The calamity of Moab is near to come and his affliction hasteth fast V. The worse thou growest the more thou heapest up treasures of wrath and every sin is adding to the pile of that fire by which thou must eternally be burned temporal judgements might quickly befall thee but if they do not eternal damnation shall overtake thee and the higher thou goest in wickedness the lower thou shalt sink and lye in hell God will proportion thy degrees of torments to thy growth and progress in sin Now thou hast a treasure of sin Mat. 12.35 And God hath his treasures of wrath Deut. 32.34 And as thou layest in sin to the treasury of sin so God layeth in wrath to the treasury of wrath Rom. 2.5 Thy present preservation is but a reservation to greater indignation then is discovered in a Plague Tarditatem supplicii gravitate compensabit deus He will recompence the delay of thy misery and punishment with the weight and load of it Job 36.13 VI. To be worse and more wicked after so great a judgement will be to slight and set at nought the justice of God when you have seen with your eyes the dreadful heaps of dead Corpse that it hath made in every Church-yard Have you not seen that God is displeased with sin and will you go on to do worse as if you would bid defiance to God even when he is angry and displeased Have you not seen that there is wrath in God and that justice will call sinners to his barre by dragging them out of this world And will you after all this go on to sin against a just God and as it were say let justice do its pleasure I will have mine this doth aggravate your sin VII To be worse after such a judgement will be to sin against the Patience and the mercy of God that hath spared thee and waiteth to see what thou wilt do after such a visitation The mercy of God is the attribute thou intendest to appeal to it is that which thou hopest in but by this thy wickedness thou wilt turn mercy it self against thee that which thou wilt make thy request unto must be the mercy of God but this will plead against thee and patience will plead against thee Lord will Mercy say when thousands dyed weekly in London I had pity upon this sinner and did spare him when the Angel went through the Streets and Lanes in London I Mercy marked out this man for longer life but he abused me and sinned the more And I shall Patience say waited some moneths or years after the Plague to see if the mercy shewed him would any thing work upon him but I was abused too as well as Mercy The longer I Patience did lengthen out his life the more he added to his sins and therefore now we both Patience and Mercy deliver him up into the hands of Justice to deal with him according to his sins and according to the wrong he hath offered unto us Oh how will thy mouth be stopped when Mercy and Patience shall plead against thee sins against Mercy and protracted Patience are aggravated sins and the pleadings of Mercy and Patience against a man will be the most piercing cutting pleadings VIII The worse thou art the more thou wilt have to answer for and the greater accounts thou wilt have to make when ever thou shalt dye The more thou sinnest the more sins shalt thou finde in the book of Gods remembrance and in the book of thine own Conscience when thou shalt be brought before the Barr of God So many sins committed before the Plague begun and so many while the Plague continued and so many when it was stayed and this sinner spared When it shall be set down in the book of God such a sinner was drunk so many times while the Plague was round about his habitation so many Oaths he swore when he saw multitudes buryed every day so long the Plague was in the Parish where he dwelt and in the house in which he lived and he never made one hearty prayer unto God all that time And such notorious sins in and after a time of a sweeping Plague will multiply thy account and aggravate thy misery IX To be worse after such Judgements will be to adde Incorrigibleness to thy former wickedness As before thou didst shew that thou hadst an unteachable heart so now thou declarest thou hast an incorrigible heart Thou wouldest not be instructed by Gods Word neither wilt thou be corrected by Gods Rod thou didst stop thine ears against Gods Word and thou hardenest thy heart against his Rod. But if thou wilt not be corrected by a Plague thou shalt be tormented in the Infernal Pit X. To be worse after such a Judgement will be high Ingratitude Thy life was the dearest thing thou hast in the world except the sin in thy heart for skin for skin and all that he hath he will give for his life except his sin and he will venture his life and lose it too before he will part with his sin and hath God kept thee and is this thy thanks to God to dishonour him more and to provoke him more As if he had spared thee for no other end but to sin against him Oh what is Ingratitude if this be not Oh now for Gods sake and for thy precious souls sake that as thy body hath hitherto escaped the grave so thy soul may if possible escape the damnation of hell Be entreated Sinner to consider the evil of thy present practice after such a narrow escape of death and the grave Oh wilt thou that art but briars and thorns set thy self against God that is a consuming fire Dost thou sleight the wrath of the Almighty or despise his power or contemn his Judgements Dost thou think that thou canst grapple with
thy heart to keep thee from sin than before thou art so much worser than thou wast before Though abstaining from sin upon such accounts doth not prove the truth of grace yet the committing of sin notwithstanding these doth argue growth of sin Now these humane Arguments that did formerly restrain thee were such as these 1. Shame amongst men Thou hadst an Inclination to wicked company but thou wast ashamed to be seen amongst them and therefore didst not associate with them But now thou thinkest it no shame or if thou dost thou hast a face of brass and an heart of stone and blushest not Thou art worse 2. Care of Reputation Thou wast tender of thy Credit and good Name and though thou hadst a love unto some sins that would have disgraced thee amongst men yet now thou wilt blot thy Name and lose thy Credit and sacrifice thy Reputation to satisfie thy Lust 3. Costliness of sin Some sins are very chargeable and call for great expence and thy love to thy Money and natural affection to thy Wife and Children was a barre which did restrain thee from them Thou wouldest not feed and satisfie thy filthy Lusts because it would be chargeable to thee thou refrainedst from riotous Prodigals because company with them would wast thine Estate But now thou thinkest no cost too great no charge too much that thou mayest have thy fill of sin but tradest and labourest and workest to get something to maintain thy Lust and wilt rather that thy Wife and Children should want bread at home than thou shouldest not have enough to spend upon thy sins abroad Thou art now grown to an exceeding magnitude in sin that thou art monstrous to beholders 4. Health of body Such sins that tend to the impairing of thy health thou wouldest not commit Thou didst refrain not so much because they would damn thy soul as destroy thy body Thou thoughtest excessive drinking would shorten thy life and hasten thy death and bring thee sooner to thy grave that acts of uncleanness would fill thee full of loathsom diseases and leave some mark upon thy body whereby thou wouldest be noted for an unclean adulterer But now thou wilt venture health and life and all that thou mayest more freely sin and the very food thou earest is now not only to nourish thy body but to provoke thee to lust Verily thou art much worse than thou wast 5. Fear of death When the fear of God would not prevail to keep thee from sin yet fear of death somtimes hath done it and according to the strength of the fears of death have been thy restraints from sin but now thou canst think of death and speak of thy death and yet act thy sinne 6. Displeasure of men Thou hast had dependance upon some that hate such sins that thou lovest in thy heart but because thou wouldest not loose their favour thou hast bridled thy sin but now thou layest the reignes loose upon the neck of thy lusts and wilt proceed to obey them let who will be displeased thereby When thou wilt displease thy best friend and them upon whom thou dost depend for lively-hood and maintenance that thou mayst please thy lust it is a sign that sin is very high in thy heart any one of these formerly were a sufficient bolt to keep thee from grosser sins but now all put together are too weak a signe that sin is so much the stronger X. The more thou hast had experience of the dreadfull effects of sin and the more God hath punished thee for thy sin and yet wilt proceed the greater sinner thou art God hath punished thee with poverty as the fruite of thy sin with diseases in thy body with horrours in thy conscience with the death of thy relations when thou hast tasted the bitterness of sin to set against the pleasures of sin when God hath put worm-wood and gall into thy sin yet thou art bent upon it thou art very bad XI The more thou justifiest and defendest thy self after the commission of sin than formerly so much the worser thou art than formerly When thou wast reproved thou wast use to acknowledge thy sin and to confess thy wickedness but now thou dost plead for thy lust and pleadest for thy evil wayes and takest the quarrell of sin upon thy self it is a signe thy heart is more wedded to thy lusts by how much the more thou espousest its cause XII When thou art more presumptuous in thy sinnings and addest more contempt of God and pride and contumacy than formerly the worse thou art Sins of presumption are scarlet sins of a crimson dye when a man sinneth against God and blesseth himself in his wickedness and presumeth of Gods mercy and presumeth upon the patience of God a man that sins presumptuously makes a bold adventure against express threatnings of the Law of God and is mingled with great contempt of God it is no less than reproaching and despising of God himself Num. 15.30 But the soul that doth ought presumptuously reproacheth the Lord and that soul shall be cut off from among his people vers 31. Because he hath despised the word of the Lord and hath broken his commandment that soul shall be utterly cut off his iniquity shall be upon him XIII The more mercies thou sinnest against than formerly the worser thou art than before God hath given thee more mercies and multiplyed many good things upon thee and yet thou committest more sins than when thou hadst fewer mercies to make Gods mercy to be fewel for thy lusts is an aggravation of sinning for as much as it is contrary to the end of mercy which is to draw men off from sin every mercy thou receivest hath a voice and its language is repent of sin return to God Rom. 2.4 God loadeth thee with mercy and the more thou pressest him down with thy sin the more good and the more mercifull God is to thee the more vile and rebellious thou art against God this is to be highly wicked XIV The more thou drawest others into sin by thy entisements or example than before so much the worse thou art When thou art not content to sin alone not to dishonour God thy self but drawest and incouragest others to do so also and so damnest thy own soul and others too and makest thy self guilty of the bloud of those thou allurest with thee into sin The more sins thou committest thy self the worse thou art and the more persons thou dost influence by thy sin to partake with thee the worse thou art Thus if thou wilt compare thy self what thou art now with what thou hast been formerly thou mightest discern how much more thou sinnest now than thou didst before SECT XIV What considerations may be usefull to stop the streame of such mens wickedness that yet are waxing worse and worse BEcause I am loath to leave thee with a bare conviction that thou art worse than thou wast wont to be I shall add a
no better be you better and you will have the lesser trouble within though the better you are the more trouble you might have from men but that 's not so great matter 14. The better you are the more glory you will bring to God Herein is my father glorified that you bear much fruit Joh. 15.8 And what is your design in the world but to glorifie God and to do that and be that which tendeth most thereunto 15. The better you are the more you will credit Religion and realize the wayes of God it will appear that Religion is a real thing when it hath made bad men good and good men better If there were nothing else to disgrace the ways of sin this would be abundantly sufficient to behold the great wickedness of those men how bad they be that walk most therein 16. The better you are while you live the more undaunted you shall be when you come to dye The reason why we are so troubled in our sickness is because we were no better in our health conscience then remembers at such a time I sinned and at such a place I fell and in such company I defiled my soul be better in Health you will be the better in sickness and death 17. The better you are upon earth the weightier your crown shall be in heaven Those that be truly good shall have sure glory but those that are better shall have more There shall be no want of any thing to any one in heaven but yet some shall shine more eminently in glory than others Thus I have dispatched this particular also that you be better after such a signal providence as this for if you be not this very thing will be a greater Plague than the Plague upon the body and if you ask me wherein you should be better you must gather up that in the following Directions which shall be more particular and such as may be useful to prevent men from growing worse which was the first thing and helpful to promote this duty of being better which was the second thing I have spoken to DIRECTION II. HAth God spared you in time of Plague that you live in some measure answerably to so great a mercy carefully endeavour to live up to the purposes and resolutions and vows which you made to God in time of danger and distress Good purposes and holy resolutions when observed and put in practice are great helps to an answerable return to God for his mercies conferred upon us but holy Religious vows being something more than single purposes and resolutions being a promise made to God with due deliberation of something lawful in it self and in our power to perform as a testimony of our thankefulness unto God for some extraordinary mercy received or expected or deliverance from some great evil in extraordinary danger and distress do much promote a holy life whereby we may the better be inabled to walk in some measure worthy of what the Lord in mercy hath done for us or given to us In time of extraordinary danger or when we are in expectation of some extraordinary Mercy we have the example of the holy men of God in Scripture to binde our selves to endeavour to walk more close with God So Jacob Gen. 28.20 And Jacob vowed a vow saying if God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go and will give me bread to eat and raiment to put on Vers 21. So that I come again to my fathers house in peace then shall the Lord be my God And this he was careful to perform Gen. 35.2 Then Jacob said unto his houshold and to all that were with him put away the strange gods and be clean and change your garments Vers 3. And let us arise and go up to Bethel and I will make there an altar unto God who answered me in the day of my distress and was with me in the way which I went Thus David made a vow to God when he was in danger of his life Psal 56.12 Thy vows are upon me O God I will render praises unto thee Vers 13. For thou hast delivered my soul from death And in the like danger Psal 116.3 The sorrows of death compassed me and the pains of hell gate hold upon me I found trouble and sorrow Vers 4. Then called I upon the name of the Lord O Lord I beseech thee deliver my soul Vers 6. The Lord preserveth the simple I was brought low and he helped me Vers 8. Thou hast delivered my soul from death mine eyes from tears and my feet from falling Vers 12. What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits towards me Vers 14. I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people And hath not this been thy case Christian Reader did not the sorrows of death compass thee about Didst thou not finde trouble and sorrow Wast thou not brought very low and received the sentence of death within thy self Didst thou not then call upon the name of the Lord and resolve thou wouldst walk before the Lord if he would restore thee and hath not God delivered thy soul from death and thy feet from falling Then pay thy vows to God and perform to him thy promise and live up unto thy resolutions Tell me what were thy purposes when thou heardest the Plague had entered into thy Neighbours house when it came unto the family nearest unto thine What were thy resolutions when the Plague did enter into thy house and took one away and then another What were thy holy deliberate lawful vows when it seized upon thy body When thou betookest thy self unto thy bed to sweat out thy distemper When thou foundest Risings on thy Body Swellings and Carbuncles in several parts when the apprehensions of death did fill thy minde and the terrors of the Lord did fill thy heart when thou thoughtest thou hadst not many days to live and that thou wert near to death and another world and shouldest certainly dye if God did not preserve thee What didst thou think then And what didst thou purpose then and resolve upon then Didst thou not determine with thy self if God would spare thy life if God would give thee health again and try thee a little longer in the world that thou wouldest walk more holily and act for God more zealously That thou wouldest pray more frequently and more fervently That thou would minde the world less and heaven more That thou wouldest make Religion thy business as long as thou shouldest live Didst thou not resolve that God and Christ and things above should have more of thy heart and hearty love That thou wouldest then forsake loose and carnal company and associate thy self with those in whom thou couldst discern most of God and walked most conscientiously before him That thou wouldest no more take a cup too much nor club in the Ale-house and Tavern to the neglect of duties of thy family
believing thoughts of this when the Plague is over will have some special influence upon thee to make thee endeavour to do according to the purpose of thy heart in dying times 4. Consider Holiness is as pleasing unto God at one time as another and if God was pleased with thy purpose it will be more pleasing if thou proceed unto performance The moving reason of your purpose in the time of your distress was that you judged it pleasing unto God and would you please God at one time by purposing and displease him at another by non-performance Would you please God at one time by resolving to reform and displease him at another by nonreformation Sin and holiness is the same in the eyes of God at all times but it seems it is not so in thine if sometime thou dost purpose to forsake sin and at another dost willingly commit it if sometime thou approvest holiness and pâ—â—â—osest to follow after it but at another time thou art remiss in thy pursuit 5. Work this upon thy heart that sin is as destructive to thy soul and preâ—udicial to thy peace and comfort at one time as another Though sometime the circumstance of time might aggravate a mans sin and make it more hainous as a man to be drunk upon the Lords day yet sin committed at any time is damnable and sin loved at any time is damnable though sometime we feel the effects of sin in sickness on our bodies and terrors and fears upon our consciences and then have greater and more affecting apprehensions of the evil of it yet you can at no time when you have your perfect health lay sin in your bosom but it may sting you unto death In your sickness you thought that sin would undo you that your evil actions would certainly damne you therefore you did resolve against it think so still and let those thoughts abide upon your heart and they will carry you in the strength of Christ to live as you did purpose 6. Work this upon your heart that holiness in act and a godly life in act will be more sweet unto your soul than it was onely in your purpose And that a holy life should be esteemed by you at one time as well as another because it will be as sweet and profitable to you at one time as another if you thought it would be for your good to purpose holiness and to resolve to live to God and this did something quiet your heart if you had dyed that God had given you a real and unfeigned resolution and fixed purpose of heart to lead as you could with utmost diligence a Gospel conversation how much more will it be a comfort to your heart to see your purposes end in performances and your resolutions come unto a real thorough continued Reformation Get the same thoughts of holiness in time of safety as you had in time of danger and this will help you to live holily as well as to purpose so to do 7 Keep upon your heart a constant daily sense of your own mortality and of your nearness to another world What is the reason that men under sickness are more apt to purpose to forsake sin and to promise to mend and to reform than in time of health but because they have greater apprehensions of death in its nearer approaches unto them and things as neer do more affect than things apprehended as further off and was it not the thoughts of the nearness of death and your daily danger of it that did quicken you to resolve against sin and for God and to winde up your resolutions something higher than at other times Why you have reason still to walk in daily expectation of your dissolution though the plague be stayed If the plague be removed out of your habitation yet sin is not removed out of your heart there is the meritorious cause of death still in you and there are natural causes of death still in you and you must as surely dye as if the Plague were raging and you may assoon dye we dye a thousand ways death might be as near to you by some other disease and you may fall by some other disease as so many have done by the Pestilence though you were not one of those that dyed eight thousand in a week yet you may be one of those that dye eight or five hundred in a week Doe not say the bitterness of death is past that now there is no danger do not put far from thee the evil day What if so many do not dye every week as when thou resolvedst to be better yet thou mightest dye every week An Apoplexy or a Feaver or Dropsie might fetcht thee to thy grave who hast through Mercy and Patience escaped death by the Plague think with thy self when thy heart is negligent of thy former purpose When and why was it that I resolved to give my self more to a holy heavenly life When the Plague did come nigh unto my dwelling and because I thought every day I might have dyed Why it is my daily danger if not by the Plague yet by some other disease that will as certainly be the cause of my dissolution as if it were the Plague Thou didst purpose because thou thoughtest death was neer then perform because death is still as near yea it is nearer to thee now then when thou madest this resolution for the more days thou hast lived since the fewer now thou hast to live it was near then but to thee it is nearer now 8. Frequently possess thy heart with serious believing thoughts of judgement to come When men and when thou amongst the rest shall give an account to God of all thoughts purposes promises vows that thou hast made to God to walk before him in an holy life But what account canst thou give to God when thou hast not performed what thou purposedst If it was not good to purpose and to promise to forsake thy sin and live to God Why didst thou purpose If it were Why dost thou not perform If thou fail now thou wilt be self-condemned at the bar of God thy purposes and promises will be brought forth against thee and God will charge thee before all the world with breach of promise unto him 9. Work this upon thy heart that thou walkest daily in the sight and presence of that God that exactly doth observe whether thou art the same in thy practice when thou art well as thou wast in thy purpose when thou wast sick God did see thy purpose and he did hear thy promise made in thy distress and time of fears and his eye is upon thee to observe how thou livest and what thou dost and do men keep their promises made to men as some do from no other principle then because the eyes of men are upon them to observe them and they would not lose their reputation by falsifying of their promise and wilt not thou much more
perform thy promise unto God when thou canst never break it but when God is looking on 10. Keep a lively and a tender conscience and diligently hearken to its admonitions that thou keep thy purpose cominations while thou art purposing to come short of thy purpose and accusations afterwards if thy conscience is not faithful unto thee thou wilt be false unto thy promise and fail of thy purpose but if it be do not choak the voice of conscience for it is thy monitor and remembrancer to put thee in minde of the bond â—nd obligation that lies upon thee to a holy life by virtue of thy own resolutions and vows in time of great mortality 11. Make a prudent choise of some wise and holy Christian for thy most intimate associate One that knows thy ways and practise most that is most acquainted with the manner of thy life and hath most occasion to be most in thy company supposing him to be faithful prudent pious tell him what hath been the purpose of thy heart when the terrors of the Lord were upon thee not onely against sin in general or in respect of holiness in general but what was the purpose of thy soul and the resolution of thy heart against this sin if it be convenient in particular which thou hast been most prone unto and the particular duty thou hast resolved to be constant and diligent in which thou hast found thy heart most backward to and engage him as he loves thy soul and the promoting of the work of God in thy heart that he will carefully observe thee and if he discern thee to be backward to thy duty that he would admonish thee if forward to thy sin that he would reprove thee and in all deal faithfully with thee this would be an exceeding help to perform our promises and purposes of holy living and such a friend as this is to be prized above his weight in gold and such a friend as this is better than a brother if you finde him let him not go 12. Seriously consider and work upon your heart till you feel your soul affected with it that Gods purposes concerning you and your good and eternal peace is the same at one time as at another and he performes all his promises which he maketh unto you God doth not one time purpose for to save you and another time purpose to condemn you and why should you then be unconstant in your purposes towards God one time to purpose that you will serve him more and glorifie him more and at another time be careless to order your life according to the intention of your heart When you finde your hearts begin to slink and goe from the purpose and promise that you have made press your self with affecting thoughts of the Immutability of Gods purposes to you and this might help you to constancy in your purposes towards God 13. Steel your heart with an holy courage against all oppositions in your way of performance Take heed of slavish fears which enfeeble your resolutions and put a stop in the way of an holy life you have resolved upon fear of danger and of death made you to resolve to keep close to God and yet your fear of death and fear of danger for holiness sake will hinder your living up to those Purposes and Resolutions Fear of death natural and from God was the occasion of your resolving to practise an holy life but fears of death violent and from men will be the cause of your breach of promise so to doe Therefore resolve to live up to your Resolutions though loss of Estate Liberty or Life should attend you for so doing 14. Fill your heart with an holy Zeal for Gods glory and if you be zealous for the glory of God you will be couragious against all Impediments and Obstructions of an holy conversation Courage is opposed to slavish Fears and Zeal is opposed to Lukewarmness And Lukewarmness is inconsistent with the practice you have resolved upon You have purposed to pray more fervently than you were wont to do but if your heart be as lukewarm in Religion you cannot do it you have purposed to lay out your self more for the good of souls to endeavour to help others in their way to heaven but if you be as lukewarm as before you cannot do more than you did before But if your heart be enflamed with zeal for God more than before you will perform all your Religious undertakings with more life than before you will pray with more life and preach with more life and speak to men about the things of God and another world than you did before and this is the performance of your Purpose 15. Be much in daily Reflexions whether you live up to your Resolutions or no. Review your life every night reflect upon your Duties and the manner of performance of them Survey at night before you sleep the actions of the day whether they have been according to the Rule of Gods Word what temptations did assault you and how you did resist them what corruptions did rise in your heart and how you did subdue them what Ordinances of God you have sate under and how you did improve them what Talents God hath entrusted you with and how you have employed them what company you have been in and how you did behave your self If you do not call your self frequently to account you will live below your Purposes and not perceive it 16. Be often renewing your Purposes and Resolutions for an holy life Frequent acts do beget and strengthen habits Actually renew your Purpose to pray to God to walk circumspectly to discourse of the things of God and it will at length be habitual to you so to do If you finde upon reflection and self-examination that your Purposes are weakened and your heart draws back from that pitch of holiness you did intend to labour after binde your heart thereto by the renewal of your Purposes If you finde you have broken your Resolutions do not resolve to continue so to do but repair them If the Mariner be driven back by windes and storms yet he keeps and renews his purpose of sailing unto his intended Harbour If a Traveller fall in his Journey he gets up and resolves to hold on his way 17. Presse your heart with the evils of coming short and with the benefits of living up unto your Resolutions The evils of this I shall speak to in the third general Head that follows next in order The Benefits of keeping the purpose of your heart are many and great Your sins will not be so many your sins will not be so strong for Resolutions against sin that are firmly made and carefully kept do exceedingly weaken sin and if you should sometime sin your sin will not be so great when God doth see you keep the firm purpose of your heart against it though sometimes you are overborn and bowed down yea
this would be more sutable for your Family than Ballads prophane and lascivious filthy Rymes which you should not suffer under your Roof SECT XI THirdly The manner how you should Worship God in your Family is chiefly to be minded for it is not any service that God will accept you may keep up a course of praying in your Family and yet live very unworthy of the great mercy of God in your wonderful preservation Therefore 1. In your Family worship God really and indeed with your heart and mind and all your strength do not seem to pray but pray indeed in your Family For this end consider 1. The God whom you serve in your Families is God indeed he is a real God therefore worship him indeed and in a real manner 2. The sins of your Families are real sins your own sins are real sins and your childrens sins are real sins and have real guilt therefore confess them really and mourn and sorrow for them really 3. The wants of your Family are real wants you do not seem to want outward mercies but except God supply you you will want them indeed 4. The supplies which God doth give you are real supplies God giveth you real health and real food and reâ—l cloathing for your Family therefore be real in your Family Worship 5. You and your Family are real in following of the World you work in good earnest and you buy and sell in good earnest And will you be real in the things of the World that concern your Family and will you not be real in your Family Worship 2. In your Family worship God Livelily not only with a true and sincere heart but with a lively heart take heed of dulness and formality take heed of sleeping at your prayers And here I would advise that Masters of Families would not put off their duties too long in the Morning till half the day be past nor too late in the Evening when the Family will be more disposed and inclined to sleep than to pray 3. In your Family worship God chearfully go not to Family Prayer as a task and burden but as a great favour and priviledge that you and your Children might call upon God 4. In your Family worship God constantly Some will pray on a Sabbath night but it may be not all the Week after Thus if you serve God in your Family it will be a great step to your walking in some measure answerably for so great preservation and then it will be a good discovery that God hath spared you in mercy to do him service in the Education of your Children and not in judgment to the encreasing of your sins only Thus far concerning the Duties of Families whom God hath spared in this time of Pestilence in general Of the several Relations in a Family next SECT XII SEcondly If you will live in some measure answerably to so great a mercy as Preservation from death in a time of great Mortalitie is then fill up the duties of your particular Relation wherein you stand Relative sins are very offensive unto God and a great scandal to Religion The fiâ—st of these Relations in a Family is First Conjugal betwixt Husband and Wife and the great duty incumbent upon them is mutuâ—l love in which many are deficient and many are excessive it being hard for such to let out their affections one to another so much as God commands and no more than God allows and both these extreams will terrisie conscience when such come to dye And this sin is more usually seen when death hath broken this Relation than while God continueth them together the Surviver then seeth he did not love his Wife and the Wife her Husband with that degree of love as that Relation called for or with a greater degree than was pleasing unto God when the love of this Relation did diminish the love they should have to God And how many breaches hath God made in this Relation to punish the sin of both extreams It may be thy love was Immoderate and therefore God hath taken thy Relation from thee Or it may be thy love was deficient and therefore God hath taken thy Relation from thee When thou wâ—st sick and thou thoughtest thou shouldest have died did not thy Conscience then accuse thee for one of these in thy Relation And yet hath God spared thee and thy Wife or thee and thy Husbâ—nd then what conscience did reproach thee for in this particular if thou wouldst answer Gods mercie in sparing of thee let this be reformed There are many this day may be lamenting not so much the loss of this Relation as that they did not walk sutablie in this Relation while they were in it this being the sting of their affliction Oh! methinks such as God hath continued in a Conjugal Relation in this time of great Mortality should look upon themselves now more engaged to perform their mutual duties with more care and conscience than before Such a one hath buried his Wife and such a one hath buried her Husband but God hath preserved you in your Relation you cannot live answerablie for this mercie but in a better discharge of your mutual duties How would you wish you had loved your Relation Wife or Husband if God had taken either away by death so do now when God continueth you both in life Because this conduceth so much to an answerable return for so great a mercie I will a little insist upon it And in the general if you would improve this mercie the direction is that your love and affection be such one to another as is the love betwixt Christ and the Church Eph. 2.25 Husbands love your Wives even as Christ loved the Church and gave himself for it And this love of the Husband must be requited with the love of the Wife for it is reciprocal Tit. 2.4 Teach the young women to be sober to love their Husbands SECT XIII BUT more particularly I shall speak to three things What manner of love is this Why they should have this Wherein they should manifest this love one to another If you will improve this mercie God hath vouchsafed you your love must have these properties 1. It must be a Superlative love that is in respect of all sublunarie things though your love to God and Christ must be more than your love one to another else it doth sinfully exceed for if any loveth Father or Mother Husband or Wife more than Christ he is not worthie of him yet in respect of all other persons and things in this world it must be more else it is sinfully deficient A man must love his Wife above all other persons above his Estate or whatsoever is dear unto him in this world and so the Wife Thus Christ loveth his Church and a believing soul above all other persons and the Church reciprocallie loves Christ above all other things in the world 2.
company out of choice Christ aftâ—r his Resurrection waited for his Ascension into glory So if we will walk in newness of life we must have our conversation in heaven and be continually expecting our dissolution and our translation into glory To walk in newness of life it is to do all the actions of out life in a new manner to do alâ— religious duties to pray and to hear in a new manner Before he prayed lukewarmly and with a dull and hard and unbelieving heart but now more fervently more livelily Though the matter of his duties might be the same yet the manner is new To walk in newness of life is to be making progress in all these walking is a progressive motion it is to continue and to persevere in the waies of holiness Not to decline nor to go backwards not to return or walk back again to old wickedness SECT II. THe excellency and dignity of a new life is very great and for your greater encouragement to walk therein I shall instance in some of them 1. A new life is a life according to the New Covenant which God hath made with fallen man Men that walk in old sinful courses continue the Covenant they have made with sin and Satan But a man that walketh in newness of life is a man that hath entred into a New Covenant with God Ezek. 36.26 A new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put into you I will take away the stony heart 〈◊〉 of your flesh and I will give you an heart of flesh Veâ— 27 And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statuâ—es and ye shall keep my judgments and do them And to walk thus in Gods Statutes is to walk in newness of life 2. A new life it is the most rational life When the Prodigal left his old waies and took up a new course he is said to come to himself Luk. 15.17 Men act most unreasonably when they act wickedly 3. A new life is the sweetest and most comfortable life There are sensual carnal brutish delights in the waies of sin but there is much terrour and bitterness in a wicked course alwaies at the end of it Such as lead a new life they have experience of the comforts of the Spirit of the joyes of the Holy Ghost All these new waies so called as opposed to his former waies else the best way is the oldest way are waies of pleasanâ—ness and all these paths are pâ—â—ce 4. A new life it is the noblest life we then live according to the highest elevation that we are capable of in this life Nay it is a life nearest to the life of glory 5. A new life is an evidencing life it is an evidence of the great and glorious things that are brought to light by the Gospel all full of delighting comfort A new lâ—fe tâ—king in all the particulars before set down shewing the things included in it is an evidence First Of our Election his new life is a fruit of Gods ancient love Eph. 1.4 Secondly Of a new robe of righteousness put upon us for our justificâ—tion Thirdly Of Pâ—râ—on of old sins Fourthly Of our Union with Christ we could not leâ—d a new life were we not engrafted into a new stock Fifthly Of the sincerity of our hearts and the truth of grace Sixthly Of our sure title to heaven to the new Jerusalem that is above 6. A new life is â—n encouraging life it will be an encouragement to a man to go â—o God in his greatest straits it will encourage a man with boldness to look death in the face when it comes 7. It is the most profitable life to our selves and to others we shall be giving to others a good example if we lead new lives whereby they may be drawn to an holy Imitation A new heâ—rt you may have and that may profit your self but a new life will be profitable to others as well as to your self 8. A new life is the only life that honours God and that doth credit the Gospel and the Profession that we make To live in an old course of swearing and lying and Sabbath-breaking is to dishonour God but if you walk in newness of life you will promote the great end for which you live i. e. the glory of God and the excellency of any thing is according to its sutableness and tendency to the attaining of a mans ultimate end it is a new life that only glorifieth God therefore a new life is the only exâ—ellent life 9. He that leads a new life hath a new guide to direct him in his holy walk the Spirit of God will be your guide to shew you the way that you ought to go Though to you it may be a new way yet you shall not lose your way because the Spirit is your guide 10. He that leads a new life is taken into new relations God is now his Father and the Son of God is now his Lord Head Redeemer Brother and all the people of God are now related to him in the bonds of grace These things and many more may be said in commendation of the excellency of a new life which appears to be so in the eyes of carnal men who have walked after their old hearts when they come to dye that they then resolve if God would spare them they would lead a new life SECT III. THe hinderances of walking in newness of life are many and very great that it is not an easie thing for any man to lead this life 1. The Old Serpent is a great enemy to this New liâ—e he hath old stratagems and old devices and snares to divert them out of this way 2. The Old Principle of corruption remaining in our hearts is a great Impediment to this new life It is working still in us to walk in the old waies of pleasures and delights the Old man within will still strive hard to hinder this New life without 3. Old sinful Company will hinder you in your new manner of life they will be tempting and enticing and perswading you to come to your old games and your old delights It will be hard to live a new life amongst old sinful Companions 4. Slavish fear of men is a great impediment of walking in newness of life it may be thou mightest displease thy Father thy Master the Friend upon whom thou dost much depend if thou shouldest forsake thy old wicked life and become a new Creature and lead a new life thou wouldest meet with new troubles but fear God and his Vengeance more if thou walk in thy old course of sin and keep thy old heart then be filled with slavish fear of men if they should deny their old favour and friendship to thee because thou walkest in newness of life 5. Flesh-pleasing and being too much over-powred by the sensitive appetite 6. Spiritual sloth For a New Life hath many new difficult duties Thus if you
would improve this Mercy that God hath spared you you must live to God and walk in newness of life DIRECTION IX HAth God spared you in time of so great Contagion Then keep upon your heart a constant sense of Gods distinguishing Providence in his preservation of you Let not length of time if God give it you wear off the greatness of this his Mercy towards you if you forget Gods goodness you will not walk worthy of it This was the sin of the People of Israel for whom God did such great things Psal 78.10 They kept not the Covenant of God and refused to walk in his Law Vers 11. And forgot his Works and his Wonders that he had shewed them Psal 106.21 They forgot God their Saviour which had done great things in Egypt God hath done great wonders for you in preserving of you in the valley of the shadow of death God hath not given you over unto death God hath not laid you in the Grave where you would soon have been forgotten do not you lay Gods Mercy towards you in the grave of oblivion nor bury his mercy of saving you alive in forgetfulness David laid a charge upon his Soul that he should not forget the benefits of the Lord towards him Psal 103.2 Set down therefore and Record your danger what it was Such a Moneth in such a Year the Plague was nigh my dwelling it came into my house it took away so many of my Children and Servants but God spared me he took away the Wife the Husband of my bosome but God spared me yea it was upon my Body so many Plague-Sores were running at once and God delivered me from the Grave and from the very jawes of death and will you forget this while you live That you may have and keep a sense of Gods mercy to you in preserving of you consider these few particulars 1. Consider you had deserved the Plague and death by the Plague as well as those that have fallen into their Graves thereby and it may be more too do not think that those that have died were greater sinners than you Luke 13.2 And Jesus answered and said unto them suppose ye that these Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans because they suffered such things Vers 3. I tell you nay but except you repent ye shall all likewise perish Vers 4. Or those eighteen upon whom the Tower of Siloam fell and slew them think ye that they were sinners above all Men that dwelt in Jerusalem Vers 5. I tell you nay but extept ye repent ye shall all likewise perish Do you think that those whom the Plague hath slaughtered that they were greater sinners then all that dwelt in London Take heed of such conceptions Or if many have fallen in this judgment that were of worser Lives than you yet none have fâ—llen that had worser Hearts than you naturally hâ—ve Nay have not your sins been capable of greater â—ggravations than the sins of many Dâ—unkards and Swearers and prophane Peâ—sons that did never sin against a God that pardoned their sins that did never sin against such love nor after such experiences of the working of Gods Spirit upon their hearâ—s as you have had Nay consider that you are not likely â—o do God that service nor bring to God that Glory that some of them might have done that are now in their Grâ—ves if God had spared them and yet God hath lengthened out your life Oh what an Obligation should this be to you to remember Gods Mercy that you had Plague-deserving-sins but yet you had not the Plague that you have death-deserving-sins and yet you are not dead 2. Consider you had a Body as liable to Infection as many others had There were such natural causes in your Body that might have laid you in your Grave if God had not prevented it and did not you suck in the same Aire as others did yea as others breathed out and yet God hath kept you 3. Consider you had no better Preservatives nor Cordials then many others had that yet by the Plague are laid silent in the Grave and are now resting in the dust and others that now are dead used the same meanes as you did and it may be more and better too and yet God denyed his blessing to the use of those meanes that were more probable to prevent Infection then yours were by this you may be convinced that it was the hand of God that hath preserved you and therefore by this you should be obliged to remember and keep upon your heart a sense of Gods mercy towards you 4. Consider you have been in more visible danger and when you were called did venture further then many others did some were more reserved and kept from Company more than you have done being called to Duty where Visited Persons have been as to help them that were sick of this Distemper c. and yet some that lived more retiredly and kept themselves more close were Visited and are dead and yet you have escaped this is the finger of Divine Providence and will you let the sense of this weare off from your heart 5. Consider that you have been more weakly and more infirme of Body then many of them that the Plague hath removed Many that were more likely to out-live you are cut down before you Many that were strong and of healthful constitutions are laid in the Dust while you that have been waiting for your dissolution many Moneths or Years because of the infirmity of your Body and the frequent distempers that have been upon you are preserved 6. Consider how great a Mercy your praservation is not onely to your self but to those to whom you are related You have many little Children that are not able to help themselves nor to provide for themselves that in all likelihood would have been exposed to hardships and to want if God had taken you from them They are sharers in this Mercy of your Preservation and the more are concerned in it the greater the Mercy is and the deeper and more lasting sense it should make upon your heart The thoughts of your Children did increase your feares and trouble when you were in danger and should not the consideration of this advance the greatness of the Mercy of being continued to them DIRECTION X. HAth God spared you in time of Pestilence when he hath taken away many of your own Relations then the fewer objects you have for your love now the stronger let your love be towards God then it was before In steâ—d of murmuring against God that you have lost those whom you did love the greater let your love be to God since you hâ—ve not so many for to love Love lâ—id out upon many objects is the weaker buâ— love united and spent upon one object is tâ—e stronger As those that have but one only Son love that more then those that have more do love any because their love is divided
God and when you take your flight into heaven and are perfectly removed from sin sorrow suffering temptation wants you shall do nothing else but love and praise and admire God And will you not in the mean while accustome your self to that work on earth which shall be your imployment in heaven And will you not take occasion hereunto by so great a mercy as God at such a time as this hath vouchsafed you 4. Is not God most worthy of your highest and your heartiest praises You were not worthy of Gods mercies you were not worthy of life but God is worthy of the best of your praises were they as perfect as the Hallelujahs of the Saints in heaven God indeed is above all praise Neh. 9.5 But yet he is pleased with his peoples praising of him 5. Will you praise the efficacy of your Antidotes and the skill of your able Physitian by whose help you have been under God preserved And will you not be much more in praising of God for your safety when without his blessing all had been ineffectual Will you praise the Instrument and means and say I had an able Doctor and not the principal cause of your preservation and say I had a good God 6. Will not you praise God for his mercy towards you no not for your life when this is all that God requireth at your hands that you should be thâ—nkful for your life and thankfully improve it for his glory You cannot make a requital but God expecteth some return you cannot make a retaltation but God looketh for some retribution And will not you think an alms ill bestowed upon that beggar that will not give you thanks And will not life be continued to the aggravation of your sin if you are not thankful for it 7. Is not this a duty that will well become you A Christian doth then act most like a Christian when he is praising God in tongue in heart and life Psal 33.1 2. and 147.1 Praise is comely for the upright Three things are very comely To weep as a Sinner to walk as a Saint to rejoyce as a Son 8. Will not you give to God the glory of his preserving providence when if you do not that are Gods people none else will The wicked that are spared they will not they cannot praise God they will dishonour him they will speak to Gods dishonour and act to Gods dishonour so that if you do not praise God for his sparing so many alive none else will And shall God be without all thankful acknowledgments of his remembring mercy in the midst of judgment God forbid That amongst all the thousands that are spared there should be none found making some thankful return to God This number will be but small amongst the Ten Lepers that were cleansed there was but one found thankful If you would not have God to lose the glory of his providence then you must be the men that must honour him for it Many wicked men were not found praying to be preserved much less will they be found praising when they are preserved 9. Have you more cause to bless God for life than others have and yet will not you do it Your life is more sweet and comfortable to you than the lives of wicked men are or can be forasmuch as you have those comforts with life and that Communion with God in life that wicked men have not They live only a natural life and have only the sweetness of natural life but you with this life have also the comforts of an higher life and yet will not you bless God for it They are delivered from the Grave for a while but not from the wrath of God too from the Grave but not from the danger of hell too but so are you And have you so much cause to bless God for life and will you want an heart to bless him 10. Is this the most effectual way to have life continued to you and yet will not you do it To have life continued will be to be thankful for it else God finding you unthankful when the Plague is over might commission death by some other distemper to take that from you which you would not be thankful for 11. Is not life the sweetest of all earthly mercies and more to be prized and yet will not you be thankfull to God for it that hath so signally continued it unto you Skin for skin and all that a man hath he will give for his life And yet will not you give thanks to God for life What earthly thing will you be thankful for â—nd what mercy upon earth will you make returns to God for if not for life 12. Do you finde unthankful Men placed amongst the greatest rank of sinners and yet will you be unthankful Unthankful Persons are numbred among Blasphemers Covetous Disobedient to Parents such as are without Natural affection false Accusers Despisers of those that are good c. 2 Tim. 3.2 3 4. and will you yet be unthankful and that for your Life Thus by these considerations you should press your heart to give Praises to God for this so great Preservation SECTION III. III. WHat is the course that those that remain after this Judgment should take to be thankful to God and to render Praises to him for the Preservation of themselves and those of their Relations continued to them Take these Rules 1. If you would render Thankes to God in Tongue in Heâ—rt and Lâ—fe for this Mercy then get a right judgment of the worth and greatness of the Mercy that you and some of yours are continued after this Visitation Those that do not prize a Mercy will never be thankful for it What a Mercy is life to you that are not yet assured of the love of God What a Mercy is life to you that are not yet certain of the Salvation of your Soules or if you are sure of Heaven yet is life to you a great Mercy that you have time to do the Works that God hath appointed you to do Consider also what a Mercy it is to have your Children continued that you may yet Instruct them and Pray for them that you may see Christ formed in them before you or they do die 2. If you would be thankful for life and have an heart to render Praises to the Lord for your own and your Relations consider how uncomfortable your Life had been had God continued you and taken away your neerest Relations and how uncomfortable your Life would have been had God continued them onely and taken you away from them You may consider while you live the Discomforts of your Relations and the sorrow of their hearts if God had removed you by death What an uncomfortable Widow would your Wife now have been what uncomfortable Orphans would your Children now have been You have enough before you and amongst you that are sad Instances of this Oh consider this and it will be a meanes to make you
existimant se aliquod bonis suis adjicere tandem pro the sauro inventuros dei indignationem Bez in loc Question Sixth Question Seventh Corollaries from the first part of this Direction The second part of the first Direction Ten Lessons to be learned in this City that hath been a great house of mourning Verity of divine threatnings Desert of sin Mans mortâ—lâ—ty The worlds vanity The uncertainty of all relatiâ—ns 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 When they set forth to Sea Vâ—la daâ—t when they have done their voyage vela contra hunt Humility Parity in â—â—t â—â—d afflictions Difference â—n the â—anner Folly of delays Mortification Ten Aggravations of Gods Peoples sin if they be worse Seventeen Arguments to Gods People to be better Perform your purpose pay your vows Seven Arguments for care to keep oâ—r resolutions made in time of fear and sickness The heart is deceitful Sin is encroaching Satan will assault The world will interrupt You will meet with opposition Concurrence of many duties re-qui-red Twenty Helps for keeping our Resolutions Watch against your Darling sin Signs of a beloved sin And against Temptation Sin is as odious to God when you are well as when you were sick Holiness in acâ— pleasing to God more than in purpose Sin is prejudicial â—hâ—n you are well as when you were sick Holiness in act will be sweeter to you than onely in purpose When you are well you are stil mortal Believe judgment to come Gods eye is upon you Keep conscience tender Choose a choise friend Gods purpose always the same to you Holy courage Zeal Frequent Self-reflexions Renew your Purpose It will bring great benefits Pray for strength Mortifie self-love and use self-denial Examples Fourteen Aggravations of neglect to live up to our holy Resolutions It is great hypocrisie Double Iniquity Creaâ—â—olly It is to lye to God * Oratio quando non est conformis menti dicentis dicitur falsa ethice quando non est conformis rebus est salsa logice To sin against conscience It will make death terrible It is great unthankfulness for your life It will make you loose the benefit of affliction It is to approve of sin after dislike If thou hadst dyed in thy sickness thou hadst been damned It encourageth the devil to tempt It provoketh God Hinders Prayer Begets doubtings Since you live look after the cure of soul-sickness Sin is the souls sickness Sickness of the Soul more dreadfull than of the Body Signs of the cure of soul-sickness How to be cured of soul-sickness Christ the soul-â—hysician Directions to give to God the glory of our souls cure The Reader is desired to make the following Direction the Fourth Be Eminent in your place and Relation Subjects Duties to Magistrates Ministers should be more in Studying Praying Preaching 10 Appellations shewing the work of Ministers Living exemplarily The Peoples Duty in hearing the word Governoâ—s of families must set up Gods Worship in their houses Why Wherein In praying Four Reasons for daily prayer in families Râ—adiâ—g the Word of God 4 Reasons for reading Scripture in Families Repeating things delivered in publick In Catechizing 4 Reasons for Catechizing in Families In singing Psalms How 〈◊〉 Really For five Reasons Livelily Chearfully Constantly Duties of husbands wives whom God hath spared in this Plague The properties of their love Superlative Constant Holy Tender Forgiving love The Reasons of their love Wherein they should manifest this love ☜ Duties of Parents whom God hath continued to children viz. Instruction Correction Prayer Choosing them a Calling Disposing them in Marriage Duties of Children whom God hath continued to their Parents Reasons for these Duties Duties of Masters whom God hath continued to Servants Duties of Servants whom God hath continued to Masters Watch against secret sins Abstain from secret sins Considerations to watch against secret sins God setteth secret sins in the light of his countenance Masked sins detected 4 Properties of Gods view of secret sins Secresie is no security It is a sign of sincerity God judgeth not by outward appearances To allow secret sin is great â—mpâ—iety Secret sins provoke God And grieve the Spirit And destroy your peace Hâ—nder grace And fervent prayer and prevent audience Do harden Stop communications of Gods secrets If you make conscience of secret sin you shall have an open reward In these you have least help from others Que. 2. Helps against secret sins God his eye Eâ—e judgment to come Deep hatred True fear Uprightness of heart Design Gods approbation Be watchful Suppress first motions of sin Sense of Gods love Secret duties Secret duties Secret things in Publick duties Secret evils in publick duties to be avoided Since you live after the Plague be dead to the World To the Profits of the world Are corruptâ—ble Hurtful Unprofitable Hurtful Uncertain Easily valued Unsatisfying To the Honours of the World To the pleasures of the World To the wisdom of the World ☜ Signes of a Man that is dead to the world Since you live after this Plague be dead to sin and be buried with Christ Believers are buried in 3. respects 2 Differences between the burial of our friends and our sins 5 Resemblances Comfort to those that are buried with Christ Since you live after this Plague walk in newness of life What newness of life doth not consist in In what consisteth newness of life The excellenâ—ies of a new life Hindrances of walking in newness of life Since you live after this Plague keep upon your heart a sense of this Mercy Helpes to be sensible of the Mercy of life If you have fewer objects of love left you love God so much the more Since you live remember what were the actings of conscience in time of danger and live accordingly Since you live after you have been in such danger trust God for the future Description of trust 8 Arguments to trust in God Six special times to trust in God Since you live after this Plague give thanks to God 3 Wayes you must Praâ—se God with your Tongue Heart Life 12 Arguments to thankfulness for life Psal 6.4 5. Psal 30.9 Isa 3â— 18 19. Mat. 20.22 23. Jer. 16.7 Psal 16.5 6 Helpes to thankfulness for life
some with terrors in their consciences and have you not seen some godly dye with peace and comfort and giving good evidences of their hope of a better life that God hath filled them with joys that they were going to their Fathers house and that the plague and death had not so much in them to terrifie and affright as the hopes of heaven had to comfort and support their hearts It hath been ground of great rejoycing to hear how many of Gods people in this plague did dye with joy and comfort And should not yâ—u by such a sight as this be quickened in your service unto God and ever while you live look upon Religion as a real thing that letteth in such real comforts into their hearts who had real grace in such time of real discouragements after such a sight as this never think it a vain thing to serve God though you must dye who comforts his peoples souls in the very gates of death IX In this great house of so great mourning God hath been teaching you the folly of delaying in the great concernments of another world you have seen many Drunkards did delay to repent and turn to God but when death once came to Arrest them it would not stay till they had done their work Have not you seen many have been surprized by death that those that thought they would repent hereafter and talked how they would mend hereafter are gone down into the grave before that time was come and wil not you after such a sight as this be quickned to make more haste in doing of the work that God expecteth at your hands Have not you seen some that have talked what they would do the next year laid in the dust before this year is past and gone God hereby would have you learn not to boast of to morrow because you know not what may be in the womb of another day nor what to morrow may bring forth Prov. 27.1 God would have you learn so to number your days that you may apply your hearts to wisdom Psal 90.12 God would have you learn to do your duty quickly and to do it with all your might because it will be too late when you are rotting in your Grave Eccles 9.10 X. In this great house of so great mourning God hath been teaching you the great lesson of Mortification you have seen how many dyed by sin and should not you be now dead unto sin you should now in good earnest labor for the death of sin O be the death of your passion and be the death of your lusts and be the death of your worldliness especially be the death of your beloved sin God forbid that sin should be found alive in your heart after such a time of death to so many thousand persons Are so many dead and rotting in their Graves and shall not sin be dead and mouldring in your hearts These be some of the lessons God in his late providence hath been instructing you in and if you can now do these duties better than before it is some sign that you are better than you were before But yet because so great a providence should not be sleightly passed over with but a little Improvement I shall take occasion to press you to be much better than you were before before God saw a great deal of sin in his own people and amongst Professors much censoriousness and rash and uncharitable judgeing one of another want of love and affection a great deal of pride in Apparel pride in Diet pride in Furniture of houses pride of Beauty pride of Parts and Gifts and God hath been staining the pride of all Families therein God saw a great deal of neglect of Family Duties in Professors houses and customary cold and dead performance of them in others and doth it not concern all to see where they have failed and do so no more SECT XVII I Know the wicked World thinks that professing people are too exact already and that they make more adoe than is needfull But their Charge is 1. False for there is no man is so exact in his life as he ought 2. Blasphemous for what do such but blame God himself in giving such strict rules unto his people 3. Malicious Cain envyed Abel because his works were evil and his brothers good 4. Diabolical what could a Devil say more or what is this but to play the Devils part in discouraging discountenancing speaking against the pressing after the highest degrees of goodnesse But let it be your great care whom God hath spared from the grave in this time of Plague that are such as truely fear God and are truely good On take heed that after such a preservation none of you might be found worse than you were for though those that once were truely good shall never so decline as to be absolutely bad yet they may so farre fail that they may comparatively be sayd to be worse Here consider 1. To lose any degrees of Goodness and Grace is a grievous and a sinfull loss If you had lost your life in this Plague it might not have been your sin but you cannot be in the least degree worse than you were after such a providence but it is a great sin Because it is our duty to love God as much as we can therefore to lose any degrees of our love to God is to come short of our Duty and therefore a sin 2. To be worse in your spiritual condition will be great unthankefulnesse to God for his watchfull Providence over you If a man do a kindness for you will you be worse towards him than you were before And will you deal worse with God than with a fellow Creature 3. To be worse in your spiritual condition after such preservation and deliverance will be displeasiâ—g unto God and a grief unto him If God see his Children love him less and fear him less and delight in him less will it not grieve him and displease him And had it not been better you had dyed than to live to be a grief to God Had not you rather follow your Children to their graves than to see them live to be worse and dishonour God and will you yet do so your selves Is it not a grief to you the more kindness you shew unto your Children to see them the more undutiful to you and will it not be so in you to God 4. If you be worse than you were in your spiritual condition you shall have less communion with God than you had before and had not you better dye than lose your communion with God for what is your life without fellowship with God 5. If you be worse you will have less Comfort from God than you had before If you deny Duty to him which you performed to him before he will deny that comfort to you which he gave you before and what will your life be without the comforts of God let down into your soul