home when thou art neither Master of thy time nor reason nor of thy natural abilities much less of supernatural grace which is indispensably requisite to this great work O that since I must dye once for sin I might dye daily to sin and as the Philistines that they might the better deal with Sampson cut off his Hair wherein his great strength lay so that I may the better deal with death I may by faith and repentance daily cut off and destroy sin wherein the strength of death lieth May I not say to thee O my soul as Joshua to Israel Prepare ye victuals for within three days ye shall pass over this Iordan to go to possess the Land which the Lord your God giveth you Prepare the spiritual food the flesh of Christ which is meat indeed and the blood of Christ which is drink indeed an heart weaned from the world longing to be with God for within a few days thou shalt go in to possess the land of promise Lord I know nothing more certain then death Sin hath deserved it my brittle body inforceth it thou hast decreed it and none can prevent it I know nothing more uncertain then the time when or the manner how Thou hast many ways and means to bring me to my grave not onely ordinary distempers of my body but thousands of casual dangers I cannot promise my self freedom from it in any place or condition Death may seise me abroad at home in company in solitude at bed at board Why should I not always provide for that extremity that enemy which I cannot avoid Why should I not ever be ready for that which may come at any time and will come at some time or other Surely I do not hasten my death by preparing for it but sweeten it exceedingly I â—hall not dye a moment the sooner but infinitely the better Should death overtake me in my sins alas where am I what will become of me for ever I may well salute it as Ahab Elijah with Hast thou found me O mine enemy for t will come to me as the Prophet to that King with doleful dreadful tidings T will bring me news of a dismal dungeon of darkness to be my habitation of Lyons and Scorpions and Dragons to be my companions of a never dying worm an unquenchable fire pure wrath without mixture full torments without measure to be my portion for ever and ever O teach me so to live above this vain empty life so to be crucified to this world so to make my peace with thy Majesty through the great peace-maker and Prince of Peace my Lord Iesus so to set my heart and house my spiritual and temporal concernments in order that I may be delivered from the paw of the Lyon from the teeth of this monster from the sting of this Serpent and though my body be destroyed yet my soul may escape as a bird out of the snare of the Fowler and mount up to thy self to enjoy that happy life which shall know no death I Wish that all the days of my appointed time I may exercise my self herein to keep a conscience void of offence towards God and towards all men There are but two which can afford me real comfort in a dying hour which always take the same side and joyn together God and my conscience Humane friends often stand afar off when they should be most near and I have most need Some of them are loth to come to a sick mans chamber Mournful objects must not disturb their jollity and mirth They are sworn enemies to sorrowful occasions and baniâ—h such foes their quarters or themselves from such coasts Others if they come to visit me love not to see my gastly countenance like not to hear my deep and deadly groans But be they never so full of pity they can onely sympathize with me they cannot relieve refresh me The most they can do is to accompany me to my grave and there they leave me But O the comfort which a loving God and a conscience sprinkled with the blood of Christ and purged from dead works will afford me in a dying hour The smiles of a God and chearings of a good conscience will be musick indeed to welcom me to the shoar after all my tumblings and tossings in this tempestuous Ocean They will make my bed in my sickness help me to lye easie hearten me in my sighs and groans be my feast at my funeral bid me Be of good chear for my sins are forgiven me tell me that my Redeemer liveth and because he liveth I shall live also lodge my body in a grave as in a Bed of Spices and convey my soul into my Saviours Bosome and Embraces when my Houses Lands Honours Friends Wife Children leave me they will cleave to me nay when my breath life heart flesh forsake me they will not fail me yea when faith hope patience repentance shall bid me farewel weeping as Orpah did Ruth these like Naomi will stick to me go with me and seek rest for me O that my heart may be so upright in the service of my God that when I â—hall receive the sentence of death I may be able to say with good Hezekiah Remember now I beseech thee O Lord how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart and have done that which is good in thy sight O my soul what a friend shouldst thou be to thy God thy conscience how faithful to their warnings now in life if thou wouldst have them thy friends at death Hereby thou mayst be able to triumph in that hour of temptation to defie death it self and bid it do its worst Though it be the common gate through which the sinner goeth into prison where he meets with Chains and Fetters and cold and all sorts of miseries yet thou shalt go through it into the Kings Pallace where thou shalt have rivers of pleasures and 〈◊〉 entertainment If Jacob went down so joyfully 〈◊〉 Egypt when God had said to him fear not to go down for I will go down with thee and I will bring thee up again What needest thou fear to go down into the Grave when thy God hath undertaken to go down with thee thither and to bring thee up again Thy body may be turned into dust but thy God is in Covenant with thy dust and thy head the blessed Redeemer will not suffer one muscle or nerve or artery or vein of any of his members to be lost With what chearfulness mayst thou take thy leave of thy body Farewel sweet body thou hast been in some measure faithful to thy soul in the service of thy Lord Farewel I must bid thee goodâ—night till the morning of the resurrection Be thou content to go to bed and sleep in the dust and rest in hope for though after the skin wormes destroy this body yet in my flesh â—hall I see God Whom I shall see for my self and mine eyes shall behold him and
strength to do and suffer whatsoever I am called to He carrieth the purse for me and gives out to me according to my necessities I have not a farthing of my own wherewith to buy the least morsel I can do nothâ—ng of my self but I can do all things through Christ strengthning me Man is a weak creature and so far from runing that he is not able to creep in the way of Gods commandements unless Christ strengthen him Without me ye can do nothing Joh. 13. 3. If Christ with-draw himself as the Sun he carrieth the light of holiness along with him The easiest duty is too hard and the weakest enemy too strong for us unless Christ assist us 'T is upon his wings alone that we can mount to Heaven in an Ordinance and through his power that we do improve any Providence It is not the standing Army of habitual grace that will make the Christian a Conquerour he must daily be recruted with Auxilaries from Heaven The watch-man doth not onely make the watch and set every wheel in its right place but he or some other must wind it up daily or it will stand still Exerciâ—ing grace is as requisite to our spiritual motion as habitual grace to our spiritual being The Razor though it be never so sharp or keen at first if it be used must be often at the Whetstone or it will grow dull The Wife that hath frequent occasions for money for provision for her Self and Children and Servants and for Cloaths and all Family necessaries and not a penny but what comes out of her Husbands purse and he fearing she should be prodigal lets her have money by driplets but from hand to mouth must be always going or sending to him or otherwise starve The Shopkeeper that drives a great trade in the Country must go often to London or abroad in other parts to fetch in commodities The Israelites in the Wilderness were maintained for water by the Rock They drank of the Rock that followed them and that Rock was Christ. The Rock followed them they did not only drink of it at first but had a constant mornings draught and drank of it often in the day it ran iâ— a stream after them and every day supplied them It s no marvail the Apostle commandeth us Pray continually Pray without ceasing Pray evermore when he knew all our living was got by begging that all our supplies must be from above and we must expect nothing without asking Ordinances are the food of the soul. As Cows afford us both Milk and Beef so Ordinances are Milk to Babes and Meat for strong Men. Our God is the Fountain of Spiritual as well as of natural life It s said most truly in respect of a Natural life In him meaning God we live and move and have our beings Act. 17. 28. We live Now as God hath made the heart the spring of natural life and hath drawn from thence a multitude of arteries to carry the vital spirits through the whole body and disperse life through every part of it So he hath made the Mediatour the spring of spiritual life and his Ordinances the Arteries to convey life to every part of the soul. In whom we move As God hath from the head derived manifold sinews to carry out thence the animal spirits and with them the faculty both of sense and motion over all So the Lord from Jesus Christ the Churches head through the sinews of sacred duties conveyeth spiritual sense and motion to all his members And have our being To preserve our being he hath made the Liver a fountain of blood and from thence drawn the Veins to convey it over the body to the nourishment of the whole Ordinances are those Veins which convey and disperse gracious spirits over the whole new man With him is the well of life Psa. 36. Sacred duties are as needful every day for our souls as food and raiment for our bodies The body must continually be repaired with nourishment because it is continually consumed by our natural heat Yesterdays bread will not keep the laborer to day in strength and vigor to go through with his work he must have new diet or he cannot hold out Friend I must bespeak thee as the Angel to Elijah Vp and eat for the journey is too great for thee Vp and be doing in Prayer and Scripture and holy Ordinances that thou mayst feed and receive spiritual nourishment for otherwise the business of exercising thy self to godliness the duties required of thee to be performed the graces to be exercised the temptations to be resisted the deadly enemies to be conquered will be too hard for thee the journey will be too great for thee The Amalekite by long fasting grew faint and unable to go his journey If the bringing stream be not as large as the running stream the bottom will quickly be without water The greatest stock will lesson apace if a man spend daily on it though but in a small quantity if he hath no way of getting Those that are under-kept and called to hard labour can never perform what is required of them The spirits daily are decaying and if not daily renewed by proper nourishment we perish The Vessels that are always leaking must stand constantly under the conduit to get what they lose When Ionathan through fasting became faint He tasted a little honey and his eyes were enlightened How much more said he if happily the people had eaten liberally of the spoil of their enemies which they found for had there not been now a much greater slaughter among the Philistines 1 Sam. 14. 29 30. The more a Christian mindeth Divine Ordinances in obedience to Gods precept and affiance on Gods promise the more strength he shall receive to conquer his spiritual adversaries and to discharge the several duties incumbent on him The truth is our religious life our heavenly flame is like a straw fire to mault which must constantly be tended and fed with fuel or it will go out There is noâ— more need of the Shepherds constant and daily tending his weak sheep in the summer seasonâ— then of the Saints daily regarding his precious soul. As trees being well ordered with skill and diligence they become abundantly fruitful but being left to themselves without culture and care they bring forth little or no fruit So Christians by a diligent use of means abound in the fruits of righteousness but neglecting ordinances they decline and decay The heart of man is like Reuben unstable 〈◊〉 water and is stablished with grace Heb. 10. which cannot be expected but through the means of grace The Viol that with every change of weather is apt to be out of tune must be constantly hung within sent of the fire Whilst we are in the care of this world we are full of damps and therefore need all means of quickening Our hearts are like Clocks twice a day at least the Plummets must be pulled up or their motion and
Christian without a spice of this sin Ioshua is ready to envy them that seemed by their light to darken his Master Cantharides a venemous worm usually breedeth in Wheat when it is ripe the highest Christians as the greatest Favourites at Court are usually the greatest objects of envy But O t is a sign of a weak eye not to behold the sunshine of others holiness without pain The holy Apostle is enlarged in thanksgiving to God for the faith and love and patience of the Thessalonians and their grace was â— strong cordial to revive him in his sorrows and distress We give thanks to God for you all Remembring without ceasing your work of faith and labour of love and patience of hope in our Lord Iesus Christ. We were comforted over you in all our afflictions and distresse by your faith Nay he was so far from grieving at others graces that he professeth the joy of his life did very much depend upon their perseverance in piety For now we live if ye stand fast in the Lord As if he had said Our life will be but a death in regard of sorrow and grief it will be so doleful a being that it will not deserve the name of a life if ye should once be loose and wandring from the Lord 1 Thes. 1. 2 3 4. 2 Thes. 3. 6 7 8. 1 Colos. 12. Grace cannot but desire and delight in its like He that truly loves his God will rejoyce in his brothers graces because they tend to his Fathers glory and he that truly loves his brother will be glad at his grace because it tends so exceedingly to his brothers good Pedaretus when he could not be admitted to be one of the three hundred among the Spartans went home rejoycing that his Country had three hundred better men then himself Surely then Christians when they behold others sparkling with grace and shining as lights in the World should rejoyce that the blessed God hath some that can do him more service and bring him more glory then themselves Good Wish about a Christians Carriage in Good Company wherein the former heads are applied THe Father of mercies and onely wise God who hath appointed â—he way in which I should walk during the time of my Pilgrimage and understandeth the multitudes of rubs and hinderances that I shall encounter with the power and policy of those enemies which will beset me therein as also how weak I am and unable to hold out how weary I shall soon be and ready to give over if I should travail alone having out of his boundless grace and goodness called me to the communion of Saints that I might be directed by their counsel and encouraged by their company notwithstanding all opposition to run the ways of his commandements I Wish that I may esteem his precept herein as my glorious priviledge improve their society to the greatest advantage both for my own welfare and my Gods honour and delight to converse with those brethren here with whom I hope to dwell in my Fathers house for ever What an inestimable dignity doth my God invest me with in imposing on me so sweet a duty How wretchedly ungrateful should I be if his paths should not be the more pleasant to me for such companions The worth and riches of this society may well invite me to trade with them and give me hopes of profiting by them All the companions on earth of the highest Callings are but a rabbel of Cennel-rakers to this noble society The Prince of this Senate is the Heir of all things the blessed and glorious Potentate such a Soveraign whose dominion is universal from Sea to Sea whose Kingdom is eternal throughout all Generations and even the highest have gloried in being his Subjects The Charter and Priviledges of this Society are the inestimable Covenant of Grace exceeding great and precious Promises wherein pardon of sin peace of conscience new natures adoption justification the love of the blessed God and eternal life are granted to them and entailed on them for ever The Servants of this Corporation are all the creatures in their several places striving which shall do them the greatest kindness They are in league with the stones of the field and the beasts of the field though never so ravenous by nature are at peace with them The glorious Angels pitch their Tents about them and count it their honour to wait upon them both living and dying The Livery in which this company is attired is the Royal Robes of Christs righteousness which renders them without spot or wrinkle and far more beautiful and amiable then Adam in his estate of unspotted innocency Their Garments smell of Myrâ—he Aloes and Cassin and for their richness infinitely surpaâ—â— that cloathing which is of wrought gold Their food is hidden Manna such meat as endureth to eternal life the bread that came down from Heaven the flesh of the Son of God which is meat indeed and the blood of the Son of God which is drink indeed Their inheritance is a Kingdom that cannot be shaken a Crown of life Rivers of pleasures an eternal weight of glory Some Societies have boasted that Kings and Lords have been Free of their Company the King of Kings and Lord of Lords is both Freee and Head of this Society they are his Hephzibah his delight his Segullah his peculiar treasure Ah! who would not have communion with them whose communion is with the Father and Jesus Christ his Son Lord let my ambition be to be enrolled a Citizen of Sion and to walk amongst them worthy of that vocation wherewith thou hast called me since the communion of thy Saints here is some weak resemblance of Heaven where all thy chosen shall glorifie and worship thee without fault and faintness teach me to hallow thy name by doing thy will on earth as it is in heaven I Wish that the gain which I am sure to reap by joyning with Christians in their common stock may make me more diligent at this spiritual trade The greatest priviledges are granted to Corporations not to particular persons The greatest victories are obtainted by Regiments and Brigades not by Souldiers engaged singly against their enemies That Oyntment which yeilded so grateful a savour as to delight God himself was compounded of several spices Exod. 30. 23 24 25. My God hath ordained the communion of the faithful for the building up one another in their most holy faith and if I expect his blessing it must be in his own way The body thrives best when all the members concur to perform their distinct and proper offices for the good of the whole Men make the most ravishing musick when many joyn in consort The two Disciples travelling together found the blessed Jesus to make a third and to warm their hearts with the fire of his heavenly Doctrine How many vessels going in company have returned in safety richly laden with the unsearchable riches in Christ If I am in doubts
for vengeance what will the blood of a murdered soul do Why should I to humour any mans lust injure his soul hinder my own peace and incur the anger of the Lord. O that no foolish pretences whatsoever may keep me off from acquainting sinners with thâ—â—â—â—il and end the nature and danger of their sins It s Gods order first to cast the soul down and then to lift it up The ground must feel the Plow before it receive the Seed Sorrow must precede comfort and they must sow in tears who would reap in joy God must shake all Nations before the desired of all Nations will come to him We come to Sinai the Mount that burneth with fire and to blackness and darkness and a tempest which makes even a Moses to fear and quake exceedingly before we come to Mount Sion the City of the living God the Heavenly Ierusalem and to Jesus the Mediatour of the new Covenant and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things then the blood of Abel The Law is a School-Master to drive us to Christ. Austere Iohn with his Ax laid to the root of the Tree threatning the fire to those that bring not forth fruit prepareth the way for the sweet alluring Iesus Mourning and Grief is the Midwife of true mirth Penitential tears are the streams that lead to the Rivers of Pleasures Even the doleful sound of the Trumpet attendeth the Iudge when he is going to acquit a Prisoner by publique Proclamation Violence must be offered to corruption or there will be no acceptance of the Lord Christ. The building of holiness is the more strong for having its foundation of humiliation laid deep The safety of the soul doth depend like Jonahs upon his being cast over-boord and utterly lost in his own apprehension The blessed Iesus himself is brought into a desolate Wilderness before Angels are sent from Heaven to comfort him O that I might follow my God in his usual way and never prophesie smooth things to rugged and â—â—â—â—ed men but endeavour to break their hearts on â—â—th who have persisted in the breach of his holy Laws that their backs may not be broken in Hell Yet I would not instead of beating down the rotten Paper walls of presumption drive any into the Dungeon of desperation but as the good Nurse have the breast of consolation as well as the rod of correction in readiness for such Children Moses and Christ met together upon Mount Tabor The Gospel must be Preached to heal those wounds which are opened and discovered by the Law The Lord sendeth me to proclaim liberty to the Captives and the opening of the Prison to them that are bound Lord thou killest and makest alive bringest down to the grave and bringest up It s easie and ordinary with thee to break those bones which thou intendest to rejoyce and to perplex those Rams in Briars and Thorns which thou intendest to accept of as a sacrifice Teach thy Servant to know how to speak a word in season both to the wicked and to the godly how to divide thy word aright both in its minatory and consolatory parts that as occasion shall â—e I may awaken the wicked out of their deadly slumbers and quicken the godly to their spiritual watchfulness and help to sweeten that bitter cup which thou hast put into their hands O that thy blessing might water my labours for both their welfares Alas poor sick unregenerate ones are dropping into boundless and endless sorrows and yet are without sense Though they are dying they know not what they are doing nor whither they are going Their eyes are shut by the god of this World that they see not that unspeakable misery to which they are liable every moment their hearts are hardened through custom in sin that neithâ—â—â—â—reatnings nor promises prevail with them to feel their wounds and sores O thou great Physitian thou Lord of life thou God of health open their eyes send some Ananias to them that they may receive their sight and be filled with the Holy Ghost enable them so to mourn now that they may be comforted when the time of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord and help thy servant to deal so faithfully with those whom thou callest me to visit that I may never give thy Majesty cause to say of me as once of the Prophets of Israel They have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly saying Peace Peace when there is no peace I Wish that I may be close and home in my Applications to sick persons and speak what is proper to their estates with ardency and affection to their very hearts It s ill dallying with edged tools O how sad is it to toy and trifle to be formal or customary in counsel or reproof or comfort to immortal souls that are launching into the Ocean of eternity Death is a serious thing and that which they never did before nor shall ever do again Sin is a serious thing as the damned find in Hell by woful experience Though there they are in blackness of darkness yet they have light enough to see sin to be the evil of evils and altogether sinful Christ was serious when he took upon him my nature and therein did offer up himselfâ— a sacrifice for sin God is serious in commanding faith and repentance and in promising Heaven to the faithful and holy and Hell to unbeleivers and atheists And shall not I be serious and in earnest when I am dealing about matters of eternal life and death and about the concernments of God and Christ and souls and eternity O with what earnestness should I perswade the wicked to turn from their wickedness and live If ever their souls would draw near to the Lord of life it concerns them to do it when their bodies are drawing nigh to the Chambers of death It is but a very few hours and their condition will be past all amendment all alteration In this poor pittance of time all must be done upon which the Scales must turn for their salvation or damnation They are going to make that change which will admit them into endless joy or torment and render their estates unchangeable Their time is hastening that they must struggle with dreadful pains and strong distempers and death the King of terrors and must review that life which is ending and look back upon all that they have done and judge their persons and actions impartially whether they will or no that they must take their leave of all their friends and food and sleep and lands and houses and honours and pleasures and riches and step into eternity and appear before God without their Relations or Possessions or any worldly comforts to help or encourage them that they must be tried by an holy Law and an holy Judge for their everlasting lives or deaths and can my expressions be too full of weight and reason or my affections too full of bowels and pity
answerable to my peril and my danger Lord when that day and hour draweth near that I must go hence and be no more seen do thou draw near in boundless mercy to my poor soul When I must enter into the Chambers of death and make my bed in the grave save me from the paws of Satan and the power of Hell that the bottomless pit may not shut her mouth upon me and give me to triumph in that hour of tribulation as knowing that neither tribulation nor persecution nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor life nor death can seperate me from thy love which is in Christ Jesus my Lord. I Wish that when I am going to the place of silence I may speak the excellencies of my God and make his praise glorious It is the unhappiness of worldlings and wicked men that they cannot when they dye commend the principles whence they have acted nor the vain pleasures which they have minded and pursued How many of them whose lives have been nothing but a bundle of false-hood and lies when God hath called them to leave the world have spoken truth and told their Friends and Relations that sin is an evil and bitter thing that carnal pleasures are guilded poisons that the greatest and choicest of worldly comforts though they may have honey in their mouths have a sting in their tailes and what a vain empty nothing the whole creation is How often have they complained how the world hath deceived them the flesh deluded them and Devil beguiled and destroyed them It is my priviledge as well as my duty to extol my Master whom I have served to commend the sweetness of his ways the pleasantness of his worship the reasonableness of his precepts the richness of his promises and the vastness of that portion which he hath laid up for his Children when they come to age I have sometimes tasted his work and ways to be sweeter then the honey and the honey comb I have viewed by faith his reward to be vastly glorious and beyond all apprehensions excellent O why should I not diswade others from their eager pursuit of foolish fading shadows and perswade and encourage them to earnest endeavours after real substance and durable riches The sinner who hath wallowed all his life time in the mire of filth and wickedness will when he comes to dye and begins to return to his wits from his own experience of the emptiness and unprofitableness of his ungodly courses and from the convictions of his natural conscience acknowledge a sober sanctified conversation to be safest and the ways of God to be most gainful and upon these accounts advise his friends and relations to forsake and abandon the lusts of the world and flesh and to follow after holiness as they would be happy eternally And have not I much more cause to shew my abhorrency of sin and love to my Saviour and his image when I am entering into my Fathers house The sinner hath onely found at last a fleshly life to be vain and fruitless and is like to pay dear for his learning but I have known the paths of piety to be paths of pleasantness and rejoyced more in them then in all riches The sinner hath onely the dim light of nature to shew him the loathsomness of vice and the loveliness of grace but I have the holy Spirit of my God to enlighten my mind in the knowledge of both The sinner hath only a carnal love to his Neighbours and Kindred he knoweth not what it is to love them in Christ and for Christ I have some knowledge of the love and Law of Christ of the worth of their souls of the price paid for them by the Lord Iesus and their unchangeable conditions in the other world O that my language to them might be somewhat answerable to the love of Christ to me Lord It is unrighteousness to die in debt to man and not to endeavour to make them satisfaction according to my power I am sure to dye in thy debt for I am less then the least of all thy mercies and unable to requite thee for the smallest of thy favours It is my comfort that all the recompence thou expectest is a thankful acknowledgement and hearty acceptance of thy grace and good will O what injustice and ingratitude were I guilty of should I deny thee so small a request Be pleased to help thy servant in his last hours both to accept unfeignedly of thy grace for his own good and to acknowledge thy good will and bounty and faithfulness to thy glory for the good of others I Wish that my lost breath may be drawn Heaven-ward I mean that I may enter praying into the house of blessing and praise I am no Christian if I do not give my self to prayer whilst I live It is one choice piece of my spiritual Armour whereby I have often assaulted and conquered my soul-enemies It is the Ambassadour which I have many a time sent to the heavenly Court that always received a favourable Audience and obtained his errand It is the Vessel which hath brought me food from far and ever returned richly laden if it were not my own fault It is the element in which I live the aliment by which I subsist the pulse the breath of my soul without which it must needs dye On my death-bed I have as much need of its succour as at any season My adversaries will then imploy their greatest power and policy to rout and ruine me I am but weak flesh and blood altogether unable to combat with Principalities and Powers and how can I expect supplies from the Lord of Hosts unless I send this Messenger to intreat it My wants and weaknesses at such a time will be more then ordinary Faith must then be acted in spight of all the frights and fears which a malicious Devil and an unbeleiving heart from the number and nature of my sins the strictness of the law and the justice of God may put me to Repentance must then be exercised and my sins lye nearer my heart then my sharpest diseases In patience I must possess my soul under all the pains and pressures which the wise God shall lay upon me I must then chearfully submit to the divine pleasure and by my willingness to leave all the world to go to Christ shew that I hate Father Mother Wife Child House Lands Life and all for Christ. Those graces and many other must be put forth at suâ—h a time none of which I can do by my own power and therefore have abundant cause to fetch help from Heaven by prayer Besides the distempers of my body will discompose my soul and unfit it in a great measure for all holy service Again my Benefactors my near Friends and Relations the poor afflicted Church of God do all call aloud to me to pray for them as the last kindness I shall ever do for them I profess
I love them how can I manifest it better then by commending them to God in prayer Should I leave them thousands of silver and gold if I were able it would not all amount to the price of one fervent prayer My riches might wrong them through the deceitfulness of their hearts and cause them to be contented short of Heaven but my prayers cannot prejudice them but may much further their eternal welfares Men whose natures are crabbed and cruel have granted the requests of their dying children when they have been contrary to their own humours How much more will God the Father of mercies whose nature is Love whose bowels are infinite satisfie the desire of his dying children when they fall in with his own design and desire If Joab had hopes to speed in his supplication for Absolom because he knew the Kings heart was more for it then his own may not I be confident to speed when I beg that he would pay my debts in spirituals with interest to those who have bestowed carnals on me for his sake when I ask that my Children and Relations may love and fear and worship his Majesty and be his workmanship created in Christ Iesus unto good works and when I intreat that he would accomplish all the great and good things which he hath promised to his Church the purchase of his Christ knowing that his heart is infinitely more for these things then mine can be Lord when I dye I shall no more put up prayers for my self or other particular persons My natural obligations to my Kindred and Relations my civil ingagements to my Friends and Benefactours besides my spiritual bonds to them and thy whole Israel may well provoke me to be fervent and instant with thy Majesty at such an hour on their behalves My Redeemer before his death wrought hard at this duty He offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears Ah how should I pray for my self and others when I am taking my leave of prayer O let thy spirit of supplication be so poured down on me that I may poure out my spirit in supplication unto theeâ— for my own and others souls through thy Son with the greatest success I Wish that the night of my death may shine gloriously with the sparkling stars of divine and heavenly graces In particular I desire that when the time of my combat with my last enemy and my last combat with any enemy shall come I may above all take the shield of Faith whereby I shall be sheltered against the sting of death and quench the fiery darts of the wicked one The wise Mariner perceiving a storm approaching makes hast to fasten his Vessel with Anchors that it may be steady and not altogether at the mercy of the winds I must expect the greatest tempest when I am entering into my eternal Haven then all the powers of darkness will conjure up their strongest winds if possible to shipwrack the vessel of my soul Ah how much doth it concern me to put forth this grace the anchor of my soul both sure and stedfast and which entereth into that within the vail and thereby to fasten on the rock of Ages If I fail in this I fall I miscarry for ever God is a severe judge to condemn all guilty Malefactours Without his Son I am cloathed with guilt and so under his boundless wrath When Adam had disrobed himself of original righteousness by disobeying the law he fled from God and dreaded the summons of offended justice There is no appearing in the Fathers sight with acceptance but in the garments of his Son None can have boldness to enter into the holy of holies but by the blood of Iesus It s Faith onely that interesteth in this blood I know that through the red Sea of this blood I pass may safely though enemies pursue me hard into the Land of promise Lord I confess through an evil heart of unbeleif I have many a time departed away from the living God yet Lord I believe help mine unbeleif O Lord of life be not far from me when Devils and death are near me Help me with thy servant Stephen to see Heaven open by faith and the Son of man at thy right hand Enable me to disclaim whatsoever duties I have performed or graces I have exercised and to rely alone on a crucified Christ for pardon and life Though thou killest me let me dye trusting and clinging on and cleaving to Iesus Christ Let this Pilgrims staff of faith be never out of my hand till I come to my joâ—rneys end Thou art the Lord of Hosts and the Captain of my salvation O help me to put on the whole armour of God grant me such skill to use it that I may be able to stand in the evil day Teach thou my hands to war and my fingers to fight that through thee I may do valiantly and through thee may tread down mine enemies Grant me so to finish my course to fight the good fight of faith that at death I may receive the crown of righteousness which the righteous judge shall give to all that love his appearing I Wish that my faith may ripen into full assurance that thereby I may depart with joy and an abundant entrance may be ministred unto me into the Kingdom of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Moses and Simeon could sing at their own funerals The great Apostle could call to be put to Bed expecting thereby his sweetest eternal rest How many Martyrs have gone more joyfully to dye then ever Epicure did to dine and leaped when they drew near the Stake believing that they drew near their home their happiness their heaven What is it O my soul that makes thee start and flinch back at the sight of this bug-bear What is there in death that is so dreadful to thee Is it the sweetness of life or the pain of death or thy future estate after death Consider them all seriously and then judge rationally whether any of these should make the sigh so loath to depart First The love of life need not make thee so backward to obey the call of death If all thy time were made up of Holy-days death would bring thee greater advantage The Garlick and Onions of Egypt are nothing comparable to the Clusters of Canaan But alas its far otherwise thy whole life is a civil death Thou art born to sorrow as the sparks flye upward Thy days are few but full of trouble The earth to thee is a valley of tears the cross is thy daily companion which accompanieth thee where-ever thou goest The sufferings of thy flesh are neither few nor small How many diseases in thy body losses in thy estate how much disgrace ignominy slander oppression art thou liable to The sufferings of thy spirit are more and greater Thine own sins the provocations of others the dishonour of thy God the wants and weaknesses and oppression and persecution of the Church
wife and children and flesh and heart faile thee and forsake thee godliness would say to thee and stand to it also as Peterâ—o â—o Christ though all forsake thee yet will not I. Wâ—en the worlds Trinity Credit Profit and Pleasure serve their lovers and worshippers as Rats and Mice do an house leave it when it is on fire flye from them in their need and extremity godliness would stick to thee as close as fast as Ruth to Naomi where thou goest it would go where thou lodgest it would lodge nay it would follow thee into the other world and abide with thee a cordial a comfort for ever It would give thee cause to say to it as she to her daughter in law thou hast shewed more kindness to me at the latter end then at the beginning What canst thou have to object against godliness that sets thee at such a distance from it Wilt thou believe a lying world a deceitful flesh a destroying Devil or the God of truth Who is thy greatest enemy God or they Who will do thee most good God or they If thou wilt be tryed by the confessions of the greatest enemies that godliness hath even they in their hours of extremity will tell thee grace is of infinite worth godliness is the best of all Ah how happy had we been at this hour had we been as faithful servants to Religion as we have been slaves to foolish lusts and pleasures If Reason may be heard thou wilt not defer one moment the entering thy name in this society and binding thy self Apprentice to thy Saviour thou mayst see plainly that it is thine interest as well as thy duty and all thy happiness for this and the other world dependeth on it If Scripture may be heard thou wilt quickly set about thy general calling and make Religion thy business it calleth loudly to thee to turn thy back upon earth and face about for heaven to forsake the flesh before the flesh forsake thee It telleth thee plainly under the hand of thy Maker that if thou livest after the flesh and sowest to the flesh thou shalt dye eternally If the Conscience within thee may be heard thou wilt presently give a bill of divorce to thy carnal bruish delights and strike an hearty Covenant wit Jesus Christ It often warneth thee of thy duty and danger and terrifieth thee with the forethoâ—ghts of that fire and fury which thou art hastening to â—eel If thy friends and relations who have any sense of a jealous God and eternal estate may be heard then thou wilt immediately hearken to the counsel I commend to thee from God and exercise thy self unto godliness They advise and perswade and intreat thee to turn over a new leaf and lead a new life and to mind in thy day the things of thy peace If the God upon whom thou livest by whom thou movest from whom thou hast thy being may be heard thou wilt now wink on the world crucifie the flesh loath thy self for thy filth and folly and devote thy heart and soul to his fear He commandeth thee by his dominion over thee and thy obligations to him he threatneth promiseth affrighteth allureth and all to make thee mind thy allegiance to him and the work he hath given thee to do in this world If thy Saviour who humbled himself for thy sake and took upon him the form of a servant and in thy nature was buffeted scourged and crucified may be heard then thou wilt immedately take the counsel that is given thee and turn to the Lord with all thy heart and loath thy self for all thine abominations He pleads with thee most pathetically presenteth to thee the stripes and wounds which sin caused in his blessed body the blood which he shed the ignominy he endured the agony the death he suffered and all to satisfie for sin to make himself Lord both of the dead and living he tells thee he gave himself for thee to redeem thee from all iniquity and to purifie thee to himself a peculiar child zealous of good works If the daily and nightly and hourly mercies that thou injoyest if the sickness or pain or loss or disgrace or afflictions which sometimes thou sufferest may be heard there would not be so much ado to perswade a wretched creature to be blessed and an ungodly person to be holy and happy If the inanimate and irrational creatures the earth beneath thee the heavens above thee the beasts and birds about thee might be heard thou wouldst whilst it s called to day now after so long a time attend to the call and command of him in whose hand is thy life and breath and follow after holiness without which thou shalt never see the Lord. Shall a Centurions servant go when he bids him go and come when he bids him come and wilt not thou go and come at the voice of God Did Balaams Ass speak at Gods command and reprove the madness of the Prophet Did Ravens at Gods command feed Élijah Did Cater-pillars and Locusts and Frogs and Lice execute Gods judgements upon Pharaoh Do fire and hail and snow and vapours and stormy winds fulfil his word Doth the earth open the rocks rend the stars fight in their courses waters stand up in heaps as a wall the Moon stand still the Sun go backward wildernesses tremble things cross the course of nature to obey his pleasure and wilt not thou obey him O man bethink thy self wilt thou be worse then these irrational and inanimate creatures are not thy engagements to God infinitely above theirs what wilt thou have to say for thy self when every stone in the street as well as star in the heavens when every biâ—d and beast and fowl will condemn thee O where wilt thou appear I must tell thee that a perillous time a day of extremity an hour of trouble and anguish is hastning upon thee which thou canst no more escape or avoid then thou canst flye from thy self when the pleasures and delights and honey and beautiful countenances of those Scorpions thy fleshly lusts will all be past and gone but the sting remain to pierce and torment thee when those dreggy waters in which thou bathest thy self now will all be dried up when all thy possessions and preferments and friends and relations will serve thee as women their flowers when they are dead and withered who throw them away or as sinking floores that will fail men when their weight is on them And then O then what wilt thou do Thou wilt wish that religion had been thy business and call and cry to it as the Elders of Gilead to Iephthah when the children of Ammon made war with them Come thou and be our Captain and save us from our enemies Come thou and be my Captain to save me from the curse of the law the terrors of my guilty conscience the wrath of the Infinite God and the torments of the eternal fire But godliness will answer thee as Iephthah did them
Law But thanks be to God who hath given us the victory through our Lord Iesus Christ 1 Cor. 15. 57 58. The Naturalists tell us of a precious stone called Ceraunias that glisters most when the Skie is Cloudy and over-cast with darkness Godliness friend will cast the greatest lustre on thee and put the greatest comfort in thee when thy time of trouble and day of death is come This this is the friend that is born for the day of adversity Therefore the sweet singer of Israel having this with him promiseth Though he walk in the valley of the shadow of death he will fear none ill Psal. 23. 9. Is not that worthy to be made thy business which will help thee to comfort and confidence at a dreadful day of judgement and cause thee to lift up thy head with joy when thousands and millions shall weep and wail The day of judgement will be a terrible day indeed the judge will come in flaming sire a fire devouring before him and behind him a flame burning His tribunal will be a tribunal of fire Out of his mouth did proceed a fiery Law and by that law of fire he will try men for their eternal lives and deaths The earth at that day will be consumed with fire and the elements melt with fervent heat If the cry of fire firè in the night now be so dreadfull and doth so afright and amaze us though it be but in one house and possible not very near us how dreadful will that day be when we shall see the whole world in a flame and the Judge coming in flaming fire to pronounce our eternal dooms Who can abide the day of his coming or who can stand when he appeareth Then the Kings and Captains and Nobles and Mighty Men will call to the rocks to fall on them and to the hills to hide them from the face that sitteth in the Throne and from the wrath of the Lamb Rev. 6. 15. O Reader of what worth is that which will help thee as the three Children to sing in the midst of so many flaming fiery furnaces and preserve thee from being hurt or so much as toucht therewith Truely Godliness will do this for thee it will turn this day of the perdition of ungodly men into a day of redemption to thee As true Gold is not consumed by the hottest fire and the Salamander can live in the greatest flames so the godly man in the midst of all those fires and flames will live and flourish though millions of ungodly ones are scorched and tortured As he is a King now reigning over his stubborn lusts and unruly passions that will be his Coronation day wherein he will appear before the whole world in all his glory and royalty As he is a Husbandman now sowing to the Spirit that will be his Harvest-day wherein he shall reap the fruit of all his prayers and tears and watchings and fastings and labour and sufferings As he is compared to a Virgin betrothed to Christ now keeping his garments white and clean and devoting himself to the service and honour and commands of his Lord that will be his Marriage day wherein he shall be arrayed in fine linnen the righteousness of the Saints adorned with the jewels of perfect graces and solemnly espoused to the King of Saints the heir of all things and the fairest of ten thousands the Lord Jesus Christ. As he is a servant now doing not his own but the will of his Master in Heaven and finishing his work that will be the day wherein his Indentures will expire and he shall enjoy the glorious liberty of the Sons of God As he is a Son now yielding reverence and obedience to the Father of Spirits that will be the day wherein he shall be declared to be of full age and enjoy his portion and inheritance As he is a Souldier now fighting the good fight of faith warring a good warfare enduring much hardship as a good souldier of Iesus Christ that will be the day wherein he shall be called off the guard discharged of those tiresome toylsome duties incumbent on him in this life and receive his garland a Crown of everlasting life Little dost thou conceive Reader the worth of Godliness at that day Godliness will then be honoured and admired not onely by them that have it and rejoyce in it but also by the most prophane and carnal wretches and those who now despise and deride it Then the blind world who now shut their eyes and will not see and the atheistical world who harden their hearts and will not believe shall return and discern and see and believe a difference between the godly and ungodly between them that fear the Lord and them that fear him not O friend what wouldst thou give at that day that godliness had been thy business at this day Godliness will make the judge the Lord Jesus Christ thy friend the Father by whose authority he fits the King of all Nations thy friend the Iustices who will be upon the bench for he shall come with thousands of his Saints thy friends Godliness would make the law by which thou art to be tryed thy friend Godliness would make thy conscience which is to be brought in as the evidâ—nce thy friend Godliness would strike dumb all thy accusers Satan thy corruptions and suffer none of them to hurt thee as thy foes And is not Godliness worthy to be made thy business which will do all this for thee 10. Is not that worthy to be made thy business which will do thee good to eternity The fool is for good for many years but a wise man is for goods that will last to eternity In worldly matters we value those houses and goods highest which will last longest We will give much more for the fee-simple or inheritance for ever of a dwelling or lands then for a term of few years or for a lease for life though we can enjoy them but during life O why should it not be thus in spirituals Why should we not set the greatest price and take the most pains for that which is not for years or ages but for ever for that which we may enjoy and have full solid comfort in to eternity No good that is eternal can be little if it be but an humane friend whom thou lovest to enjoy him for ever or a bodily health to enjoy it for ever or near relations to enjoy them for ever will infinitely advance the price and raise the value of them but to enjoy a God for ever the blessed Saviour for ever the comforting Spirit for ever fullness of joy for ever rivers of pleasures for ever and exceeding weight of glory for ever a crown a kingdom an inheritance for ever which is the fruit of Godliness what tongue can declare what mind can apprehend the worth of these Alas frailty is such a flaw in all earthly tenures that it doâ—h exceedingly abate their value and should our
principal both may justly be cast into Prison It s ill being in a Feloâ—s company when the Officer of justice overtakes him he may come to suffer for the Treason who haâ—bours and abetteth the Traytor A Companion of fools shall be destroyed Prov. 13 20. The Apostle St. Iohn saith the Ecclesiastical Historian finding Cerinthus a blasphemous Heretick in the Bath and some others as bad as he departed away presently lest divine vengeance should finde them together Nay the very Heathen had some sense how unsafe it was to associate with vicious men When Bias was in a ship amongst a wicked crew and a storm arising they cried aloud for mercy he had them hold their peace and not let the Gods know they were there lest the Ship should be sunk and all perish for their sakes When the great Ordnance of wrath shattereth a wicked man in peices the force of it may strike down those that are next him We command you brethren saith the Apostle in the name of our Lord Iesus Christ that ye withdraw your selves from every brother who walketh disorderly 2 Thes. 3. 6. The word withdraw is an allusion to Mariners heedfulness to avoid Rocks and Sands lest they should be ruined by them They who would not shipwrack themselves must decline both sinners courses and company The Psalmist would not eat of their dish lest he should pay their reckoning Let me not eat of their dainties nor drink of their cup. He durst not be so familiar as to feed with them lest he should afterwards fare as they Friend as thou wouldst not suffer with sinners take heed of sitting with them It s enough to bring a man into suspicion at Court to be intimate with one whom the King hates Intireness with wicked persons saith one is one of the strongest chains of Hell and binds us to a participation both of sin and punishment When the Deer pierced with the Arrow and pursued by the hounds runneth to the Herd for shelter they will not admit her amongst them out of a principle of self-preservation lest the Dogs in fetching her out should fall on them If thou wouldst not have divine judgements to attach thee beware of being found amongst them who are markt out for vengeance Come out from her my people that ye be not partakers of her sins and that ye receive not of her plagues Rev. 18. 4. T was dangerous being near those who were to be cast into the fiery furnace which Nebuchadâ—ezzer had made the men that took them up were scorched to death Clemens Alexandrinus tells it as the Worlds saying If a Fish that is taken break the snare and get away no other of that kind is taken that day How many that through mercy have been given to ill company and broke the snares have told us the mischeif thereof afterward Let their example make thee fearful of such â—nares Some tell us that Swallows would not flie into Thebes because their walls were so often beleagured and wilt thou run into that company which is always besieged with Gods thundering curse O take heed with whom thou strikest friendship for when the breath of Gods anger overturneth the house of the Drunkard or Swearer the houses of their next though best Neighbours may fare the worse for its fall Let me give thee the same advice which Physitians do their friends touching persons infected with the plague Cito Longe Tarde speedily shun their company Flie far away from them let it be long even till their sores be healed before thou returnest to them again for it may be truly said of evil companions what one saith of Rumny Marsh It s bad in Winter hurtful in Summer good never If thy Choice be good it will redound very much to thine advantage It s no small happiness to have him for thy friend who is a favouâ—ite in Heavens Court Elisha offered it as a great kindness to his courteous Host Shall I speak for thee to the King This favour thou mayst expect in a greater measure from thy Christian friend He will speak for thee to the King of Kings and send many a rich venture for thee into the other World whence the return will be certain and the gain superabundant O t is good to have an interest in that heart which hath an interest in Heaven The great Apostle begs hard as upon his knees for a share in the Saints prayers Seldom haste thou heard a starving beggar so importunate for a piece of bread as he is to be a partner in their joynt stock Rom. 15. 30. I beseech you brethren for the Lord Iesus Christs sake and for the love of the Spirit that ye strive together in your prayers to God for me And whaâ—s the reason Truly Paul knew that united force was stronger that such persons prayers would be prevalent Ambassadours to obtain the errand they were sent about The Father who denyeth or delayeth a single child when several of them together desire favour granteth it speedily It s hard to turn stones into bread to fetch meat out of the eater affliction yet the Saints prayers have been helpful to do it I know that this i. e. great tribulation shall turn to my salvation through your prayers Phil. 1. 19. A good Companion is a rare jewel and of great value It s observable that Moses proceeding by degrees ascendeth at last to the highest step of persons that may win upon us and nameth friends as the top of all and dearer then all Relations If thy Brother or Son or Daughter or Wife or Friend which lyeth in thy bosome which is as thine own soul Deut. 13. 6. A godly friend is a choice book out of which we may learn many excellent things and a precious treasure whereby our souls may be inriched with vertue He that walketh with the wise shall be wise Prov. 13. 20. They who walk with them that are strong-sented with grace must needs receive somewhat of its savour The very sight of that holiness which shineth brightly in their works will kindle thy spirit and enlarge thy mind with an honest emulation of their worth If as some credibly relate of Persina the Ethiopian Queen by seeing the fair Picture of Perseus and Andromeda she was delivered of a fair Child the frequent view of a fair Picture hath such an operation upon the body as to cause an AEgyptian Woman to bring forth a beautiful Child Surely thy constant beholding the amiable Image of the blessed God in thy pious companion may have such an energy on thy soul as to assimulate thee to its own nature and help thee to bring forth a lovely issue a Iedediah whom the Lord loveth The ground is the more fruitful which is near such Trees of righteousness for the dunging and dressing which the good Husbandman bestoweth on them When a friend of Phocions would have cast himself away Phocion suffered him not saying I was made thy friend for this purpose
32. Psa. 10. 9. Nor of setting others a bad example so Ieroboam was guilty of the Idolatry of the Iews but of those ways whereby Christians are usually guilty of others sins when they are amongst the wicked 1. By Compliance If when thou seest or hearest others sin thou dost inwardly approve it thou art partaker of it He that consents though but in his thoughts to anothers fraud is before God a Felon Paul before his conversion was consenting to the death of the Protomartyr Act. 8. 1. and after his conversion he pleads guilty of the Murder Act. 22. 20. It may be Reader when thou hearest lascivious stories or sinful witty jestings or tales of slie subtile cheats or the like thou dost secretly applaud and approve them I tell thee thou art partaker of them If thou hast an heart in the sin thou hast an hand in the sin Thy affecting it makes thee as really guilty as if thou didst act it Nay I must tell thee the greatest guilt ariseth from the fullest consent of the Will It s possible for the approver to be more guilty then the actor 2. By Silence or not reproving sin A man may sin by speaking and he may sin by silence This silence when sin is comâ—iâ—ted speaks thy consent to it It was a speech 〈…〉 That he had often repented of speaking but never of holding his peace but there is a sinful holding the peace as well as a sinful speaking It s bad to hold the breath long Nicodemus though he was at first fearful and wore the badge of his profession under his cloak out of sight yet when he was amongst the enemies of Christ he took courage and would not by his silence betray his Saviour and wrong his own soul Ioh. 7. 50 51. It s a sign of little love to see men wounding by Oaths and Blasphemies or Scoffs and Jears our best friend and not to wish them to forbear and do our utmost to take them off Dion writes of Severus that he was careful what he did but careless what he heard but the good Christian is careful of the latter as well as the former knowing that sin may enter in at that Casement and remembring that the Cannon Bullet which split the Vessel in which all the hopes of mankind were embarqued was shot in at that Port-hole The Crocodile because he hath no use of a tongue living always in the waters hath none but God hath given Man a tongue and calls it his glory Psa. 16. 9. with Act. 2. 26. partly because speech is one thing wherein men excel Beasts Brute creatures can make a noise but man onely articulate his voice partly because it is given him to glorifie God withal It is pity he should ever open his lips whose mouth will not shew forth Gods praise Thou canst usually no way better clear thy self then by condemning the sin to the very face of the sinner As the World thinks of God when he is silent and doth not destroy them with the breath of his mouth so the wicked think of the godly when they are silent and do not open their mouths to reprove them These things thou didst and I kept silence thou thoughtest that I was altogether such a one as thy self Psa. 50. 21. Silence in the presence of sin implyeth a liking of it though thou sayst not Euge saith Austin yet if thou sayst not Apage there is a mutual approbation Nay he goeth farther and saith Pejor es tacendo quam ille convitiando thy silence is more dangerous to thee then his sin to him But I shall speak more largely to this duty of reproving before I conclude this Chapter 3. Thou mayst be partaker of others sins by Provoking them to sin Our Lord is said to be crucified at Rome Rev. 11. 8. because he was sentenced by a Roman Iudge executed by Roman Souldiers and put to death by authority of the Roman Empire yet the Murder of Christ is all along in Scripture charged on the Iews Peter preaching to them saith whom by wicked hands ye have taken and slain and Stephen expresly Of whom ye have been the Betrayers and Murderers because though the Execution of it was from the Romans yet the Provocation to it was from the Iews Act. 2. 23. and 7. 52. That which is committed by our Instigation is ours by just Imputation I fear many good men are partakers of others sins in this sense either by stirring up others that are passionate to anger or by inciting some that have been guilty of handsom in the worlds judgment cheats to relate and boast of them For its little difference whether men hold the sack open or fill it both are guilty SECT III. SEcondly If thou wouldst exercise thy self to Godliness in evil Company Do not needlesly expose thy self to sufferings He is but a fool that will lay his life in anothers lap without a call Christ did not commit himself to the Iews because he knew their hearts and we are not lightly to commit our selves to any because we know not their hearts Set a watch before thy tongue lest it make thy throat thy Sepulchre a Grave to bury thy estate and outward comforts in It s a sin in many Christians that they know not when to be silent The wise man tels us there is a time to speak and a time to keep silence Eccles. 3.7 This is a great part of Christian prudence to understand when to keep silence It s much harder to learn to be silent then to learn to speak Though we must not as some Turks be always dumb perpetuum silentium tenent ut muti yet we ought sometimes to hold our breath in Therefore the prudent shall keep silence for it is an evil time Amos 5. 13. 1. Their cross was weighty It was an evil time a time of much danger and difficulty Sin abounded Sinners were enraged God was provoked and the Godly oppressed 2. Their carriage was wise They shall keep silence The words may have a two fold exposition 1. If they be taken in relation to God as some think they speak the patient submission of the faithful in that evil day to the divine providence and pleasure 2. If they be taken in relation to men as others expound them they speak the prudent conversation of the gracious in that day of persecution they shall not causlesly throw themselves into greater miseries but shall keep all due silence to avoid needless sufferings Indeed thy care must be to own Christ ever and to profess him publiquely when thou art called to it but as thy policy should not eat up thy zeal so thy zeal must not eat up thy wisdom I would not discourage thee from confessing the Lord Jesus yet I must tell thee that thou art not bound to proclaim in all companies of what judgement thou art nor what Church Government thou wouldst choose not what society thou meetest in c. Nay thou art bound to the
in tâ—e other world I was as bad as the worst of them or at least I had slept as deep into that mire of prophaness and equalled or exceeded them in all manner of impiety if free grace had not with-held and prevented me I have the same root of bitterness and had doubtless brought forth the same cursed fruits if the hand of mercy had not new grafted me What thanks do I owe to my Redeemer who makes me to differ and what cause have I to love and laud to please and praise him world without end O friend if the Israelites blessed God for their preservation from those waters in which the Egyptians were drowned hast not thou cause to give thanks for preservation from that wickedness in which others are damned 3. Thy care and watchfulness should be the more increased The falls and failings of others should be Sea-marks and give thee warning to avoid those rocks and shallows if thou wouldst avoid shipwrack Thou hast the same poisonous seed therefore take heed lest thou committest the same sin These things saith the Apostle were written for our example to the intent we should not lust after evil things as they did 1 Cor. 10. 6 16. All these things happened unto them for examples and they were written for our admonition As the sins and sufferings of others are recorded for our instruction so God lets them be acted before our eyes for our admonition If he that walketh before me falleth and breaketh his neck I have the more reason to ponder the paths of my feet If a fire break out in one house every wise man will look the more to his own If enemies be near the walls the Garrison will be the more diligent to keep watch and ward Ah how foolish is that Mariner who beholdeth a Ship before him cast away upon some Rock and doth not steer his course with the greater care Thus the Sword of Goliah may be serviceable to a David and those weapons of unrighteousness which are designed for our destruction may be helpful to our preservation Those Kites that destroy Chickens do also eat up offals of Beasts and many noisom things which otherwise would infect the Air whence say some it s a Law in England that near a Market Town they should not be kill'd Unclean Beasts are serviceable to men and unclean men may be helpful to Christians SECT V. FIfthly Endeavour their reformation Thy duty is as a good Physitian to loath the noisom disease but to pity and strive to recover the Patient What difference is there betwixt thee and a carnal person if thou sufferest him to die and offerest not thy help for his cure Thy Father doth good to all he causeth his Sun to shine on the just and on the unjust O Remember that thou art his Son and that his pattern is worthy of imitation That piece of Iron which is rub'd with the Loadstone will draw another peice of Iron We read of Magnetical Rocks in some Islands that draw all Ships to them which have Iron Pins and hold them so fast that they are not able to stir Shew that thou hast been toucht with the Spirit that the Spirit of God dwelleth in thee by thy endeavours to draw others to God Christ never sat at Table with any sinners but he made better chear then he found If he sat with the prophane he did convert them if with the pious he did confirm them Luk. 7. Be not discouraged at the weakness of thy gifts or the small degree of thy graces but consider that the event of the enterprize depends upon him who sets thee a work and that its all one to him whether he have great means or small means or no means A poor contemptible Flie may hinder an Elephant from sleeping a poor upright Christian may awaken great sinners out of their spiritual sleep and lethargy A little Boat may land a man at a large continent A weak believer may help a soul to Heaven Endeavour to reform them these three ways 1. By wholsom Counsel Every place thou comest into should be like Libnah in which the Israelites pitcht a place of Frankincense perfumed by thy presence The breath of a man serves him both to cool his broth when hot and warm his fingers when cold The breath of a Christian should serve to put some warmth into them that are cold Heaven-ward and to cool and slack them that are hot Hell ward An wholsom tongue is a Tree of life Prov. 15. 12. Thy tongue should be like the Tree of life in Eden of which he that did eat was to live for ever Gen. 3. 22. or like that Tree of life in the midst of the street which bare twelve manner of Fruit and the Leaves of the Tree were for the healing of the Nations Rev. 22. 2. I have read of a person who led a dissolute life and was so wrought upon by the Counsel of a good man that he turned over a new Leaf and when his Companions asked the ground of that change which they soon observed in him and why he would not walk along with them in his old wicked ways he answered them I am busie meditating and reading in a little book which hath but three leaves in it so that I have no leasure so much as to think of any other business In the first leaf which is red I meditate on the passion of my Lord Iesus Christ and of that precious blood which he shed for the remission of my sins In the second leaf which is white I meditate on the unspeakable joys of Heaven purchased for me by the death of my Redeemer In the third leaf which is black I meditate on the intolerable torments of Hell provided and kept in store for the wicked and ungodly Prudent and pious advice may bring wandring sinners home to Christs fold There is a special art in baiting the hook aright so as thou mayst take sinners ere they are aware I being crafty caught you with guile 2 Cor. 12. 16. It s possible â—hou art amongst men that are moral and civil yet unsanctified by commending civility yet discovering its insufficiency thou mayst beat them out of their rotten holds and cause them to run to Christ for help Mat. 5. 20. It may be thou meetest with those that are openly prophane by bringing in wisely an example of Gods judgements on such persons thou mayst fright them from such lewd practices Sometimes thou mayst turn earthly discourse by degrees into heavenly and spread a Table and set a running banquet before them which they never thought of Do they ask for â—ant of other discourse what news After some prudent preface answer them that thou canst tell them good news from a far Country which is worthy of all acceptation namely That Iesus Christ came into the world to save sinners Do they ask how such and such do acquaint them concerning their bodily welfare and if it may be done conveniently
with their firebrands to burn up the good Corn As Simeon and Levi they are brethren in iniquity the instruments of cruelty are in their habitations Shall they as Ananias and Saphira agree together to tempt the Spiâ—it of the Lord and shall not Saints agree together to please the Spirit of the Lord Surely if sinners have their Come with us let us lay wait for blood let us all have one purse Saints may well â—ave their Come let us go up to the House of the Lord Come let us walk in the light of the Lord â—sa 2. 5. Come let us joyn our selves to the Lord in a Covenant not to be forgotten It is confiderable that though sinners differ never so much amongst themselves yet they can unite against the Lord and his chosen Herod and Pilate before at odds can comply as friends and joyn together against the Lord Christ. As Dogs of differing colours disagreeing bigness and of several kinds that sometimes for bones and scrapâ— fight and mangle and tear one another can with one voice and cry and consent pursue the poor innocent Hare So the Kennel of Sathans Hell-hounds though sometimes they quarrel among themselves about the honours and riches of this world and are ready to rent one another in peices yet can with open mouth and full cry all joyn to persecute the harmless Lambs of Christ. We read of such different mettal such a speckled rabble gathered together against Israel that one would think the diversity of their Countries Constitutions Customes Languages Lusts should have kept them from melting and running into one piece Yet Lo they all unite against Gods people They take crafty counsel against thy people They consult against thy hidden ones They have said Come let us cut them off from being a Nation that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance For they have consulted together with one consent they are confederate against thee The Tabernacles of Edom and the Ishmaelites of Moab and the Hagarens Gebal and Ammon and Amalek the Philistines and the Inhabitants of Tyre Assur also is joyned with them and they have holpen the Children of Lot Psalm 83. 3 to 9. Shall such a cursed crew agree together to pull down Sion and not the blessed Company of Gods Children unite to build it up O! how shameful is it that Satans black Regiment should with one consent watch for us as the Dragon for the Man-child to devour us And as Herod for the Babes of Bethlehem to destroy us And that we should not watch over one another for our safety and defence It may well be our grief that the Children of this World are wiser in their Generation then the Children of Light T is true the combination of wicked men is no true union but rather a conspiracy against God and against their own souls Satan serving them by drawing them into this league and making them to be of one hellish heart infinitely worse then Scyron and Procrustes famous Robbers in Attica served the poor Travellers why by cutting short the taller and stretching out the lesser brought all to an even length with their bed of brass Yet such a confederacy may well move us to pity such distracted ones and doth too much reflect upon us for our dissentions Thirdly Consider the backwardness of our own hearts to any good and the need we have of all helps to quicken them towards heaven How averse are our souls to any thing that is spiritual How many excuses pretences delays will they make To sin man needs no Tutor he can ride post to Hell without a spur but how backward to do that work which he must do or be undone for ever The stone is not more untoward to flye nor lead to swim then our carnal hearts to exercise any grace or perform any duty incumbent on us Our head-strong passions hurry us our worldly interests byass us and our desperately wicked hearts draw us from God and Heaven If the wood be green there is need of constant blowing or the fire will go out when the iron is so dull it must go often to the Whetstone or little work can be done with it It s no wonder that the Spirit of God useth precept upon precept line upon line here a little and there a little when man is like the wilde Asses colt so blockish and dull to understand Gods way and so backward and heavy to walk in it How much are we in the dark about the ways and Word and Truths of God! and how apt through mistakes to stumble and fall calling evil good and good evill and do we not want their company who carry a light a lanthorn with them How often do we flatter our selves that we are rich in grace and in the favour of God when its little so looking on our selves through the false spectacles of self-love and doth it not behove us to be much in their society who will set before us a true looking-glass wherein we may behold the native countenance of our souls without any fraud or falshood We are full of doubts and want counsel and Physitians that are able themselves will in their own cases ask advice of others We are liable to many sorrows and want comfort and who can give it us better then those who fetch all their cordial waters out of Scripture We are apt to slumber and nod and neglect our spiritual watch the flesh is drowsie and the cares of the world fume up into our heads and incline us to sleep what then will become of us if we have none to jog and awaken us It will go but ill with the new man if whilst he hath so many enemies to hurt him he hath never a friend to help him Exhort one another daily lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin Heb. 3. 13. I have somewhere read of a King that having many servants some wise some indiscreet some profitable some unprofitable was asked why he would keep those foolish unprofitable fellows To which he answered I need the other and these need me and so I will have them all about me I am sure weak Christians need the strong its ill for a tottering house to have no prop and strong Christians may need the weak That knife which is best mettal may sometimes need a dull Whetstone The smallest wheel nay pin in a Watch is necessary and so each needing the other there is great need they should hold together While there is flesh and spirit combating within us and the worse so potent and likely to conquer we shall want all manner of Auxiliaries to relieve the better part Fourthly Consider The evil of neglecting Christian Communion I know the Children of God must sometimes be solitary there are some duties which cannot otherwise be performed and some callings which cannot otherwise be followed but as there are seasons for solitariness so also for society to forbear the society of Saints without
good Companions will advise and direct my feet in the ways of peace If I fit in darkness and see no light by their counsel and comfort I may learn the way out of the mist. If I am perplexed in any labyrinths they may help me to unty that knot of which I have been labouring long in vâ—in to find an end If I be falling they will be props to support me if I wander they will be guides to reduce me if I be dull they will be whet-stones to quicken me if I do well they will be fathers to encourage me whatever my want be they will endeavour to supply me and whatever my condition be they will be like-minded both weeping with me in my sorrows and rejoycing with me in my joys Besides if I expect the presence of my God who is rich in mercy and the God of all consolations where can I find him sooner then in his Temple they are the Temple of God and I will dwell in them His Saints on Earth are his lesser Heaven wherein he takes up his abode O my soul what an Argument is here to perswade thee to fellowship with the Saints Theirs is the onely good fellowship Their Communion is a Conjunction in the service of thy God and tendeth abundantly to thy spiritual advantage and edification Thy Redeemer calls them the light of the world and they will guide thee in the way which he hath cast up The salt of the earth and they will preserve thee from corruption Their conversations are living Commentaries upon that word which is thy rule and so will both plainly teach thee thy duty and powerfully provoke thee to do it Their expressions will by savoury and help thee to learn the language of Canaan The tongue of the just is a tree of life and beareth excellent fruit The lips of the righteous feed many Besides amongst these Children thou mayst be sure to meet with the everlasting Father Where two or three are gathered together in my name I will be in the midst of them Though but two or three that the wicked despise them for their paucity though two or three never so low and mean that the world scorns them for their poverty yet if gathered together in his name they shall not fail of his presence Surely nothing will prevail more with a faithful Spouse to joyn with any company then this She shall meet with her beloved Husband amongst them O of what great price is this one promise I will be in the midst of them His presence like the nearer approaches of the Sun in the Spring will refresh their hearts with the warm beams of his love when they are chill and almost dead with the cold of frights and fears and cause in their souls a new shooting of grace that notwithstanding any foregoing winter of barrenness they shall now abound in the fruits of righteousness What can they or thou O my soul want which his presence will not supply Art thou laden with sin he can give thee rest art thou full of sorrows he is the conâ—olation of Israel art thou poor in grace with him is durable riches and righteousness art thou dull and dead in spirituals he is the Lord of life and can quicken thee He hath power enough to subdue all thy lusts he hath wisdom enough to resolve all thy doubts he hath grace enough to pity all thy weaknesses and mercy enough to pardon all thy unworthiness He is able to save to the uttermost Nay thou hast not only his Promise to meet thee in his Garden amongst his people but thou hast also his Performance of it for thine encouragement Then the same day at evening being the first day of the week when the doors were shut where the Disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews came Jesus and stood in the midst and saith unto them Peace be unto you And when he had so said he shewd unto them his hands and his side then were the Disciples glad when they had seen the Lord Then said Iesus unto them again Peace be unto you As my Father hath sent me so send I you And he breathed on them and said Receive ye the Holy Ghost O the value of those Jewels which are lockt up in this Cabinet All the Crowns and Scepters of the world had they been thrown in amongst the Disciples could not have caused the thousandth part of that comfort nor have brought any degree of that profit which the Disciples had by the presence of the holy Jesus Consider his words Peace be unto you peace be unto you Never did sweeter words or more melodious musick ever sound in humane ears What tidings could be more welcom to them that had known the terrors of an angry God and felt the curses of his righteous Law Didst thou never see a poor debtor arrested by severe Serjeants and hailed to the Goal in which nasty miserable place he was like to continue whilst he lived with wringing of hands and watering of cheeks and doleful screeches and afterwards upon the payment of his debts by some loving Surety with what clapping of hands and gladness of heart he was enlarged If so thou hadst some poor resemblâ—nce of that exuberancy of joy which the Disciples felt when they saw the Lord and heard those blessed words Peace be unto you They were all liable every moment to the arrest of divine justice for those vast sums which they owed to the Holy and Jealous God and in continual danger to be hurried by Divels his Officers to the Prison of Hell whence they could never have come out Now his appearance to them did evidence that the Law was satisfied that all their debts were discharged in that the Surety who took upon him the payment of them was by order of the Iudge released What news could find more acceptance with those that dreaded the fury of the Lord more then death and esteemed his favour far before life then that which did speak him reconciled to them And farther observe the work of the blessed Redeemer And he breathed on them Receive ye the Holy Ghost As if he had said I know your unbeleiving hearts will think the news of a reconciled God and of peace with him too good to be true behold therefore his love-token Receive the earnest of his favour his holy Spirit who knoweth his mind fully and was at the Council-Table of Heaven when all your names were engrost in the book of life and all the methods of grace and good-will towards poor sinners were debated and concluded and is sent to you on purpose to reveal them to you and assure you of them and therefore is an unquestionable evidence that he is at one with you This O my soul was the blessed Heavenly Banquet which the Redeemer entertained his Disciples with when they met together and wouldst thou miss such a feast for all the World Lord thou lovest the Assemblies of thy Saints they are the habitations
irrational creatures that are upon the earth are serviceable one to another in their places and are in continual and regular motion to those ends for which they were designed The most venemous creatures are useful not onely to their fellows of the same rank but to man their Master Nay if I descend lower and look into Hell I may believe the Devils not to be idle and unprofitable to each otherâ— but to conspire together in one and to be at all times busie and stirring for the propagating of their poison They go too and fro in the earth seeking how they may dishonour the name of the glorious God and destroy immortal souls O my soul what sayst thou to these patterns to these presidents Shall irrational creatures advantage others and wilt thou monopolize all to thy self Dost thou not see how they are all in their stations profitable to man even to the worst of men The Fish and Fowles and some beasts feed him the Sheep and wormesâ— and Bever cloath him the Horse and Mule carry him and wilt thou be worse then the Horse and Mule which have no understanding Shall inanimate creatures be helpful to others and wilt thou live onely to thy self The Fire consumes it self to warm others the Candle destroyeth it self to enlighten others Salt wasteth it self to season others the Fountain sendeth forth its streams to refresh others the Sun Moon and Stars exercise those powers with which they are endowed to direct and enliven others and shall these creatures which have neither reason nor sense rise up in judgement to condemne thee Do the best and highest of the creation count it no disparagement but an honour and preferment to serve the Spouse of Christ and wilt thou shrink back and not wait on her in thy place Surely thou art dull indeed if so many Masters cannot teach thee this lesson Thou art blind to purpose if thou dost not see thy duty when it s Printed in so large a Letter in so many Volumes Thou canst not open thine eyes but thou beholdest this Precept and that in the likeliest way of learning it examples Look upwards the heavens are thy tutors they are unwearied in their motion for the good of the Vniverse look downwards and the Devils will teach thee not to jarr with thy fellows but to uniâ—e with them and endeavour their comfort look inwards and the parts of the body may be thy Master they conjoyn for the good of each other the eye seeth the ear heareth the mouth eateth the stomach digesteth the hands work the feet walk for the welfare of the whole look outwards and the earth may be thy monitour that is fruitful not for its own but others benefit And art thou not ashamed to be barren Lord it is thy will that as I have received the gift even so I should minister to others as a good Stewaâ—d of the manifold grace of God Keep thy servant from ingrossing those spiritual riches to himself which thou hast given him for the releif of thy poor O let me never eat my morsels alone but according to my estate cloath thy naked ones and feed the hungry with good things When I was blind thou didst send an Ananias to me saying Brother the Lord Jesus that great Physitian hath sent me unto thee that thou mightest receive thy sight and be filled with the holy Ghost And immediately the scales fell from mine eyes and I saw the things that concerned my peace and shall not I pity others ignorance and with meekness instruct them in the way of life How dull was I of understanding how slow to conceive and believe spiritual things yet thou didst bear with me patiently and didst give me Precept upon Precept and line upon line Why should not I bear with my fellows since thou didst bear with one infinitely thine inferiour Thou hast enlivened me when I was dead enlightned me when I sat in darkness and saw no light supported me in my weaknesses and supplied me in all my wants and necessities O strengthen me that since I am acquainted with the sweetness of thy love and the greatness of thy power I may communicate my experiences and improve my gifts for the counselling quickening and comforting of others I Wish that my God would so strengthen my back that I may bear with patience the burthens of my brethren I know unkindnesses will happen between the nearest relations and between the dearest friends Whilst there is flesh in us there will be failings and fallings out among us Till we come to that place where there is perfect purity there can be no hope of perfect peace But how contrary am I to my God if I do not forbear and forgive them that offend me Am I better then God Iâ— unkindness to me in any measure so hainous as unkindness to God Their engagements to me are nothing comparable to their engagements to God and therefore the least wrong to God is infinitely greater and more hainous then the greatest that can be done to me Yet my God winketh at the weaknesses and passeth by the peevishness of his people He seeth no iniquity in Iacob nor transgression in Israel though they offer daily affronts and disrespects to him and that after their sorrow for former miscarriages and promises of amendment yet he doth not destroy but is patient towards them and shall not I be merciful as my Heavenly Father is merciful Besides I have offended God much more then my Brother can offend me I need not say according to the Worldlings vain pleas and pretences The injury is great therefore I cannot pass it by My offences against my God are of an higher nature and a more bloody colour yet I hope he forgiveth me Or This is not the first time he hath often abused me thus How often have I sinned against my God! my sins are more then the haires of my head they are more then can be numbred yet he forgiveth me freely and frequently he multiplieth pardons as I multiply transgressions Or But this is expresly contrary to his duty And is not my disobedience against God contrary to that which I ought to do is it not expresly against his dominion over me and that Allegiance which I owe to him Or I am his Superiour Surely God is mine much more O the infinite distance that is between the boundless Majesty of Heaven and a poor slimy wormâ— If the whole creation be nothing to him what then am I to him Or But I will have nothing to do with him I value not his favour I live by him not upon him Doth thy God live upon thee hath he any need of thee is he any debtor to thee wouldst thou be glad he should upon this reason say He will have nothing to do with thee to protect or preserve or pardon or save thee because he can live without thee When for all thy iniquities and offences against him and his soveraignty over thee and
be charily lookt to or they fade away so Saints if the Spirit of God were not choyce of them and ever watchful over them would perish How lovely are flowers to the eye how pleasant to the taste how soft to the touch what ornaments to an house How amiable are the children of God to those that have eyes to see his image on them how fragrant is the smell of their Spiknard and Calamus and Cassia what a grace are they to any Family or Society Dost thou walk into thy Garden to observe how thy flowers thrive so Jesus Christ goeth into his garden to see how his plants flowrish Thou wilt not allow any weeds or barren flowers in thy Garden and Jesus Christ will not permit such wicked unprofitable ones in his Church Flowers are lovely and beautiful one day and withered and fallen off the stalk the next so man is a comely living creature one day and a deformed corps the next Thus a Saint may make every flower like the Gilly-flower cordial to him If thou walkeâ—t by a River thou mayst change the water there into spirits by meditation How fitly may thy thoughts be raised by that object to the cleansing refreshing properties of the Word of God to the water of life to the Well of salvation to the river whose streams make glad the City of God to the rivers of pleasures at Gods right hand for evermore The same water which being liquid is penetrated with an horse hair will bear the horse himself when hard frozen So those threats and judgements of God which penetrate deep into the tender consciences of the regenerate enter not at all into the hearts of carnal men hardned by custom in sin and hence thou mayst gather the reason whence the sword of the Word that in some divideth the joynts and marrow in others glanceth only or reboundeth not making the least dinâ— or impression upon their frozen adamantine hearts If thou art eating and drinking thou mayst feed thy soul as well as thy body by meditating on the meat that endureth to everlasting life on that flesh which is meat indeed and that blood which is drink indeed Thou mayst think if my outward man need food and without it cannot subsist surely spiritual food is as needful for my inward man and without it that will starve If a famine of bread and water be so dreadful that the tongues of men cleave under it to the roof of their mouths and their countenances become as black as a coal how dreadful is a famine of the Word of the Lord If natural food be so pleasant and savoury to my taste surely spiritual food is sweeter then the honey and the honey comb If all the labour of man be for his belly what labour doth the soul deserve If the ordinances of my God now are so pleasant to me that my soul is even filled as with marrow and fatness and refreshed as with Wine on the Lees well refined what a blessed day will it be when I shall eat bread in the Kingdom of Heaven and drink new wine in my Fathers Kingdom O blessed are they that are called to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. If thou beholdest thy candle thou mayst consider how that light which makes small shew in the day yeilds a glorious lustre in the night not because the Candle hath then more light but because the Air hath then more darkness so that holiness and grace which in a day of prosperity and life seems of small worth and price in a night of adversity and death will be of infinite value Or thus I set up this candle to help and direct me about my business so God sets up the candle of my life and affords me the light of his word for me to work out my salvation not to play by them Or thus this candle is spending it self for my good so I should be willing to spend and be spent for the good of others souls Or this Candle is always consuming and will at last be quite wasted so is my life daily wearing away and ere long will be quite extinguished The great Candles whilst they burn make the greater light but when they go ouâ— leave the greater stench So ungodly men the greater they are the more they shine with glory whilst they live but when they die leave the more stinking savour behind them If thou art putting off thy cloaths thou mayst ponder thy duty to put off the old man which is corrupt according to his deceitful lusts and to put off the works of darkness as also that ere long thou shalt put off thine earthly tabernaâ—le Art thou lying down in thy bed thou mayst think of thy grave wherein thou must shortly lye down and never rise up till the morning of the resurrection Is the night dark thou mayst meditate thence on the darkness of thy mind naturally of the works of darkness of the blackness of darkness for ever Ah! what a dark dungeon is Hell where not the least spark of light appears though so much fire My night will end but sinners evening will find no morning If a bed be so refreshing to my wearied body how refreshing is a Redeemer to a wearied soul How lovingly he inviteth me Come to me all that are weary I will give you rest and how refreshing will tha God! When thou wakest in the morning thou mayst say with the Psalmist When I awake I shall be satisfied with thy likeness or When I awake I am still with thee or rouse thy self up with Awake to righteousness and sin not Awake thou that sleepest arise and call upon thy God When thou art rising thou mayst meditate on the Churches garment of needle work the fine linnen of the Saints righteousness thy putting on the new man created after God in righteousness and true holiness thy putting on that most excellent cloathing which is for warmth for ornament and defence the Lord Iesus Christ. Dost thou look on the glass to dress thy self think of the glass of Gods law how necessary it is daily to look into it for the discovery of thy spiritual spots and filth Dost thou wash thy hands O wash thy heart from wickedness and forget not that great laver of the blood of Jesus Christ. Doth thy stomach call for some food think of thy spiritual appetite and how savoury it will make the dainties of Gods house to thee They did all eat of the same spiritual meat and they did all drink the same spiritual drink they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them and that rock was Christ. Art thou to go about buying or selling or worldly bargains take some thoughts of buying that one Pearl of great price which the wise Merchant sold all he had to purchase of buying that gold of grace and fine linnen of the Saints righteousness Mat. 13. 44. Rev. 3. 18. Amongst all thy gains and gettings consider What will it profit a man to gain the
would not reverence the issue for the Authors sake Surely that coin deserves esteem which hath that Kings Image and Superscription on it The matter in thee merits respect Thou art a Love-letter from God to his creature revealing his eternal thoughts of good will publishing his acts of grace and oblivion to all traytors and rebels in arms against his Majesty upon condition they will throw down their weapons and become Loyal Subjects for the future Thou art the Churches Charter containing all the priviledges which the blessed Jesus purchased for her What wise man would not value the deeds and evidences which speak and give a right to pardon love grace joy peace and the undefiled inheritance for ever When thou comest to a soul salvation comes to that soul Thou art always attended with a rich train of all sorts of comforts The good tidings thou bringest and great blessings thou conveyest where ever thou comest may well make thee welcome I may well say unâ—o thee beholding the bracelets and ear-rings wherewith thou adornest the Spouse of the true Isaac as Laban to Abrahams servant Come in thou blessed of the Lord why standest thou without I have prepared lodging for thee If I am bound to bless my God for the natural lights which he hath made the greater to rule the day and the lesser to rule the night because thereby it appears that his mercy endureth for ever Psa. 136. 7 8 9. How much am I bound to bless him for the spiritual light of his word that true that marvellous light which shineth in a dark place till the eternal day dawn O what mercy what mercy enduring for ever is there in every leaf in every verse in every line of that sacred Book If Regeneration be a mercy to be partaker of the divine nature the stamping the lovely Image of the glorious God upon thee then the word is a mercy for that is the seal in the hand of the Spirit which imprinteâ—h it on thee Iames 1. 18. Is faith a mercy that shield of the soul whereby it quencheth the fiery darts of the Devil that Ladder by which the soul mounteth to Heaven and converseth daily with its Lord and Master then the word is a mercy for faith comes by hearing the word is the door of faith Rom. 10. 14. Act. 14. 27. If repentance be a mercy those second and best thoughts of the soul that recovery of the man to his wits and right mind then the word is a mercy for t is the voice of Christ in the word that casteth the Devil of impenitency and sensuality out of the heart where it raigned and raged sending out fire and flames like AEtna for many years and makes the man like him in the Gospel out of whom the Devil was cast to sit at Iesus his feet in his right mind bitterly weeping and mourning for his former folly and madness T is the hot beams of love that shine in the Gospel that thaw the frozen spirits Is hope a mercy â—hat Helmet of salvation which defendeth the head of Christians from Swords and Musquets the souls of Saints from the darts and dangers of temptations those Bladders of the soul which keep it from sinking in deep waters then the word is a mercy for we through patience and comfort of the Scripture have hope Rom. 15. 4. Hope had never lookt out at the window longing for the coming of its beloved if the word had not come before as a faithful Messenger and brought certain news that he was upon the way Are pardon reconciliation with God adoption growth in grace yea Heaven it self a mercy then the word is a mercy All those Jewels are lockt up in that Cabinet Man durst not have presumed he could not have conceived that the glorious jealous God should ever have such infinite respect for such wretches and rebels if he had not found it written with his own hand in the word T is on the waters of the sanctuary that the Saint saileth safely through the Sea of this world to the Port of salvation There was no visible bridge laid over the Gulf of Gods wrath for sinners to pass into the Kingdom of grace here and glory hereafter till the Gospel erected one O my soul what honour can be high enough what love hot enough for the holy Scriptures 1. Consider the preciousness of them in the eyes of good men and the love they had for them Iob preferred them before food before his necessary food Solomon before ornaments of gold crowns of glory Paul before all other Doctrines though Preached by Angels David before the honey and the honey comb great spoils thousands of gold and silver all riches And when he ceaseth to compare beginneth to admire iâ—s worth Wonderful are thy testimonies And his own fervent affection to it O how love I thy law it is my meditation all the day 2. The price paid for it It cost the blood of thy beloved well may the Scriptures be called Testaments they were both sprinkled with blood and made valid by the death of the Testatour Heb. 9. 15 16 17. And for this cause he is the mediatour of the New Testament that by means of death for the redemption of transgressions that were under the first Testament they which were called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance For where a Testament is there must of necessity also be the death of the Testator For a Testament is of force after men are dead otherwise it is of no strength at all whilst the testator liveth 3. The pearl hid in it The Lord Jesus Christ is the matter as well as the Author of it Well may it be called the Word of Christ. Search the Scripture for they are they that testifie of me He was the substance of the Law and he is the sum of the Gospel Thou hadst not known sin but for the Law nor the Saviour but for the Gospel When David considered the kindness he had receâ—ved from Ionathan he said to his servants Is there none left of the house of Saul that I may shew kindness to for Jonathans sake He could not but in gratitude study some return suitable to that good will of his dear friend Great is the kindness I have received from the Scripture What wilt thou say what wilt thou do O my soul for this Word of thy God! O swear unto the Lord and vow unto the mighty God of Jacob surely I will not come into the tabernacle of my house I will not go up into my bed I will not give sleep to mine eyes nor slumber to mine eyeâ—lids until I â—inde out a place for the law of the Lord and an habitation for the Gospel of the God of Jacob. Wilt thou not willingly O my soul rather then this worthy guest should lie without doors take it into thy heart O that thou wert the ark wherein the two Tables the two Testaments might be laid up for ever Lord I will
but as Zacheus when gotten out of the crowd climb up into the Sycamore of meditation and obtain a sight of thy Saviour If he want no company who is with the King surely thou mayst deny all the company on earth for the King of Kings Look how lovingly he invites thee to take a turn or two with him alone in the fields Come my beloved let us go forth into the fields there I will give thee my loves Hast thou not many a time sighed out to him O kiss me with the kisses of thy lips for thy love is better then wine Lo he tells thee the place where he will answer thy petition There will I give thee my loves Thy bridegroom is bashful and desirous to satisfie thy longings in secret Isaac met his bride in the fields and thou mayst meet thy beloved when thou turnest aside from the world to entertain thy self in solitude O how pleasant should solitude be to thee for his sake What matters it whether thou art driven or who be the whips that drive thee when thou art driven farther from men to be nearer the Lord Iesus Christ A loving Husband is instead of all company to a faithful Spouse Is not Christ dearer to thee then all the world be not thou dejected though thou shouldst be turned as he was into a Wilderness but expect an Angel even the Angel of the Covenant to be sent from Heaven for thy comfort Lord it is my support that wherever I am thou art continually with me O that I were able to say I am continually with thee I would willingly with Jacob leave all my company to meet thee aloneâ— so I might but as he did weep in secret and make supplication so as to prevail with thee for thy blessing Though I should sind cause to say with David Lovers and friends stand aloof from me and with Job My friends scorn me yet if thou pleasest by parting me from them to draw me nearer to thy self and to afford me more of thy quickening cheering presence I shall account their absence a desireable advantage The best society without thee is as a barren desart and an howling wilderness the greatest solitariness with thee is as a fruitful Country and delectable Canaan How precious are thy thoughts my thoughts of thee to me O God Let me rather dwel alone in a Prison with thy company then in a Pallace without thee I Wish that I may be the more careful of my carriage in secret lest what I intend as an opportunity for my Gods service should prove a season and advantage for Satan The body must be lookt to narrowly when it comes out of an hot Bath lest the Poors being open it should take cold The soul must be carefully tended when it comes from Christian communion lest in solitude it lose what it hath gained in good company When the Countryman hath been at Market and filled his Purse he is in most danger of robbing as he goeth home alone The Tempter will be sure to be present with me whoever be absent He walks to and fro in the earth and whilst I am in his Circuit I must expect his company Though he be more bold then welcome and though I deny his desires defie his works and resist him and sometimes foil him yet he will still attend to sollicite me to folly wherever I go he will find me out and whatever I do I must expect him at my elbow he hath a double advantage of me in solitude partly in that I have no visible second to assist me he hopes when I am alone t is a good time to set upon me and that he is strong enough by force to ravish and defile me Partly in that shame which restrains from sin in publique hath no place no prevalency in private He will tell me that secresie may be a curtain to hide my sins from the worlds eye of which I am so much afraid As Josephs Mistress he will cry Come lie with me be bold to sin to take thy pleasure for here is no man present to know it or to reveal it to thy disgrace And for God he hath forgotten he hideth his face he will never see it How shall God know can he judge through the dark Cloud Thick Clouds are a covering to him that he doth not see and he walketh in the circuit os Heaven But O my soul thy double danger calleth upon thee to be the more vigilant and diligent in minding thy duty When thou hast no humane friend to watch over thee thou art the more concerned to watch over thy self They that live far from Neighbours are the more liable to Thieves and therefore if wise will make up that want by extraordinary watchfulness and a greater provision of armour and weapons If one Devil be too hard a match for many secure Christians how unable will one single Christian be to encounter with many with a Legion of Devils Shouldst thou be idle in solitude or suffer thy thoughts to wander expect more then good Company and such as will employ thee about works of darkness Besides Consider Though thy thoughts are mantled from the view of men yet thy God knoweth thy thoughts a far off long before thou thinkest them and will judge the secrets of mens hearts according to his Gospel He that numbereth the stars of Heaven numbereth all the thoughts of thy heart I know the things that come into your mind O house of Israel every one of them Ezek. 11. 5. And he that punisheth men for wicked deeds doth not let them escape for their evil thoughts Hear O earth behold I will bring upon this people the fruit of their thoughts Ier. 6. 19. Nay thy God will scourge men both for and by their thoughts accusing thoughts are stinging vipers That worm of conscience which will ever ever gnaw the sinners heart to his unconceiveable misery is bred in his thoughts O therefore wash thy heart from wickedness let not vain thoughts lodge within thee Remember also O my soul if thy most retired thoughts are legible to thy God then thy secret actions are all open and visible to his eye Never presume upon sin in hope of secrecy for though thou mayst cover the candle of creatures with a bushel yet thou canst not the glorious sun of righteousness nothing is hid from his sight There is no darkness nor shadow of death where the workers of iniquity can hide themselves Lord thou hast told me There is nothing hid which shall not be revealed nor secret which shall not be made known I confess my wicked heart is apt to argue impunity from secrecy and to think I am invisible to thee because thou art invisible to the eye of my sense O affect my heart so throughly with thine Omniscience and Omnipresence that â— may keep thy precepts because all my ways whether inward or outward are before thee I Wish that I may have this comfortable evidence of my sincerity by the
Morning prayer is the key of the day which openeth the treasury of divine bounty and locketh the soul up in safety A Prayerless person goeth all day unarmed and may expect many wounds from that hellish crew that lye always in ambush to destroy him The neglect of this pass gives Satan a great advantage to take the City When Saul had left off calling at Heavens gate the next time you hear of him is knocking at a Witches at the Divels door Prayer is one of the great ordinances that batters down the strong holds of the Devil hence he sets his wits at work to divert men from it It is the Souls armour and Satans terrour he that knoweth how to use this holy spell aright need not fear but he shall fright away the Devil himself The Lord Jesus when he marcht out against the powers of darkness and was to fight with them hand to hand armed himself before-hand with prayer Luk. 3. 21 22. not onely for his own protection but also for a pattern to us Every day we walk in the midst of enemies which are both mighty and crafty and will watch all advantages to undo us and should we go amongst them without prayer we are sure to become their prey It s too late to wish for weapons when we are engaged in a Battel Caesar cashierd that Souldier who had his armour to furbish and make ready when he was called to fight The moral of the Fable is good The Boar was seen whetting his Teeth when no enemy was near to offend him and being asked the reason why he stood sharpening his weapons when none was by to hurt him he answered It will be too late to whet them when I should use them therefore I whet them before danger that I may have them ready in danger Another duty that concernes thee in secret is to read some portion of the Word of God The Work-man must not go abroad without his Tools The Scripture is the Carpenters Rule by which he must square his building the Tradesmans Scales in which he must weigh his commodities The Travellers Staff which helpeth him in his journey There is no acting safely unless we act scripturally Bind it continually upon thy heart and tie it about thy neck When thou goest it shall lead thee when thou sleepest it shall keep thee when thou wakest it shall talk with thee For the commandement is a lamp and the law is light and reproofs of instruction are the way of life Prov. 6. 21 22 23. The Lawyer hath his Littleton or Cook which he consulteth The Physitian hath his Galen or Hippocrates with which he adviseth The Scholar haâ—h his Aristotle The Souldier his Caesar And the Christian his Bible that Book of Books to which all those Books are but as a course list to a fine cloth and scarce worthy to be wast paper for the Binder to put before this to shelter it This will teach the Lawyer to plead more effectually then Cicero when undertaking the cause of Quintâ—â— Ligarius one of Caesars enemies he did by the power of his Oratory make Caesar his Soveraign to tremble and often to change colour and when he described the Battel of Pharsalia caused him to let his books fall out of his hand as if he had been without spirits and life and forced him against his will to set Ligarius at liberty this will teach him so to plead as to prevail with and overcome God himself This will teach the Physitian to work greater cures then ever AEsculapius wrought to produce more strange and rare effects then the most powerful natural causes The Weapon-salve and most extraordinary cures that ever have been wrought are nothing to the healing a vitiated nature by the spirit and a wounded conscience by the blood of Christ which have been frequently done by the Word of God It hath opened the eyes of the blind abated the dropsie of pride softned the stone in the heart stopped a bloody issue of corruption healed the falling-sickness or back-sliding and raised the dead to life He sendeth his Word and healeth them Psa. 107. 20. The waters issuing out of the Sanctuary are healing waters Ezek. 47. 9. This will teach the Scholar to know more then the greatest Naturalists or then the Delphick Oracle could enable him to though it told him his duty even to know himself It is a Glass clean and clear wherein he may plainly see the spots and dirt and deformity of his heart and life It will teach him to know the only true God and Iesus Christ whom he hath seâ—t whom to know is life eternal This will teach the Souldier how to war a good warfare how to fight the Lords Battails against the Prince of Darkness and all his adherents and over all to be more then a Conquerour There is no Guide no Counsellor no Shield no Treasure among all the Books that ever were written comparable to the Scripture It is reported that a certain Iew should have poisoned Luther but was happily prevented by his Picture which was sent to Luther with this warning from a faithful friend That he should take heed of such a man when he saw him by which Picture he knew the Murtherer and escaped his hands the Word of God discovereth the face of those lusts in their proper colours which lie ready in our callingsâ— in all companies in our goings out and comings in to defile us and which Satan would employ to destroy us By them is thy servant forewarned saith David Psa. 19. 11. By reading and applying it we may know their visage and prevent their venome by the words of thy mouth I have kept my self from the paths of the destroyer Cyprian would let no day pass without reading of Tertullian nor Alexander without reading somewhat in Homer Shall the Christian let a morning pass without an inspection into the Word of Christ As God commanded Moses to come up into the Mount early in the morning with the two Tables in his hand So Reader he commandeth thee to give him a meeting every morning with the two Testaments in thy hand After the refreshment of nature about which I have given thee directions else-where and therefore shall omit it here it will be requisite that thou shouldst call thy family together and worship the blessed God with them Our Relations namely Children and Servants have mercies bestowed on them wants to be supplied dangers to be prevented natures to be sanctified souls to be saved as well as our selves and therefore must not be neglected Some tend and feed the souls in their families on the Lords day and starve them all the week after but herein they are guilty of dishonesty and unfaithfulness They rob God of the service which is due to him from all in their house joyntly They wrong the souls in their families by not allowing them the liberty at least by not calling and causing them to hear the voice and seek the face of God
with others And they injure themselves most by being false to their trust Should they feed the bodies of their Children and Servants on the Lords-days and make no provision for them on the week-days their consciences would flie in their faces and tell them they were inhumane and unnatural and yet they can omit all regard of their immortal souls which are far more worthy of care and tendance without remorse and sorrow I must tell such persons that if Atheism had not the predominancy in their hearts it would not bear such sway in their houses Such men are like Swine with their Pigs as if all their noses were nailed to the trough in which they feed they look not up to the God of their food and of all their comforts Such Children and Servants will in the other world find cause to curse the time that ever they knew such Fathers and Masters Others there are some of whom I hope to be godly though not in this particular that pray in their families every night but omit morning duties As if God were the God of the night and not of the day as the Syrians blasphemously affirmed that he was God of the Hills but not of the Vallies These as Austin speaks of those that woâ—ship the Moon are Atheists by day as they that worship the Sun are Atheists by night The day is thine the night also is thine thou preparest the light and the Sun Psa. 74. 16. Surely though evening Sacrifice ought to be minded yet there is as much if not more reason for morning duties A man at night in his Chamber is like a Souldier in his Garrison subject onely to the unavoidable and more immediate hand of God whereas in the day when he stragleth abroad from his quarters to fetch in his supplies he is then exposed to many unexpected casualties and unthought of accidents Family perils and dangers every day call for family prayers and duties every morning Family favours and kindnesses every night call for family thanks and acknowledgements every day When many are joyned in a Bond they go often together to see the money paid All in a Family joyn in borrowing domestical mercies therefore they must all joyn in paying hearty praises Reader if thou art Governour of a Family Consider that thou canst not faithfully serve God as a Commander unless thou takest care that all the persons under thy power do their duties in their places The Lord of Hosts will never thank that Officer who is careful to sight for him in his own person but suffereth his Company through his carelesness to fall away to the enemy Do not pretend Servants are abroad or scattered here and there about their imployments and are not at leasure but answer 1. Art thou and thy servants contented to go all day without Gods protection and provision Without question thou art most unworthy of them that dost not think them worth asking Surely God may as well say he hath no leasure he hath other employment then to defend and feed and preserve thee as thou that thou hast no leasure to serve him 2. Dost not thou and do not thine squander away more time idly and vainly then need to be taken up in morning duties 3. Do not Children and Servants come together every morning to feed their bodies and why not to feed their souls 4. If any man should make use of thy Goods or Servants of thy Time without leave thou wouldst take it very ill at their hands Thou art Gods and all that thou hast may not God therefore take it unkindly that thou shouldst dispose of thy self and thine affairs without his leave 5. Is it not plain Atheism and horrid disrespect to the blessed God to put thy self or them under thy roof upon worldly imployments without asking his providence and blessing Is it not too plain a speaking that there is no such need of him that thou canst do well enough without him 6. Thou wilt not say that thou and thine have no leasure in the morning to plough or sow or buy and sell oâ— follow earthly affairs and why not leasure as well to serve and worship the Lord His worship is of greater worth of greater weight It is of more necessity it concerns thine endless bliss in the other world It will bring in the greatest profit In the doing of his commands there is great reward Dost thou not believe that he is a better pay-master then the world 7. Art thou able to do any thing in any part of the day without his assistance Dost thou not depend every moment upon him for all thy motions and actions and is he not worth acknowledging 8. Wilt thou sayâ— Thou hast no time no leasure to be saved to escape Hell and to attain Heaven I must tell thee if thou hast no time to serve God he will have no time to save thee 9. Wilt thou stand to this Plea at the day of Christ When God shall ask thee Why thou and thy Family went abroad prayerless and drowned your selves in worldly affairs and were taken and torn by snares and temptations and disowned him and his laws as if they were not worth regarding Dost thou think it will be sufficient then to answer Lord I was a Knight or a Squire and though I had many servants yet they had their several offices and employments and could not spare time to pay that homage they owed to thy Majesty to implore thy mercy and to intreat an interest in the merits of thy son We had other things to look after then thy beautiful Image and the blessed vision of thy face for ever Or suppose thou art of an inferiour rank canst thou imagine it will be a comfortable Plea to say Lord early in the morning my Children and Servants were called to tend my Sâ—op or Flocks or Cattel or set upon some needful business or other that they could have no leasure to mind their inestimable souls or to approach thy glorious Majesty in holy ordinances O blush Reader if thou art guilty of morning omissions and either cast away thy frivolous pretences and set upon the duty or else stand to thy foolish pleas and try whether they will bear weight at the great and terrible day of the Lord Jesus but remember in the mean time that thou hast had one warning more I have written somewhat largely about family duties in the first Part and therefore had intended onely to have saluted them in this place and so to have left them but observing how some families even where governous are judged to fear God are without morning though not without evening sacrifices I dwelt the longer upon it to quicken them to this duty that they might be able to say with Abijah The Lord is our God and we burn incense and offer sacrifice every morning and evening unto him 2 Chron. 13. 10 11. SECT III. SEcondly Spend the greatest part of the day in thy particular calling He that mindeth
days in the Kalender of their lives for Festivals and make them all Play-days as if there were never a working day among them that are as busie and tedious in dressing their worm-eaten bodies as Children in dressing Babies and are more troubled at the smallest disorder in their hairs then the greatest disorder in Church and State would give up all and much more if they had it for a little time Then the Nobles and Kings and Emperours of the world will disesteem their honours and height and trample upon their Robes and Scepters and â—rowns for a little time Then they who dally with their days of grace and delay the preparation of their souls for death and judgement as if time were at their command and they could force it to attend their leasure that live as if Death were their servant and must wait on them till they thought fit to come to their graves will find that time was time indeed O my soul of what worth will time be at that day and wilt thou waâ—te it at this day Alas how little is that time which thou hast to improve for thine unchangeable estate My life is but a shadow that is gone when the Sun hides his head A Bubble that vanisheth when a small breath of wind appeareth A day that is soon overtaken by a night a span nothing Thou hast made my days as an hand-breadth mine age is nothing unto thee Wert thou able to secure a long life though thou hâ—sâ— work enough of infinite weight to imploy it all yet thou mightest have more colour of reason for being lavish but when thy time is little and thy business of such consequence what unspeakable madness is it to be wasteful of it He that hath thousands of acres of Land will spare some for a Park some for a bowling-green some for a court-yard some for pleasure and pastimes but he that hath but a little land upon which himself and his family must live and by which they must be maintained can spare none at all for vain pleasures but must improve all to real profit Man that is born of a woman is but of few days He comes up as a Flower fleeth as a shadow and continueth not and wilt thou O my soul revel and riot away this poor pittance in which thou shouldst work out thy salvation O that I could value this jewel in some measure answerable to its worth and do the work of the day in the day allotted me for work Time rightly husbanded is acceptable time a day well imployed is a day of salvation Lord though my journey be great my time is little Nay how much of that little time have I lost A considerable part of it hath been taken up with my Infancy and Child-hood wherein I did little above a Beast My youth hath been squandred away in trifles and vanity and too much of it in lust and iniquity Much of what remains if thou shouldst add a few more days to my life must be spent in eating and drinking and sleeping and necessary natural actions and shall I not redeem it to my power for the service of my Saviour O affect my soul throughly how Eternity rides upon the back of time that I may prize time highly redeem it carefully and improve it so faithfully that eternity may be my friend and when time shall have an end I may enjoy that joy which hath no end I Wish that I may every day so cast up my accounts that I maybe always ready for the great Audit-day Wise Stewards do not write down great sums in gross which they have disbursed for their Lords at several times but set down the particulars whereby they are prepared for a general reckonning and enabled to justifie their accounts My trust is more weighty then of any Princes Steward on earth my Master will be more exact then the severest humane Lord and am I not then concerned so to number my days as to reckon every day what I receiâ—e from my Lord what I disburse for my Lord and at the foot of every day to write the total sum How foolish is he that rejects his books till his bookâ— reject him 〈◊〉 is it not better for me to look over the book of my conscience and observe what blots and errors are there whilst I have licence and liberty to correct them then to neglect them till those eyes which are purer then to behold iniquity come to look it over and leave be denyed of ever amending what he finds amiss O my soul this evening now I am writing this page I must send to thee Amaziah's challenge of Joash Come let us see one another in the face Why should we that are so near together be such strangers to each other I must ask thee as Elisha did Gehezi Whence comest thou Where hast thou been What hast thou done this day for God and thy self Hast thou lived or onely been in the world this day Doth thy soul work thine eternity work go forward or backward Hast thou lived as if thou wâ—rt going to die and walked in the fear of the Lord all the day long Hath the awe and dread of the divine Majesty all along possessed thee Dost thou consider that thou hast one day less to live and one day more to account for Suppose God should come to thee this night as he did to Belshazer with a Mene Mene It is numbred It is numbred Thy days are told God hath counted them up and finished them thou shalt not live to see a morrow Thy days are extinct the grave is ready for thee Art thou ready for thy grave If God should say to thee as that Lord to his Servant Give an account of thy Stewardship for thou shalt be no longer Steward Are thy accounts and Gods even Dost thou reckon as he doth What do all the actions of this day stand for in thine account Figures or Ciphers somthing or nothing What were thy first thoughts in the morning Was he who came first to thee with his morning mercies first served by thee How didst thou pray in thy Closet and Family What sorrow accompanied thy confessions Was thy heart broken that thou hast broken his holy laws What faith and fervency did accompany thy requests Was the heat of thy affections answerable to the weight of thy petitions Didst thou present thy petition to the Master of Requests the Lord Iesus Christ by him to be delivered to the Father What spiritual joy and delight didst thou find in Thankesgiving Didst thou wonder at that infinite cost which the glorious God is at with such an unworthy wretch How didst thou râ—ad the word this day Did it come with power and authority to thy conscience was it mingled with faith Didst thou hide it in thy heart Hadst thou any resolution to make it thy rule and Counseller and Comforter and to order thy conversation according to it How didst thou eat and drink this day Didst thou feed
over and commodities be sold. The Adulterer makes use of the dark night for his deeds of darkness Satan watcheth every opportunity to insnare and destroy me if I give him the least advantage by idleness or carnal security or running into occasions of sin he doth presently lay hold on it to pollute me All men indeed may shameâ—me The Mariner doth spread his Sails when the Winds blow The Merchant observes his Exchange hours when he may meet with many friends and dispatch much business in a little time The Lawyer minds his Terms There is a time when Kings go out to Battel 2 Sam. 11. 1. which Souldiers will not neglect The Husbandman makes Hay whilst the Sun shines Yet Ah how foolish am I to let slip those golden seasons which my God giveth me for working out my own salvation Lord thou hast made every thing beautiful in its season But poor silly man knoweth not his time Grant me so much prudence that is the men of Issacar I may have understanding of the times and so much piety as to serve the times not as Worldlings in altering my course according to the fashions and customes of men but in embracing what is tendered in due time for my own and others good always adhering to the Commands of thee my God I Wish that the uncertainty of my sick Neighbours outward recovery may make me the more careful and solicitous about his spiritual health If he die he is stated and fixed for ever and ever and I am for ever deprived of all opportunities of profiting or advantaging his soul. Now he is sick he is nigh death but one step from it The sick stand upon the borders of the grave upon the brink of the pit nay of eternity Those that are in most perfect health are inclining towards death but they that are sick are approaching the Chambers of darkness Such a man may speak in the language of Haman My life draweth nigh unto the grave Psa. 88. 3. Should he depart this life in a natural estate he falleth into the jaws of eternal death All prayers for him will then be fruitless and there is no giving counsel to him after death I must now advise exhort perswade beseech him to mind faith and repentance or never do it I must now put up hearty cries and groans to God on his behalf or never do it The loving kindness of God cannot be declared in the grave nor his faithfulness in destruction When he is wailing in Hell for the ungodliness of his heart and life I may be weeping on earth for my neglect of him or unfaithfulness to him but both our tears will be ineffectual and our cries comfortless O that the love of my Saviour the command of my God the worth of a soul the weight of an eternal estate the fear of losing such a season and the impossibility of recalling or recovering it may all provoke me to be instant with the sick to turn to God and abhor and bewail their sins and to be fervent with God that he would crown my endeavours with success Lord I may speak thy Mind and Will to Men but thou alone who didst make the ear canst enable them to hear let it please thy Majesty so to affect my heart with a due sense of others misery so to direct my tongue what to speak in order to their recovery and so to prosper the undertakings of thy servant that as often as I visit any unconverted person in his sickness I may turn a sinner from the error of his ways save a soul alive and hide a multitude of sins I Wish that I may be solicitous to understand the spiritual conditions of the sick that my prescriptions may be profitable being sutable to their several sores The knowledge of the disease must necessarily precede directions for its cure It s folly to undertake their recovery whose estates I am ignorant of He works at the labour-in-vain who goeth about to heal a wounded Patient when he knoweth not the place or nature of his pain The mistake of the Physitian may be as mortal and dangerous as the disease it self It will be no wonder if a blind man shoot awry and miss the mark This was the cause that Jobs friends though holy men and designing a good end wandred exceedingly and instead of administring comfort by their visitation wounded him to the quick and proved his greatest cross The Sabeans and Chaldeans robbed him of his Cattel Satan wronged him in his body but his three friends vexed his soul and did break him in peices with words Their ignorance was the ground of the hurt they offered instead of the help they intended Job 19. 2. A Friend may do that mischief upon a false supposition which an Enemy doth out of malice Though the Doctrine be true and right if the Application of it be wrong I may kill sooner then cure the person to whom I apply it The Husbandman must know the nature of his ground before he casteth in his seed or otherwise he will miss of his expected crop Lord thou knowest the conditions and dispositions of all men by immediate intuition and needest not that any should testifie of man thou knowest how needful it is for me to understand by rational discourse who and what those sick persons are how things stand betwixt thy Majesty and their souls whose recovery I go about O help me to find out their sickness and to give such advice out of thy word that thou mayst work their cure I Wish that when the condition of the sick person is found out neither fear nor flattery may make me unfaithful to his soul. Those prescriptions cannot be profitable that are not answerable to his estate I am unfaithful to God my Neighbour and my self if my Application be not sutable to his condition My God commandeth me to proclaim War against the presumptuous to preach Peace to the penitent and if I act otherwise out of fear or affection I act contrary to my commission I am false to my trust if I keep not close to the will of my Lord. He that takes not his Masters Precepts for his rule will at last be counted and punished as an unfaithful servant I hinder also my Neighbours good whilst I give him counsel unsutable to his case I may pretend love and respect but its real hatred to flatter him who is hastening to the unquenchable fire How dreadful will his fall be from the high Turret of presumption into the infernal pit of perdition and how little thanks will he give me in the other world for cozening his soul by telling him all was well till he came to see his own and my mistake in hell Again the guilt of such a crime would make a deep gash in my own conscience It s ill slighting or tampering with inestimable souls His blood will be required at my hands and if the blood of a slain body cry so loud
in my dealing and discourse with such men Lord thou knowest the poor silly children of men are unable to judge of eternal affairs according to their weight they are quickly lost when in their thoughts they begin to launch into that boundless Sea The ponderousness of the subject is ready to affright and press them down being so much beyond and above their shallow understandings But wouldst thou please to enable them though it were but to peep into the other world and to behold through some Crevice what is doing and enjoyed there both by thy friends and thine enemies they would soon have other thoughts of thee and thy service and other carriages when they are about thy work the greatest seriousness would then be too little the greatest ardour would not be thought enough for thy worship they would then indeed be fervent in spirit when they are serving the Lord. O teach thy servant though he cannot see into the other world with the eye of sense yet so to look into it with an eye of faith that he may transact the concerns thereof with that diligence faithfulness and fervency which thou acceptest and whilst he liveth be zealous of good works I Wish that my heart may be so affected with pity towards sick and afflicted persons that I may often and earnestly remember them in my prayers A little Captive considering the Leprosie of her Master was instrumental for his cure by crying out Would God my Lord were with the Prophet that is in Samaria for he would recover him of his Leprosie I have more reason when I behold a Leprous soul near its last gasp to look up to Heaven with Would to God that poor creature were with Jesus Christ that great prophet of his Church who is able and willing to enliven and pardon and sanctifie and save Would to God he would be perswaded to come to Christ to cling to Christ to close with Christ for he would recover him And what do I know but my prayers may be prevalent on his behalf Christ when dying prayed for his enemies for them that imbrued their hands in his blood and shall not I pray for my friends when they are dying and possibly ignorant whether they are going My Prayers are a cheap courtesie and diminish nothing of my estate either spiritual or temporal Their misery is an awakening motive to the duty Never did they stand in such need of help from others and wrastling with God on their behalves as now that they are taking their journey into a far Country and entring upon an unchangeable condition They may say to me as Nehemiah to Geshem I am doing a great work c. I am going to die to bid adieu to all the folly and vanity and comforts of this world to take possession of my long home of the place wherein I must abide for ever O pray for us that we may be pardoned and saved that we may repent and believe that we may die in the faith and obtain the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto life eternal They have many distractions upon their own spirits by reason of pains and bodily distempers and the loss and lamentation of their Kindred and Relations that they cannot poure out their hearts to God with that freeness and seriousness and earnestness which probably they desire Their enemies and assaults and temptations at such a time are more quick and strong and violent and full of rage having but a short time I must now pray for them or never pray for them Now beg mercy for them or never beg mercy for them When their life is gone all tears and cries and groans for them are in vain Davids greatest passions for dead Absolon were to no purpose They are then gone the way they shall not return and fixed in that place whence they shall never remove Lord I confess that my narrow heart hath not pity enough for afflicted and sick and dying souls and my weak hands have not power enough to supply or support them in their sad estates but thou hast both O be pleased to look down from Heaven the habitation where thine holiness dwelleth Behold their miseries hide thy face from all their iniquities out of thine infinite fulness releive their necessities Let the eyes of their souls be opened to see their sins and their Saviour before the eyes of their bodies be closed Give them patience and strength answerable to the burden thou layest on their backs Enable them to do their last works well and let them be better then their first Open thou their lips and let their mouths shew forth thy praise before they go to the place of silence Stand by them in their last conflict with their enemies Death and Devils that they may over come both be more then conquerours through him that loves them and pass through the jaws of death to the joys of a blessed eternal life I Wish that my soul may be the more sound for every visit I bestow on sick bodies There is not so much danger of catching their outward diseases as there is hope of increasing my spiritual health if I am not wanting to my self The sick and dying bed is a Pulpit out of which I may be instructed more fully in many serious truths though the sick or dying man be speechless King Joash obtained three famous victories over the Syrians by visiting sick Elisha and might have gotten a compleat conquest over them if it had not been his own fault The sight of sick and dying men may assist me in my conflicts with the three great enemies of my present purity and future comfort and bliss It teacheth â—e how vain it is to make provision for that flesh which will it self ere long be provision for wormes Ah how foolish am I to pamper and please that which instead of releiving or refreshing will in my extremity pierce and pain me It teacheth me that the world it self is the greatest Cheat and Impostour in the world That though it laughs and smiles on men dandling them on her knees and hugging them in her armes whilst they are in health and promising all sorts of comforts and pleasures yet in their sickness and misery she turns them off and leaves them as Absolons Mule did him to be â—hot through with the heart-cutting arrows of eternal death By discovering the emptiness and falseness of these two seeming ends the flesh and the world it helpeth me to overcome my third enemy and to repel the fiery darts of the Devil The cup of temptation which hath so often bewitched me to drink down his deadly poison had its prevalency from the worldly profit with which the out-side was guilded or the fleshly pleasure with which the in-side was sweetned Ah! could I but bid an hearty defiance to the World and the Flesh and conquer them I need not fear the wicked one They are the powerful Advocates by which Satan pleads and too often prevails with
Sons to peace lest they should lose the Kingdom he left his heir The Saint must conjure his Children to purity in the first place lest they lose their souls and the Kingdom of Heaven Mr. Robert Bolton on his Death-bed called his Children together Wisht them to remember the counsel he had formerly given them and he verily beleived none of them durst meet him at the great Tribunal in an unregenerate estate Mr. Sanders a little before his death in a Letter to his Wife writeth thus Dear Wife riches I have none to leave behind me wherewith to endow thee after this worlds manner but the treasure of tasting how sweet Christ is unto hungry consciences ' whereof I thank my Christ I feel part and would feel more I bequeath to thee and to the rest of my beloved in Christ to retain the same in sense of heart always O how pathetically how earnestly should dying Christians who know somewhat of the worth of grace and holiness and of the evil and end of sin and sinners perswade their Children and Relations to love and fear and serve the Lord when it s the last time that ever they shall advise or counsel them How hard should they woo that the souls of their Kindred may be married to Christ Secondly In commending thy self and others to God by prayer When the body breaths shortest it breaths quickest Though the Christian on his death-bed may want strength for long solemn devotion his short ejaculations should be both fervent and frequent The first thing a Child of God doth when new born is to breath to pray Act. 9. 27. And its one of the last things he doth Act. 7. ult He entereth praying into the place of praise Paul the Hermit was found dead saithe Ierom with his hands and eyes lifted up to Heaven that the dead corps seemed to pray Demus operam ut moriamur in precatione Let us endeavour to dye at prayer saith Austin 1. The sick man should pray especially for himself Lord Iesus receive my Spirit saith Stephen Father into thy hands I commend my Spirit saith Christ Lord saith dying Beza Perfect that which thou hast begun that I suffer not Ship-wrack in the Haven Children desire to dye in their Fathers bosome or on their Mothers lap Mr. Perkins died begging remission of sin and intreating mercy at Gods hands Bishop Vsher was often heard to desire the like end that Mr. Perkins had which he obtained for the last words which he was heard to utter were But Lord in special forgive my sins of omission not long after which he expired Luthers prayer a little before his death or rather thanksgiving was Pater mi caelestis Deus Pater domini nostri Iesu Christi ago tibi gratias quod filium tuum Iesum Christum mihi revelasti cui credidi quem sum professus quem amare c. My Heavenly Father the God and Father of my Lord Iesus Christ I thank thee for revealing thy Son Iesus Christ to me whom I have beleived whom I have professed whom I have loved Others must not be forgotten by us but our own souls must in a special manner be remembred Bellarmin tells us of a desperate Advocate in the Court of Rome who being exhorted on his death-bed to pray to God for mercy made this speech Lord I have a word to say to thee not for my self Ego enim propero ad inferos neque enim est ut aliquid pro me agas For I am hastening to Hell neither is there any thing that I would beg on my own behalf but for my Wife and Children This he spake saith Bellarmin who was then present as boldly as if he had been taking his journey onely to some neighbouring Village 2. For his Relations The more hot our affection is to any the more fervent our petitions should be for them Praying Parents are the most loving Parents When dying chiefly they should bless their Children in the Name of the Lord. So Isaac did Gen. 28. 1. Thus Iacob Gen. 48. 15 16. Godly Parents may plead the Covenant made to them and theirs unto God on their Dying Beds with comfort They are best acquainted with their Childrens conditions conversations wants weaknesses and so fittest to open their cases to God and to beseech grace on their behalves that they may be an holy seed a generation arising to shew forth his praise Christ when nigh death committed his spiritual Children to his Father and earnestly begged his care of them and favour for them Holy Father I come to thee I am no more in the World but these are in the world Keep them thrâ—ugh thy name keep them from the evil sanctifie them through thy truth So should a godly Father or Mother when dying Lord I am leaving my poor Children in the midst of snares and temptations and miseries I am coming out of the world to thy Majesty where I shall be above all frights and fears and beyond all malice and mischief but my children are in the world and will dayly be environd with allurements and affrightments with assaults and batteries from their spiritual enemies thou knowest the power and policy of the world and the wicked one the treachery and deceitfulness of the flesh within them and their weakness and inability to wrestle with and overcome the flatteries of the World and the suggestions of the Devil O keep them through thy name that they may look beyond the World live above the World and expect and eye their portion and happiness in a better World Though they live in the World let them not live as the World but walk all their days as heirs of another World Keep them from the evil of â—in however it please thy Majesty to deal with them about the evil of Suffering Give them the Shield of Faith whereby they may quench the fiery Darts of the Devil Let thy Covenant of grace be their portion thy love their cordial and thy Mansion-house their eternal possession Be thou their Father to direct protect govern and provide for them and give them a name in thy house better then of Sons and Daughters O sanctifie them through thy truth that they may be saved and may meet me with joy at the great day Luther when dying made this Will for his Wife great with Child and his little Sons O Lord God I thank thee that thou wouldst have me to be poor in this world I have no House Land or money that I should leave them Thou hast given me Wife and Children I restore them to thee Do thou O Father of Orphans and judge of Widows nourish teach keep them as thou hast hitherto me 3. For the whole Church of God It s good to pray by our selves but its ill to pray onely for our selves When we are dying and going to the Church triumphant we should be sure to put up some requests for the poor members of Christ and the Church
by the roots All that these can do is to make a man like a grave green and flourishing on the surface and superficies when within there is nothing but noisomness and corruption It hath often appeared that those means which the great Moralists have used to bridle their lusts and passions have rather like strong sents to Epileptick bodies raised them then recovered them Indeed if the cheif fault were not in the vital parts then outward applications might be effectual but when the heart and lungs and inwards are all corrupted Plaisters applied to the face or hands or thighs or sides will do little good When the fault is in the foundation of an house it cannot be mended by Plaistering or rough-cast A Leopard may be flea'd but he is spotted still because the spots are not onely in the skin but in the flesh and bones and sinews and most inward parts When the disease is accidental as to lose the sight by the Small-Pox or the like there the Physick of morality may be advantagious but where the disease is natural as in the man that was born blind there Physick will do no good a miracle alone must restore such a one to his sight Unsanctified persons at best act from themselves and therefore for themselves As the Kite they may spread their wings and soar aloft as if they touched Heaven when at the highest their eyes are upon their prey upon earth Lucullus told his guests when he had feasted them liberally and they had admired his bounty in their costly entertainment Something my Friends is for your sakes but the greatest part is for Lucullus his own sake An unconverted person may do something some small matter for the sake of Religion from common gifts of illumination c. but the most that he doth is for his own sake for that credit or profit which he expecteth thereby If any thing be enjoyned which thwarteth his interest he will reply with Ajax when commanded to spare Vlysses In other things I will obey the Gods but not in this Reader Make sure of this inward change otherwise though thy conversation may be specious it can never be gracious nor thy profession durable If the house be built on loose earth it will never stand long When the principles are variable and uncertain so will the practices be If the arguments upon which thou takest upon thee the livery of Christ and the grounds of thy engagement in his service be not firm and constant the love of God and hope of eternal life c. such as the world and flesh cannot over-top thou wilt throw up thy profession and leave thy Master when thou art offered in thy blind judgment a better service though it be but the pleasures of sin for a season with eternal pains at the end of them for thy soul and Saviour and eternal salvation How well may he prove a Bankrupt who is worse then naught when he first sets up I wonder not that many pofessors disown the Lord Jesus when they were ignorant why they at any time owned him He that takes up Religion on trust will lay it down when it brings him into trouble As the Celendine springeth and floweth at the comming of the Summer birds but withereth at their departure And the Corn that promiseth a good Harvest in the Blade is blasted in the Ear because its root is withered and naught So the person that hath no sound foundation though he seem to look high will never hold out The Turnsel makes a shew for a time with white velvet leaves and yellow flowers but fadeth away without bringing forth any fruit Christ tells us some which heard the word though for a season they rejoyced in it when tribulation came because of the word were offended at it because they had no root To prevent that sad Apostacy which many are guilty of to their eternal undoing Friend consider serionsly beforehand what it will cost thee to be a Christian indeed A foolish builder that undertakes to raise a structure as high as Heaven and pondereth not the charge thereof gives over before he hath half finished it and so loseth all his expence and labour As in marriage one that is wise and considereth the person his portion and his precepts with the cares and burdens that are incident to that condition for such must have trouble in the flesh and after this upon mature deliberation accepteth him for an Husband will stick and cleave to him loyally and faithfully whatever befalls him whereas a foolish Maid that hudleth up a match in haste hand over head promising her self nothing but delight and pleasure when she comes to suffer poverty or imprisonment or disgrace with her Husband repenteth of her bargain and forsakes the guide of her youth So the Christian that hath duly pondered the excellencies in Christ his misery without Christ absolute necessity of Christ what love and joy and peace and endless bliss God offereth with his Son what Christ expecteth from all that will be married to him even the denyal of themselves the taking up of their Cross the contempt of Father Mother Wife Children Estate Life and all for him and after he hath duly considered all this gives himself up to Christ will be faithful unto death and own the Lord Jesus Christ whatever it may cost him when the man that followeth Christ for the loaves or for fashion or on a sudden strikes a league with him expecting nothing but comforts and joy in his contract will quickly leave him if called to suffer with him He that followeth Christ he knoweth not why will forsake him he knoweth not how If thou art Reader to begin this work of entering thy self into Christs Army I would advise thee to bethink thy self upon what grounds thou engagest in his quarrel For Christians are not called to their spiritual war for love of fighting as Cocks that fall to it upon sight of each other Consider the enemies thou art to fight against how potent and crafty and cruel they are continually seeking thy destruction the Captain thou art to fight under how wise he is to direct and command thee how able to protect and defend thee how faithful and bountiful to crown and reward thee the excellency of the cause it is for thy soul thy God thy Saviour thy salvation the dangers thou must encounter and hardships thou willt be called to endure the certainty of thy conquest how impossible it is to miscarry in so just a quarrel under suchâ— an Almighty Captain and then list thy self to fight the good fight of faith and fear not but thou shalt be more then a conqueror through him that loves thee Secondly If thou wouldst exercise thy self to godliness Live by Faith The life of Faith it s the onely life of holiness and unbelief is the mother of all Apostacy When God would perswade Abraham to sincere and singular godliness he doth it by offering him sure footing for his faith I am
take thy leave of hours and days and months and years and time and to sail into the boundless Ocean of Eternity Suppose thou sawest death creep in at thy Chamber window come up to thy Bed-side draw the Curtain take thee by the hand and tell thee that he is come from the Infinite Almighty jealous most holy God to fetch thee immediately into his presence there to answer for all thy thoughts words and deeds and to receive either matchless and endless pain or unchangeable and unconceiveable pleasures according as thy practices have been What wouldst thou think at such a time of godliness Good Lord what a price wouldst thou set upon it what wouldst thou not do or give for it Then godliness will be godliness indeed as little and as lightly as thou settest by it now And why is it not worth as much now Dost thou not see death like a Mole digging thy grave under thee Dost thou not feel that worm within thee which will ere long consume thee Beleive it thy death may be nearer then thou dreamest the glass of thy life may be almost out though thou thinkest it s but new turned The Murdering-peice which kills thee parting thy soul and body may be discharged with white powder give thee no warning at all The next Arrow which is shot may hit thee The next time the Bell goes may be to tell others that thou art dead The next time the Earth is opened may be to receive thy body in Thou seest some fall on thy right hand some on thy left hand some of thy very age and of greater strength and health and canst thou esteem thy self shot-free Is not every carcass a cryer and every Tomb a teacher calling upon thee to number thy days and apply thine heart unto wisdom Silly man is like the foolish Chicken though the Kite comes and takes away many of their fellows yet the rest continue pecking the ground never heeding their owner nor minding their shelter Death comes and snatcheth away one man here a second there one before them another behind them and they are killed with death undone for ever Rev. 2. 23. yet they who survive take no warning but persist in their wicked and ungodly ways They are destroyed from morning to evening they perish for ever without any regarding it Doth not their excellency which is in them go away they dye even without wisdom Job 4.20 21. It is the saying of an Heathen That it is impossible for a man to live the present day well who doth not purpose to live it as his last I may say to thee Friend It is impossible for thee to live the present day ill if thou wilt but live it as thy last day If thou dost but consider Well this place may be the last place I shall come into shall I pollute it with sin or shall I not rather perfume it with sanctity This expression may be the last that ever I shall speak shall it â—e tainted with vice or shall it not rather be seasoned with grace This action may be the last that ever I shall do and shall it be a deed of darkness or shall it not rather be a work of the day of the light This Sermon may be the last that ever I shall hear and shall I now be heedless After this I shall never more have a call from Christ and â—hall I now be careless This Prayer may be the last Prayer that ever I shall poure out to God if God deny me now I am damned and undone for ever and shall not my head and heart and will and mind and all be working that it may be a prosperous a prevalent prayer This Sabbath may be the last Sabbath that ever I shall sanctifie I may from henceforth and for ever be deprived of all such opportunities of getting and increasing grace of serving and honouring my Saviour and of working out my own salvation If I sow not now good seed I must never expect an happy harvest If I buy not now the market will be quickly over Shall I lose any precious minute of this holy day Is it time now to trifle about the affairs of my soul and eternity Well I will through Christ take heed how I hear I will hear in hearing I will pray in praying I will hear and hearken cry and call with all my heart and strength and soul and mind that if it be possible the Lord may not leave me without a blessing When the Oratour thinketh he is at the close of his Oration then he useth his chiefest Art and Rhetorick to move his Auditors affections he would have his last part his best part O Reader if thou wilt but often wind up this weight of thine approaching death it would keep thy soul in a quick spiritual and regular motion at all times As ashes preserve fire and keep coals from going out so the thought that we shall ere long be turned into ashes will preserve the fire of grace alive and in action Sixthly If thou wouldst exercise thy self to godliness Mind a daily performance of sacred duties He that hath nothing of his own whereupon to live must be frequently fetching in provision from the Shops or Market where it is to be had The Christians life is maintained not by himself but by what he receiveth from God Not that we are sufficient of our selves our sufficiency of God therefore there is a necessity of daily converse with God by holy Ordinances and of waiting at his gate as the beggar who hath neither a bit of bread nor a penny to buy any at the rich mans door for supply Our spiritual strength is like Israels Manna rained down daily we are kept by a divine power and allowed but from hand to mouth that we might continually depend on and resort to the Lord Jesus for our allowance Paul speaks in some places of his great disbursements how much he laid out for God and his people that he laboured more then all the Apostles but you must think Whence had Paul such a spiritual stock that he was able to outvy all others in his expences he tells you that the Son of God kept house for him and that he was the Steward to spend of his treasure and thence his disbursements were so large I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the life that I live in the flesh is by the faith of the Son of God Gal. 2. 20. As the Plant Mistel having no root of its own both grows and lives in the stock or body of the Oak So the Apostle having no root of his own did live and grow in Christ. As if he had said I live I keep a noble house am given to Hospitality above many in labours more abundant in watchings in fastings more frequent in perils and dangers and deaths often but the truth is I do all this at anothers cost and charge not at mine own I am beholden to Christ for
that fear thee which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men Clemens Alexandrinus makes mention of a place in Persia where there were three Hills when people came to the first they heard a clashing of armour when they came to the second they heard a confused noise when to the third nothing but songs of triumph At the day of the Saints Conversion he comes to the first hill then he heareth a clashing of armour listing himself under the Captain of his salvation and proclaiming open war against the world flesh and wicked one At the day of death he comes to the second hill a confused noise his friends are weeping and grieving his wife and children are mourning and bemoaning their loss though his soul be rejoycing to think of the rest to which it's going yet the flesh sweateth panteth is pierced and pained At the day of judgement he comes to the third hill where he heareth nothing but songs of triumph Victoria Victoria Hallelujahs Salvation Honour Glory Praise to the Lord and to the Lamb for ever At that day of judgement the whole world shall see and say Verily there is a reward for the righteous Then shall the wicked return and discern a difference between them that fear God and them that fear him not Then Grace will appear in all its embroydery and glory on that day of its coronation when the worst in Hell shall admire and adore it Now holiness hath a wonderful disadvantage partly by the persecutions afflictions bonds and imprisonments that attend it and chiefly from the darkness of mens understanding and the weakness of their eyes they are not able to view the thousandth part of its comeliness but then Holiness shall be freed from that black Guard of Hell that dogs her to destroy her and then the eyes of all the world shall be strengthned so much as to behold her amiableness then she shall be owned honoured acknowledged by God Angels and all the Children of Adam then she shall be attended not with Mulcts and Penalties and Bonds and Fetters but Crowns and Scepters and Palms and Kingdoms and then O then how lovely how beautiful will she be indeed 5. To affrighten thee from sin Consider the misery of sinners at that day It s called the day of perdition of ungodly men Sin will be sin indeed at that day When sin shall be stripped naked of the favour and countenance of great men of the preferments and advantages and riches and honours and offices with which it is cloathed here below and instead thereof be invested with fire and flames and brimstone and blackness of darkness and whips and serpents and unconceivable and eternal torments what an ugly loathsom strumpet will she be even in the eyes of them that now dote on her commit whordome with her and sacrifice their strength and time and estates and souls and God and Christ and Heaven and all to her Then the Drunkard will find his liquor more bitter then wormwood when he shall have a cup of pure wrath without the least mixture of mercy brought to him and he forced to take it down though there be eternity to the bottom Then the Persecutor of Gods people shall find that it had been better to have been rotting in a ditch or boyling in a furnace of lead then to have spent his time in wronging the poorest meanest member of Christ when God shall recompence tribulation to them that persecute his people and to them that are persecuted rest and peace Then every sinner will believe and feel what now though God himself tell him he will be an infidel in that it is an evil and bitter thing to depart away from the living God The wicked is reserved as the Beast for the slaughter-day to the day of destruction he shall be brought forth as the condemned Malefactour on execution-day at the day of slaughter Ah how dreadful will the sinners doom be then The tribunal of the Judge will be a tribunal of fire He shall come in flaming fire to render vengeance c. The Law by which he will try them shall be a Law of fire or a fire of Law Deut. 33.2 The Judge himself to them will be a consuming fire Heb. 12. 28. And the judgement which he will denounce against them will be Go ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels for ever Ah who can dwell in everlasting burnings who can abide devouring flames Who can imagine the shame that will cover their faces the horror that will fill their hearts the terrors and tortures and torments that must seize them for ever If Iudas was so ashamed when he saw Thamars signet and staff the remembrances of his sin how will they be confounded when all their revellings and roarings their chambering and wantonness their cursing and swearing and all their sins shall be opened before all the world If Herod was so afrighted when he supposed that John was risen from the dead that the Baptists ghost by walking in his conscience robbed him of all comfort what afrightment will possess them to see the Saints whom they have nick-named disgraced imprisoned and it may be murdered risen from the dead owned and honoured by the Judge and the chief Favourites in the Heavenly Court If Saul was so troubled when he did hear Christ call to him out of Heaven that he fell to the ground what trouble what tribulation will possess them whom he shall curse with a bitter curse and call to Devils to seize on and associate with and prey upon for ever and ever The Saint shall find mercy the sweetest mercy in that day of judgement but the Sinner shall have judgement the sorest the most cutting killing judgement without the least drop of mercy If the day when God gave the Law was so dreadful full of thundrings and lightnings and fearful noises that the people cryed out Let not God speak to us lest we die and Moses himself did exceedingly quake and fear and if the day were so dreadful when the Son of Gods infinite love bare the curse of the Law that the rocks were rent the earth trembled the Sun was darkned how dreadful will that day be when God shall make inquisition into and deal with the vessels of wrath for the breath of the Law Who can abide that day of his coming Who shall stand when he appeareth Well may it be called the great and terrible day of the Lord Iesus Well might the wise man when he had seemingly laid the reins on the young mans back and given him leave to run on in the way of his own heart and eyes pull him in with this Curb Remember that for all these things God will bring thee to judgement When Sapores King of Persia had raised a violent persecution againstâ— the Christians Vsthazanes an antient Nobleman and a Christian who in the Kings minority had the Governmenâ— of the People was so terrified that
Sun or a word which signifieth a ray which is darted in a moment from one end of the Heavens to another Such speed doth our life make to pass away Cardinal Bellarmin when he had a full prospect of the Sun going down to perceive the quickness of its motion took a Psalter in his hand and before he had twice read over the 51. Psalm the whole body of the Sun was set whereby he concluded the earth being twenty one thousand miles in compass the Sun must go seven thousand miles in half a quarter of an hour However the Cardinal might be mistaken in his reckoning Yet Mans days are swifter then a post they flee away they see no good They are passed away as the swift ships as the Eagle that hasteth to the prey Job 9. 25 26. It s our shame and misery that our days should be so swift and we so slack that our time should be as speedy as a post or ship or Eagle and our hearts as slow about our eternal concernments as a Snail Our negligence herein speaks us brutish and void of common sense Reason will teach him that followeth its directions to be most industâ—ious about matters of such importance The Heathen Historian can agree with Scripture in this Vita nostra sicut fabula non refert quam diu sed quam bene Our life passeth away as a tale that is told it matters not much whether it be long or short but whether it be well or ill Surely it concerneth thee Reader to make Religion thy business and work the work of God when thine everlasting happiness dependeth on it and thy time is so short that thou hast to do it in In the days of Ptolomeus Philopater when the huge and great Anchor of the Ship Thalmegos was laid out upon the shore the Children of Alexandria did ride upon the stalk and crept through the ring of the Anchor as if it had been made purposely for their pastime whereas wise men knew it was appointed for better uses namely to stable and make sure the great vessel in storms and tempests Truly so do too many serve time they play and toy and trifle it away as if God had given it to them for that end when he who hath but half an eye as we say may see that it was given for better purposes viz. to furnish his soul for his eternal voyage and thereby to help to stablish and fasten him when he shall lanch into the stormy Ocean Protogenes made himself ridiculous in the judgement of all that are sober for spending seven years in drawing Ialisus and his Dog for though the most excellent Pictures are longest in drawing yet to spend years about that which may be finished in days argueth want of wisdom But having spoken somewhat largely to this in the sixt Chap. I am the more brief in this Thirdly Consider the examples of others who have wrought hard at this heavenly Calling Cicero tells us Nothing prevailes more with men then similitudes and examples Indeed worthy patterns are of great power Thucydides brake forth into tears out of love to learning upon hearing Herodotus read an history that he had written Themistocles tells us The statue of Miltiades would not suffer him to sleep Alexander was much provoked to valiant acts by reading the prowess of Achilles and Hector in Homer Cesar was so stirred to courage by reading the conquests of Alexander in his youth that he wept for anger that he had done nothing worthy of himself at that age Iron put into the fire is turned into fire conâ—ider therefore the Prophets and Apostles of the Lord how diligent they were at their duty how hard they wrought for God The great Apostle was indefatigably industrious for his soul and his Saviour Consider him in reference to his outward man how unwearied was he at his Masters woâ—k and in reference to his inward man how zealous how fervent in spirit serving the Lord From Jerusalem to Illyricum I have preached the Gospel His travails are computed to be 12970. miles He gives us when necessitated thereunto a brief Catalogue of his actions and passions for Christ. Are they ministers of Christ I am more in labours more abundant in stripes above measure in prisons more frequent in deaths oft Of the Iews five times received I forty stripes save one Thrice was I beaten with rods once was I stoned thrice I suffered shipwrack a night and a day have I been in the deep In journyings often in perils of water in perils of robbers in perils by mine own Countrymen in perils by the Heathen in perils in the City in perils in the wilderness in perils in the sea in perils by false brethren In weariness and painfulness in watchings often in hunger and thirst in fastings often in cold and nakedness besides those things which are without that which cometh upon me daily the care of all the Churches Who is weak and I am not weak who is offended and I burn not 2 Cor. 11. 23. to 30. Reader think thou hearest the Apostle speaking to thee as once to the Corinthians Be ye followers of me as I am of Christ. How did our blessed Saviour work the work of him that sent him while it was day He went about doing good Godliness was his meat and drink I have meat to eat which ye know not of My meat is to do the will of him that sent me and to finish his work He wrought so hard that he forgot to eat his bread and was taken by his kindred to be mad It was his sleep and rest He went into a mountain to pray and continued all night in prayer to God He prayed with strong cries and groans And being in an agony he prayed the more fervently He was taken to be about fifty years old when he was little above thirty so much was he worn out with labour for his God Act. 10. 38. Ioh. 4. 34. Luk. 6. 12. Mar. 1. 34. Heb. 5. 7. Mar. 3. 20. O Reader let Christ be the Copy after which thou wilt write and the pattern which thou wilt follow and be a follower of others as they are of Christ Jesus Did Christ work so hard for thee did he lose his food and sleep and wear out himself that his strength was dried up like a potsherd and his heart was melted like wax in the midst of his bowels and wilt not thou spend and be spent for thy Saviour I would say for thy own soul for in serving him thou servest thy self Think of it when thou art trifling away thy time and neglecting thy spiritual watch and dull and dead in holy duties how eager and earnest how zealous and sedulous thy Lord Jesus was in working out thy salvation he did not play nor dally about the work of thy redemption but made it his business and did what he was called to with all his heart and soul and strength CHAP. XV. The excellency of this Calling and the