Patriarchs and Apostles Martyrs and Confessors and all the Quire of Heaven desire thy company and art thou loath to goe Away for shame ô my soul away rouze up thy self and let it never be said that Heathen and Heretiques have imbraced Death more cheerfully then thou let it never be said Thou hast incouraged others and art thy self a coward Away then with all unchristian diffidence and addresse thy self with joy and thankfulnesse to thy glory 14. But O Lord it is thou only that canst make me willing thou by thy Mercies canst draw me and by thy judgements canst drive me thou canst wooe me to a better world and weane me from this Oh prepare my Soul so far for thee then that it may bid thy messenger welcome Now that thou O Saviour hast tasted Death and so sweetned that cup let not me be loth to pledg thee Thou that givest both to will Phil. 〈…〉 and to doe give them both to me that I may not only die but doe it willingly 15. But O Lord though the spirit be willing yet the flesh is weak Mat. 〈◊〉 41. my soul would draw near with courage and comfort but my body boggles so many hindrances and hang-backs so many clogs and temptations within me without me about me that if thou O Lord leave me but to my self I shall shame my selfe and that name of thine that I have professed Oh! I cannot welcome Death so heartily so worthily as I ought instead of cheerfull imbracements I shrink inward and am scarce ashamed to let Death hale me as if I would make the world belive that I durst not die Lord how shall I shame and befoole my self if thou but leave me to my self 16. Now whither shall I goe for succour but unto thee O Lord O God of all Spirits and of all Flesh too make thou willing both my spirit and my flesh to come unto thee Oh! weaken my flesh to receive incourage my spirit to contemne Death The nearer I draw unto my end let my joyes be the clearer and my desires inlarged Oh draw this dark veile a little that I may see my glory and then I cannot but desire it And O God most holy O God most mighty O holy and mercifull Redeemer suffer me not at my last hour for any fear or paine of Death to fall from thee 17. 〈◊〉 4. 〈…〉 O Lord thou seest how soon I sink in these waters unlesse thou help and hold me up Oh! shew thy strength then in my weaknesse help him that cannot help himself and let all the praise and glory be thine owne I aske no more then what thou hast given to others and promised to me and hast given many earnests by many former deliverances perfect the work thou hast begun that thy praise and my happinesse may be consummate together 18. Yea O Lord I know it shall be so I cannot only build upon thy promise but prove by former deliverances that thou wilt save me now I cannot fear drowning in these waters while my head is above O Saviour thou hast conquer'd and triumph'd over Death how can I then fear a vanquish'd adversary Thou hast overcome Death both for thy self and me how then can I miscarry O Death then where is thy sting 〈◊〉 15. 〈◊〉 55. 〈◊〉 21 〈◊〉 4.7 〈◊〉 4.8 O Grave where is thy victory O my soul thou hast marched valiantly Thou hast fought a good fight and hast finished thy course henceforth is laid up for thee a crown of glory I will lay me down therefore and sleep in peace since thou O God makest me to dwell in safety 19. 〈◊〉 15.57 And now thanks be unto God who hath given me victory through Jesus Christ our Lord And blessed be that Redeemer who hath bought off the bitterness and torments of my Death with his own Blessed be he that hath made the bed of sickness tollerable of Death easie Blessed be that strength of my salvation who hath covered my head in the day of battell 〈◊〉 140.7 O Lord thou art my God and I will thanke thee thou art my King 〈◊〉 1.8.28 and I will praise thee Of Life Eternall 1. WHat wilt thou muse on O my soule what imployment shall I find thee or thou find thy self what meditations more worthy thy self next the glory of thy Maker then the glory of thy self Ascend then O my soule in thy thoughts to that Nebo and Pisgag Deut. 〈…〉 whence thou maiest descry a glimpse of that Land of blisse and promise which thy faith believeth and thy heart desireth 2. And what is that life of glory but a full fruition of God and thy self with the society of Saints and Angels the blessed vision of the all-glorious Deity Thy union to him thy enjoying of him and rejoycing in him A life that is all life and hath nothing of death or sorrow in it where are fulnesse of joies and pleasures for evermore Psal 〈…〉 A life whose glory cannot be described till it be injoyed 1 Cor. 〈…〉 for eye hath not seen nor eare heard nor hath it entred into the heart of man to conceive those treasures of happinesse that God hath laid up for them that love him A life whereunto not our light afflictions onely which are but for a moment Rom. 〈…〉 but whereunto the best things of this life yea our life it self is not worthy to be compared 3. And this is the last of lives and is a life everlasting Our first Life is a life of Nature the marriage of soule and body together Our next Life is a life of Grace an espousing of the Soule to Christ Our last Life is a life of Glory when Soul and Body are married unto God for ever The Soule is begotten to this life at our regeneration it is borne at our death or separation of Soule and Body from thence to the resurrection and re-union of the Body to the Soule it is in its childhood and then enters it into its full perfection In this glory there may be degrees there can be no imperfection though some shine like starres of greater some of lesser magnitude yet all shall shine some shal hold more glory some lesse yet all shall be full he that hath least shall neither want himself nor annoy him that hath a larger portion 4. And whence is this life eternal but from him who is the fountain both of life and of eternity The Father hath made it and decreed it The Son hath merited and procured it The Holy Ghost hath sealed and delivered it Not thy Free-will in doing good but his free Mercy in Electing thee is that which gives thee title to this Glory Thou art not happy because thou hast been holy but thou art holy because thou art ordained to be happy And as this Glory so all things tending thereunto are from God he that ordained thee to Glory hath given thee a Saviour to give thee this Glory he hath given thee Faith
Exo◠〈…〉 dote no longer on thy old master the World thy Wife and Children thy flesh and corruptions as to repine at the year of Jubile or refuse thy Freedome away with these base follies and mount thy thoughts to higher wisdome yea I shall sing and rejoyce when my Soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowler Psa 〈…〉 the snare is broken and I am delivered 9. What is Death but a sleep and the Grave a bed all these are so near of kind that oft times they are called by the same names and the very feature of their countenance give them to be of near alliance It is the weaknesse then of flesh and blood that desires the one and abhors the other When we are weary of a dayes labour we desire to goe to bed and rest at night why should it not be so with us here too All our dayes are labour and sorrow and we may well be weary Psal 〈◊〉 10. Why should we when night is come be like froward children loath to goe to bed especially to that bed where we shall sleep in the Lord Rev. 〈◊〉 13 and rest from our Labours to that bed that shall be more easie and freer from disturbance then any beds of Down to that bed where we shall sleep more securely and rise againe more surely then from any other bed we shall take up in our strongest health Away then O my soul away with whatsoever may nourish distrust or distraction The Tempest is almost over and thou art entring the harbour and haven of safety This present Earth-quake shall break off thy chaines Acts 〈…〉 and open the prison dores for thy delivery thou shalt passe through the iron gate of Necessity and the earthen gate of Mortality to the golden gate of Liberty Eternity Thou art now trimming and making ready O my soul to go to bed to thy spouse thy Bridegroome give it some other name it is not modesty that makes thee unwilling either foolishnesse or fearfulnesse or at least want of affection makes thee draw back Why art thou so sad then O my soul Psal 4 〈◊〉 Cant. 〈…〉 and why art thou so disquieted within me make cheerfull speed to meet thy Bridegroome Thou art thy wel-beloveds and thy wel-beloved is thine The first sleep ever man had got him a wife the last steep he has Gen. 〈…〉 gets him a husband 10. But the names of things oft-times are more terrible then the things themselves How many great things have some great Conquerours effected by the power only of the Name and Fame Gen. 〈…〉 2 Reg. 〈◊〉 24.13 Death is this Conquerour this Nimrod this mighty Hunter more justly then Senacherib can she boast where I set my foot I dry up rivers rivers of blood in the veines of milk in the breasts of marrow in the bones where are the gods of Heva and Iva and of Sepharvaim yea where is proud Senacharib himself and of the Kings of the Earth she saith It is â— that make you lick the dust of the Earth and the slime of the pit Let not your idols of gold and greatnesse wherein you trust deceive you And yet what is this Death more 〈…〉 or beyond a Name More est morsus quia mordet Death is a biting and it is called Death because it doth Eate it takes a Morsell and it swallowes a mouthfull but it shall never digest it 〈◊〉 2.10 like Jonah's whale it shall cast it up againe safe and intire 〈◊〉 m. 15 Death is called a departure a parting of two old Friends for a season 〈◊〉 15. 〈◊〉 9. 〈◊〉 47. 〈◊〉 25.8 that they may receive each other againe for ever It is called an expiring a giving up of the Ghost a sleeping with our Fathers a gathering to our people And are not these fearfull Names ô my soul doest thou not tremble or not blush rather that thou hast been frighted with these bug-beares why shouldest thou be either coy or fearfull 't is but a Mawkin draw near it will not it cannot hurt thee 11. Neither doest thou want witnesses of comfort or incouragement holy Scriptures are frequent upon this Theam 〈…〉 Solomon that was as famous for his Wisdome as for his Wealth who had as much as this world could afford to make a man in love with this Life yet plainly tels thee â—â—es 7.2 That the day of Death is better then the day of thy Birth And nature seemes to say as much when Heathen guided by her light only would mourne at the Birth and Feast at the Funeral of their Friends and Children Heathen knew but the one half of the good of Death a cessation of miseries thou ô my soul knowest the other a fruition of felicity Let not an Heathen then out-die thee in cheerfulnesse Blessed indeed are those that live in the Lord but that is not all Rev. 14.13 Cor. 14.13 Blessed also are the Dead that die in the Lord even so saith the Spirit for they rest from their labours 12. Ins. 1. O Death how bitter is the remembrance of thee to a man that lives in pleasure in his own possessions and hath nothing to vex him But ô Death how sweet how acceptable is the remembrance of thee and how welcome is thy presence to him that dwels in miseries and vexations and hath hopes of glories hereafter in everlasting possession how sweet is that refreshing thou givest to weary Pilgrims how welcome art thou to those that know whence thou commest and whither rendest who but he that is all flesh and blood would desire to lurk and hide himself among the stuffe and trash of this vile world 〈◊〉 â—am 10. rather then goe to that Crown and Kingdome thou leadst unto who but he that has quite lost his judgement that shall consider the miseries of the present and the felicities of the world to come but will say out of choice what the Prophet spake out of passion It is better for me to die Ion◠〈…〉 then to live 13. But what is the matter now ô my soul that thou art so loath to die Why art thou so fearfull ô thou of little faith Mat. 〈…〉 how often hast thou thought in thy Meditations that thou couldest welcome Death And yet when it lookes upon thee and offers thee service thou shrinkest back and thy face is pale and thine eyes looke wilde as if thou wert amazed doe thy longings now languish thy hopes and expectations now end how often hast thou prayed Mat. 〈…〉 Thy kingdome come and now the gates are opening art thou loath to goe How often hath thy ravished heart cry'd out Come Lord Jesus come quickly Rev. 〈…〉 and now he comes and calls art thou loath to goe Doth thy Redeemer send for thee and art thou loath to goe Doe joyes and crownes and everlasting possessions now expect thee and art thou loath to goe Doe Saints and Angels
heavy laden I cannot travell upon this holy hill Oh! that thou wouldest ease me Mat. 〈…〉 2 as thou hast promised Oh! take off my burden adde to thy strength pluck off the plumets of my flesh and put to the feathers of thy spirit whose wings are silver and her feathers gold Psal 6. 〈…〉 57. Oh! that I had the wings of that Dove then should I flie away Oh! that I could but get up this Nebo and see my Canaan how dearly should I love Deut. 〈…〉 and long for her how boldly for her sake should I bid defiance unto whatsoever this wildernesse or world can tempt me with 15. But O Lord thou knowest my soul neither hath this happinesse nor can deserve it yea neither can deserve to have it nor to desire it But look not on my merits but on thy mercy if I had my desert I should have been long ere this past hope or help of Mercy That thou hast saved me from Hell is a Mercy no lesse then infinite but that thou shouldest also give me Heaven is a Mercy every way like thy self How can I deserve so great a Glory that am not able to aske or worthy to beg the least of thy Mercies How is my soul benummed with Flesh bemired with Earth besetted with Sin Lord thou art my hope my help help then thy servant that cannot help himself and as thou hast prepared glory for me so Lord prepare me for my glory 16. O God the Father of Light and Life from whom every good and perfect gift descendeth take this work into thine hand Iam. 1 〈…〉 and the glory of it perfect what thou hast begun O save my soul that putteth her trust in thee Wean her from the frothy milk of this world feed her with that Mannah that came down from Heaven thou that puttest Clay into the blind mans eyes and cured them 〈◊〉 9.6 wash out that clay in mine wherewith they are so bedaubed they can neither see Heaven nor thee It is thine hand that made the Heavens and it is thine hand that gives them and it is the same hand againe that lifts mine heart unto them O Lord though thou makest not mine heart heavy yet thou findest it so thou hast it in thine hand turn it and tune it as please thee make it light by the light of thy counteuance quicken it by thy Spirit take out her earth put in thy fire carry her up to Nebo shew her Canaan make her weary of this wildernesse and inlarge her longings after Heaven leave her not till thou make her pant after thee 〈◊〉 42. as the hart after the waters nor let her thirst ever be abated till she be filled with the presence of thee O God 17. 〈◊〉 18 〈◊〉 27. And since I have begun to speak unto the Lord of glory who am but dust and ashes pardon thy servant if while he plead with thee he urge thee with thy promise Hast thou not said O Lord that thou wilt give me life 〈◊〉 6.10 hast thou not bid me pray Thy kingdome come and hast thou not promised to give to them that ask and open to them that knock hast thou not alway declared thy self a God rich in mercy and delights to shew it I beg that which thou knowest I want I perish without it thou hast in abundance enough to spare to make Millions rich and happy I can have supply from none from nothing else the whole world besides is Misery if thou give not I shall never have it I beg no more but what thou hast given others how many thousand Saints and Martyrs hast thou crown'd with glory And pardon me O Lord and I shall speak once more hast thou not bought Heaven for me and paid for it a good price too and sufficient Oh! let these perswade with thee and let thy mercy in thy well-beloved Son prevaile in him look down on me and make me look up to thee with his blood cement and link all thy graces in a chain and let them down to me that laying hold thereon I may be drawne up to my glory 18. Yea be thou confident O my soule it shall be so Faithfull is he that hath promised â—or 1.9 â—or 1.20 〈◊〉 3.3 even God that cannot lie all thy sinnes cannot make his grace of none effect he counts his promise as a debt and will surely pay it yea he hath not onely bought Heaven for thee but bought thee also for Heaven and given earnest for thee the graces of his Spirit Be thou sure O my soule thy King and Saviour that hath fought so valiantly and paid so dearly for thy redemption 2 Cor. 〈…〉 will not now lose thee Who shall separate thee from this love of God Rom. 〈…〉 who can pull thee from thy glory if thy sinnes cannot thy afflictions shall not Go to thy rest then O my soule and there be thankfull 19. Now praise the Lord ô my soule and all that is within me blesse his holy name Blesse the Lord O my soule and forget not all his benefits Ps 103 〈…〉 2 〈…〉 Who pardoneth all thy sinnes and healeth all thine infirmities which hath redeemed thy life from destruction and crowned thee too with everlasting mercies Oh! what shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits towards me What shall I what can I render Ps 116 〈…〉 What can I give thee O God which is not thine owne already Thou askest mine heart thou hast it I give it thee and thanke thee too with all mine heart Oh! Pro. 23 〈…〉 that it were worthy thy acceptance O Lord thou dost accept it as it is and therefore My soule doth magnifie the Lord Luk. 1. 〈…〉 and my Spirit rejoyceth in God my Saviour for he hath highly exalted the low estate of his servant he that is mighty hath done great things for me and holy is his name and blesse be that God who hath made me blessed to all eternity Amen FINIS