what is in the heart of a gracious person Isa 3.20 Though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more but thine eyes shall see thy teachers Implying that to a gracious soul the enjoying of God in his ordinances will make amends for the want of temporal mercies and comforts And we read that when David was banished from Jerusalem by reason of Absolons rising up in rebellion against him this was the thing which chiefly troubled him and went unto his heart that he could not see Psal 42.1 2 3 4. God and enjoy him in his Sanctuary as he was wont to do 5. A fifth trial of a mans effectual Calling is the respect he hath to Gods commandments For such a one will desire to know and be acquainted with all Gods Will specially that part which concern's his own duty most His Query will be Act. 9.6 Lord what wouldst thou have me do He will not allow himself in the neglect of any thing which God requires nor pick and chuse among Gods precepts those which are most easie and least dangerous and suit best with his own disposition or interest and show his obedience only there Indeed that is no obedience at all for there is no man so bad but doth some thing which God requires and abstains from some sins which God forbid's He is no good Servant that will do but what he list of that which his Master commands And though no perfection is attainable in this life yet the sincere Christian pants and breathes after perfection prays daily for more grace to serve God better sets himself no stint is humbled deeply for his daily failings begs for pardon and runs to Christ for strength to do better without whom he knows he can do nothing Joh. 15.5 And thus by shewing his sincere respect to all Gods Commandments Psal 119.6 of first and second Table both though he can perform none of them as he desires he gets some comfortable evidence to his own soul that he shall never perish and be confounded He that can by these signs prove his effectual calling may safely from thence conclude his election for so the Apostle teacheth us 2 Pet. 1.10 where he bids us but make our calling sure and we have all under one made our election sure too And he that can do thus may be confident upon good ground that death whether it come sooner or later cannot hurt him yea that death shall be so far from doing him any prejudice that it shall be for his greatest advantage If any should think the foregoing signs serve only for those of Christs Disciples that be of the highest form They are mistaken for where there is but so much grace as a grain of mustardseed it will discover it self by loving God above all by putting such a value upon Christ as upon nothing more by being grieved at the very heart for sin and hating it with a perfect detestation by prizing highly those Ordinances whereby God admits us here unto communion with himself by loving all Gods people deerly and shewing respect to all his precepts without allowing and indulging our selves in any sin He that loves God and Christ either less than or but as much as some other thing cannot truely be said to love him at all As he that loves his Wife or his Child but as he loves an Horse or a Dog hath certainly neither the affection of an Husband nor of a Father in him The least measure of the true love of God is to love him above all the least measure of true sorrow for sin is to grieve for it more then any thing else The lowest degree of true obedience is to have respect unto all Gods precepts When we have laboured thus to make our calling and election sure for both are done with one and the same labour there remains nothing further incumbent upon us in order to our comfortable surrendring our souls into the hands of God at the time of our death but to be daily exercising those two main graces of Faith and Repentance till the hour of our appointed change do come The exercise of them consists in these four Particulars 1. In searching our hearts and lives daily to find out what hath been amiss in either for which purpose we are to view our selvs often in the glass of Gods pure and perfect law 2. In labouring to be more and more deeply humbled for our miscarriages and to work our hearts yet to a greater measure of godly sorrow for them and hatred of them 3. In stirring up our selves to believe and labouring to strengthen our faith by the consideration of the freeness of Gods grace and the infinite value of Christs Satisfaction which is sufficient to make an Atonement for the greatest Sinners To which purpose we must be meditating ever and anon upon the Covenant of Grace wherein nothing at all is required to make us partakers of Christ and his Benefits but that Joh. 1.12 we accept and be willing Christ shall for certain be ours and with him we shall have Heaven and eternal happiness if we be willing heartily to accept him as he is offered in the Gospel that is Act. 5.31 to be our King and Prophet as well as our Priest and Saviour He that will let him take of the Water of Life freely Rev. 22.17 We must consider â—ow many wretched and forlorn sinners some of which have come in at the eleventh hour have been received to mercy and that it is Gods way to shew mercy only to unworthy ones Rom. 5.20 that his grace may be the more magnified We must remember and ponder oft that Jesus Christ came into the Wold on purpose to seek and save those that are lost Luk. 19.10 and that he hath promised None that come to him shall be rejected or cast off Joh. 6.37 4. Lastly in frequent and earnest Prayer for pardon of sin for the graces we find wanting for the strengthning of our Faith and resolution of all holy obedience for help against the tentations of Satan Psal 19.12 Lord who can understand his errours cleanse thou me from my secret faults Pardon to me all the sins I know by my self and all those sins which thou hast taken notice of that I have not observed Work me to a thorow and saving Humiliation strengthen my weak Faith Mar. 9.24 help my unbeleif Lord Is not the blood of Christ if it were applyed to my soul sufficient to fetch out the stains of all my sins I know it is Is not thy Mercy free And hast not thou bidden me Come without money Isa 55.1 and incouraged all that will come to hope for mercy Lord I would fain repent better and believe better and love thee better and obey better But what can I do without thy grace Oh! Let thy spirit help my infirmity I do desire to lay hold on the Scepter of thy Mercy Oh! Deny not thy mercy to me Kill my sins that my soul may live Tread Satan under my feet help me against his fiery darts Let me not be overcome with his tentations to diffidence and distrust Help me to believe and repent and pray and wait and to continue knocking at the door of grace till my last gasp In such exercises and meditations as these some part of every day should be spent And though it should so fall out that we attain not to that measure and degree of Assurance which we desire yet we need not be discouraged but are to hold on praying and knocking and waiting and to throw our selves into the Arms of Jesus Christ bleeding inwardly for all our unkindnesses to him beseeching and begging of him that he would pass them by He that lives and dyes praying and repenting and believing and crying for mercy through Christ and doth so sincerely though haply he obtain not that comfort which God vouchsafeth to some others cannot miscarry Places of Scripture to be often read and meditated on THE 22.31 32. chapters of Job The 38.39 42 49 51 62 71 73 88 89 90 94 103 116 119 139 143 135. Psalms The 3. chap. of Prov. The 12 chap. of Ecclesiastes The 38 53 55 58. of Isa The 5.6 7 13 18 19 25 26 27. of Matt. The 12.13 14 15 16 19. of Luke The 7.8 of the Epist to the Rom. The 15. of 1 Cor. The 14.15 16 17. of John The 5. of 2 Cor. The 4.5 of 1 Thes The 6. of 1 Tim. The 2. of Tit. The 11.12 of Heb. The 2.3 of James The first Epistle of John The 2.3 21 22. of Revel FINIS
DIRECTIONS ABOUT PREPARING FOR DEATH Eccles 11.8 If a man live many yeers and rejoyce in them all yet let him remember the days of darkness for they shall be many All that cometh is vanity LONDON Printed by A. Maxwell for John Baker and are to be sold at the Peacock in Little-Brittain Anno. Dom. 1669. To the much Honoured Sir John Langham Knight and Baronet Honoured Sir 'T IS now about six yeers since that at your Desire and for your own private use I penned the following short and plain Directions your apprehensions of your approching change being the occasion For though God hath been pleased to exempt you from very many of the usual Concomitants of old Age so that you have not known nor do to this day what they mean by your own experience yet the very Number of your Years and the weakness you find creeping on you though through Gods mercy joyned with a good measure of Health cannot but mind you of your long Home Ecc. 12.5 and give you to understand that there is but a little of your Glass to run And as I was by your desire put upon the Writing of the ensuing little piece so am I now upon the Printing of it And if it may prove more publickly useful than I first design'd I shall have cause to acknowledg the Divine Goodness therein and to bless God for it Now the Lord graciously help you in your preparations for your Eternal State which you do well to be much thinking of grant unto you that you may find mercy in that day 2 Tim. 1.18 multiply his Favours Spiritual and Temporal upon your posterity and make them all great blessings in their several stations That being happy Instruments of Gods Glory in this World they may be Vessels of Glory in that which is to come This is the unfained and daily Prayer of Sir your very much obliged Servant in the Lord. T. B. Directions about Preparing for Death THERE is but one and the same Direction for living Well and dying Comfortably And therefore the Holy Scripture which was given to instruct us How to order our conversations aright Psal 50.23 hath in teaching us that Lesson sufficiently withal taught us the other too A good Life cannot but have a blessed Conclusion The end of the upright man sure enough shall be peace Psal 37.37 And doubtless that man's Hope is likely to prove no better than a Spider's web Job 18.14 who expects to reap mercy from God at his latter end and yet in the days of his health makes no provision by sowing in righteousness for such an Harvest Hos 10.12 Esa 32.17 Our Souls are not to be Bequeathed to God as a Legacy at Death but Soul and Body and all we have ought to be devoted to him and his service in our Life-time and throughout the whole course of our lives from first to last Ecc. 12.1 Apoc. 2.10 Yet I dare not absolutely affirm that a Death-bed Repentance is invalid but this is sure He that deferrs his Repentance till then will be hard put to it even to satisfie himself about his own sincerity if his Conscience be awake That which a man gives not till he be necessitated is no proof of his Liberality And if to put off our turning to God and resignation of our selves to him till we be arrested by Death be a sign of our Love 't is hard to tell what Argument there can be of a mind Alienated from Him Yet I should be far from discouraging any man as I said from entertaining thoughts of turning from his evil ways as if there were no hope for him for who can tell but God may shew mercy Jonah 3.8 9. However this is certain To get our Hearts mortified to the World to sue out our pardon through the Blood of Christ to Believe and Repent to Reform our ways to be Holy Righteous and Sober to work out our Salvation with fear and trembling to make our Calling and Election sure are not only works for Dying men but they are every mans Duty even to day while it is called to day Heb. 3.13 15. The Living the Healthy the Strong the Young as well as the Aged are to learn these Lessons while their parts are vigorous while their understanding memory senses are best able to perform their several Ofces Functions These are things concern all so as nothing more as well when they are apt fondly to imagine that Enemie Death a great way off as when they have cause to think they hear the sound of his Feet at the Door How sadly then do those persons delude and abuse themselves and God knows there be multitudes of such who have a strong fancy that they may all the while they live balk the way of Gods precepts those paths of pleasantness to the spiritually-minded but rugged and tedious to such as are carnal Pro. 3.17 Rom. 8.7 and yet find a short cut to Heaven when they dye And in the strength of this Fancy do adventure to run perfectly counter to the direction of our Blessed Saviour Mat. 6.33 seeking to make sure of other things first and most presumptuously promising themselves that the Kingdom of Heaven shall be added to them at last This I know they do in love to their flesh and that they may make provisions for it as the Apostle speaks Rom. 13.14 but it is a most dreadful thing that a man in favour to his flesh should be thus cruel to his own Soul hardning himself against it as if it were none of his as we read Job 39 14-18 the Ostrich serves her young ones being so wholly unconcerned about his own Eternal Welfare and Woe But to let these men pass As for such as are spiritually-wise they will not be tempted to run such hazzards They will be careful with all speed to do those things which others when they come to dye shall wish they had done Not but that the Best of men have their failings which they are sensible of and see cause to be deeply humbled for Psal 19.12 notwithstanding their greatest care to work out their Salvation that they may have nothing to do when Death comes but to Dye And therefore though when their last hour is at hand they have no new work for the main to go about but only that to go over again which every Christian is or should have been accustomed to long before yet they know it concerns them to bestir themselves with the wise Virgins Mat. 25.7 In trimming their Lamps and that so much the more because Night is approaching Joh. 9.4 Though therefore they have oft searched their Hearts and inquired into their spiritual estate they now do it again they review their lives they examine how matters stand between God and their souls they consider what account they shall give of their Stewardship they look over their Evidences for Heaven and stir up themselvs to exercise their Faith and renew their Repentance they labour by Meditation to
there was betwixt Lazarus lying in the grave and Lazarus rising and coming forth at the call of Christ A man may therefore certainly know his Effectual Vocation by five sings viz. 1. The frame and temper of his heart toward sin from which he is called off 2. The workings of his Soul toward God who doth so graciously call him to Himself 3. The value and price he puts upon Christ through whom he hopes for acceptance 4. The esteem he hath of Gods Ordinances the means whereby his effectual Vocation hath been wrought 5. The respect he bears to Gods precepts which are the Rule of Life to all that are called He that deals impartially in the examination of himself upon these particulars cannot be deceived The first sign is the frame of our hearts toward sin which if we be effectually called will be this God in this blessed work of Vocation calls us off from sin unto communion with Himself And therefore the person that is called effectually looks upon all sin with detestation as knowing nothing separates between God and him but that only he is much in searching and examination of himself and that impartially that he may find out whatever he hath done amiss so far as he can compares for that end his life with Gods most perfect Law yea and begs of God earnestly with David Psal 139.23 to search him and discover to him if there be any way of wickedness in him He humbles himself deeply before God for all the evil he finds in his heart and life He repents unfainedly and shews his repentance by a godly sorrow mourning chiefly because he hath offended God He labours to make what amends he can by doing God so much the more service in his place for the future and by making Satisfaction and Restitution where his Conscience tells him he hath wronged or injured any person Luk. 19.8 He firmly resolves by Gods grace to look better to his steps the residue of his days and to fight and watch against all sin his special sins especially as being the Bane of his Soul and working all his woe To that purpose in sense of his own weakness he sends up ardent and frequent cries to Heaven for help and assistance and with all importunity begs pardon through the blood of Christ He is grieved to see God offended by others specially by those whom he loves and improves his authority and power where he hath any for nothing more than the suppressing of sin specially in his family and in them over whom God hath given him any charge In a word the person effectually called is troubled for nothing more then sin hates nothing more there is nothing he would so fain be rid of as that body of sin and death he carries about with him cryes out with the Apostle Rom. 7.24 Wretched man that I am who shall deliver me Sin is that which he beareth and groneth under as his greatest burden which he prayes against watcheth and strives against to his very last and would count it as his greatest happiness to be freed from 2. For the workings of his soul toward God they are these and such like in one that is effectually called viz. Though once he had but low thoughts of God and of his love and prized the favour of men more and so he might keep in with men God was hardly to any purpose in his thoughts yet now through grace it is otherwise with him He sets an infinite price and value upon Gods favour and fully assents unto the Psalmist Ps 4.6 Many say who will shew us any good but Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon me and that shall cause a gladness in my soul greater than any the men of this World have when their Corn and Oyl and all their earthly contentments do most increase And as he desires and pants after nothing more then Gods love so he beareth to God a love as strong as death Cant. 8.6 Lov 's him with all his heart and strength and might Matt. 22.37 Lov 's him more then wife children relations more then his estate and wealth He saith with the Psalmist Psal 73.25 Whom have I in Heaven but thee and what is there upon Earth that I desire beside thee He pants after Communion with God as the Hart brayes after the water-brooks Psal 42.1 And this love he bears to God shews it self in his sincere Affection and love to all Gods people and his readiness to do all offices of love to them as he is able 1 Joh. 5.1 He that loveth him that begot loveth him also that is begotten of him And hereby do we know that we are translated from death to life if we love the brethren 1 Joh. 3.14 3. A man may know himself to be effectually called and so elected by the esteem he hath of Jesus Christ for he puts a value upon him no less then infinite And the reason is plain such persons however once they accounted not much of Christ like unto others that are unregenerate and conceited they could have made a shift without him yet now they see an excellency in him that makes him in their eyes the chiefest of ten thousand Cant. 5.10 and inwardly feel a need of him greater than can be expressed and uttered Now with the Apostle Phil. 3.8 they count all things but dross and dogs-meat in comparison of Christ Their souls are even sick of love unto him Cant. 5.8 All their hope and Confidence is placed in him all their Expectations are from him They utterly renounce all their own righteousness and hope for acceptance with the Father meerly and alone upon his account After an interest in his righteousness they hunger and thirst They place all their happiness in having him to be theirs and in their being his Cant. 2.16 My beloved is mine and I am his saith the Church and that was all she cared for In a word Christ is to the person effectually called All in All Col. 3.11 He is All to him in the enjoyment of All All that he hath is unpleasant to him and wants its taste and relish if he injoy not Christ He is All to him in the want of All If he have Christ he wants nothing He can find in Him All that his soul desires So great is his affection to Him 4. A man may gather a certain evidence of his effectual Calling by the account also he makes of Gods ordinances For such a one values his liberty to enjoy them above his outward Accommodations Oh How amiable are thy Tabernacles O Lord of Hosts I had rather be a door keeper there then to dwell in the tents of wickedness Psal 84.1 He finds an unspeakable need that his soul hath of them Job could no more live Job 23.12 without the word of God then his body could subsist without his daily food He grievs for want of them more then for want of his chiefest accommodations Hence is that Promise which shews