all talking about worldly things which hindereth the sanctifying of the Sabbath more than working seeing one may work alone but cannot talk but with others He that keeps the Sabbath only by resting from his ordinary work keeps it but as a Beast But rest on this day is so far commanded to Christians as it is an help to sanctification and labour so far forbidden as it is an impediment to the outward and inward worship of God If then those recreation's which are lawful at other times are on the Sabbath not allowed much more those that are altogether at all times unlawful Who without mourning can endure to see Christians keep the Lord's day as if they celebrated â— feast rather to Bacchus than to the honour of the Lord Jesus the Saviour and Redeemer of the world for having served God but an hour in outward shew they spend the rest of the Lord's day in sitting down to eat and drink and rising up to play First balasting their bellies with eaâ—ing and drinking and then feeding their lusts with playing and dancing Against which prophanations all holy Divines both old and new have in their times most bitterly inveighed Insomuch that Augustine affirmeth that it was better to plough than to dance on the Sabbath day Now in the Name of Almighty God who rested having created Heaven and Earth and of his eternal Son Jesus the Redeemer of his Church who shall shortly come on the dreadful day of Dâ—om to judge all men according to the obedience which they have shewed to his commandments I require thee who readest these words as thou wilt answer before the face of Christ and all his holy Angels at that day that thou better weigh and consider whether Dancing Stage-playing Masking Carding Diceing Tabling Chess-playing Bowling Shooting Bear-baiting Carousing Tipling and such other fooleries of Robbin Hood Morice-dances Wakes and Maâ—-games be Exercises that God will bless and allow on the Sabbath day And seeing that no action ought to be done that day but such as whereby we either bless God or look to receive a blessing from God how darest thou do those things on that blessed day on which thou darest not to pray to God to bestow a blessing on it to thy use Hear this and tremble at this O prophane youth of a prophane age O heart all frozen and void of the feeling of the grace of God! that having every day in six every hour in every day every minute in every hour so tasted the sweet mercy of thy God in Christ without which thou hadst perished every moment Yet canst not find in thy corrupt and irreligious heart to spend in thy Masters service that one day of the week which he hath reserved for his own praise and worship Let men in defence of their prophaneness object what they will and answer what the Devil puts in their mouths yet I would wish them to remember that seeing it is an ancient Tradition in the Church that the Lord's second coming shall be upon the Lord's day how little joy they should have to be overtaken in those carnal sports to please themselves when their Masters should find them in spiritual Exercises serving him The prophane Wretch would then wish rather to be taken kneeling at prayers in the Church than skipping like a Goat in a dance If this cannot move yet I would wish our impare gallants to remember that whilst they thus dance on the Lord's day contrary to the Lord's Commandment they do but dance about the pits brink and they know not which of them shall first fall therein Where to being once fallen without repentance no greatness can exempt them from the vengeance of that great God whose Commandment contrary to their knowledge and conscience they do thus presumptuously transgress If then God's Commandment cannot deterr thee nor God's Word advise thee I say no more but what St. John said before me He which is filthy let him be filthy still For the second 2. The consecration of the Sabbath's rest consists in performing three sorts of duties First before Secondly at Thirdly after the publick exercises of the Church The Duties to be performed before the publick exercises are 1. To give over working betimes on the Eve that thy body may be the more refreshed and thy mind the better â—itted to sanctifie the Sabbath on the next day For want of this preparation thy self and thy servants being tyred with labour and watching the night before are so heavy that when you should be serving God and hearing what his Spirit saith unto the Church for your Soul's instruction you cannot hold up your heads for sleeping to the dishonour of God the offence of the Church and the shame of your selves Therefore the Lord commands us not only to keep holy but also to remember afore-hand the Sabbath day to keep it holy by preparing our hearts and removing all business that might hinder us to consecrate it as a glorious day unto the Lord. Therefore whereas the Lord in the other Commandments doth but either bid or forbid he doth both in this Commandment and that with a special memorandum As if a Master should charge his servant to look well unto ten things of great trust but to have a more special care to remember one of those Ten for divers weighty reasons should not a faithful Servanâ— that loves his Master shew a more special care unto that thing above all other businesses Thus Moses taught the People o'er night to remember the Sabbath and it was a Holy custom among our forefathers when at the ringing to Prayer on the Eve before the Husbandman would give over his labour in the field and the Tâ—adesman his work in the Shop and go to Evening Prayer in the Church to prepare their souls that their minds might more chearfully attend God's worship on the Sabbath day 2. To possess that night thy vessel in holiness and honour that thou maist present thy soul more purely in the sight of God the next morning 3. To rise up early in the morning on the Sabbath day Be careful therefore to rise sooner on this day than on other days by how much the service of God is to be preferred before all earthly businesses For there is no Master to serve so good as God and in the end no work shall be better rewarded than his service 4. When thou art up consider with thy self what an impure sinner thou art and into what an holy place thou goest to appear before the most holy God who seeth thy heart and hateth all impurity and hypocrisie Examine thy self therefore before thou goest to church what grievous sins thou hast committed the week past confess them unto God and earnestly pray for the pardon and forgiveness of them and so reconcile thy self with God in Christ. Renew thy vows to walk more conscionably and pray for an increase of those graces which
man to travel in and the night for him to take his rest so I beseech thee sanctifie unto me this night's rest and sleep that I may enjoy the same as thy sweet blessing and benefit That so this dull and wearied body of mine being refreshed with moderate sleep and rest I may be the better enabled to walk before thee doing all such good works as thou hast appointed when it shall please thee by thy divine Power to waken me the next morning And whilst I sleep do thou O Lord who art the keeper of Israel that neither slamberest nor sleepest watch over me in thy holy providence to protect me from all dangers so that neither the evil Angels of Satan nor any wicked enemy may have any power to do me any harm or evil And to this end give a charge unto thy holy Angels that they at thine appointment may pitch their tents round about me for my defence and safety as thou hast promised that they should do about them that fear thy name And knowing that thy name is a strong Tower of defence unto all those that trust therein I here recommend my self and all that do belong unto me unto thy holy protection and custody If it be thy blessed will to call for me in my sleep O Lord for Christ his sake have mercy upon me and receive my soul into thy heavenly kingdom And if it be thy blessed pleasure to add more days unto my Life O Lord add more amendment unto my days and wean my mind from the love of the world and worldly vanities and cause me more and more to settle my conversation on heaven and heavenly things And perfect daily in me that good work which thou hast begun to the glory of thy Name and the salvation of my sinful soul. O Lord I beseech thee likewise save and defend from all evil and danger thy whole Church our King Charles Queen Mary the noble and hopeful Prince Charles with the rest of the Royal Progeny the religious Lady Elizabeth the King 's only Sister and her Princely Issue keep them all in the sincerity of thy Truth and prosper them in all grace and happiness Bless the Nobility Ministers and Magistrates of these Churches and Kingdoms each of them with those graces which are expedient for their place and calling And be thou O Lord a comfort and consolation to all thy people whom thou hast thought meet to visit with any kind of sickness cross or calamity Hasten O Father the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Make me ever mindful of my last end and of the reckoning that I am to make unto thee therein and in the mean while careful so to foâ—â—ow Christ in the regeneration during this life as that with Christ I may have a portion in the resurrection of the just when this mortal life is ended These graces and all other blessings which thou O Father knowest to be requisite and necessary for me I humbly beg and crave at thy hands in the name and meditation of Jesus Christ thy Son and in that form of Prayer which he himself hath taught me to say unto thee Our Father which art in Heaven c. Another short Evening Prayer O Eternal God and heavenly Father if I were not taught and assured by the promises of thy Gospel and the examples of Peter Mary Magdalen the Publican the Prodigal child and many other penitent sinners that thou art so full of Compassion and so ready to forgive the greatest sinners who are heaviest laden with sin at what time soever they return unto thee with penitent hearts lamenting their sins and imploring thy grace I should despair for mine own sins and be utterly discouraged from presuming to come into thy presence considering the hardness of my heart the unruliness of my affections and the uncleanness of my conversation by means whereof I have trangressed all thy laws and deserved thy curse which might cause my body to be smitten with some fearful disease my soul to languish with the death of sin my good name to be traduced with scandalous reproaches and make mine estate liable to all manner of crosses and casualties And I confess O Lord that thy mercy is the cause that I have not been long ago confounded But O my God as thy mercy only staied thy judgment from falling upon me hitherto so I humbly beseech thee in the bowels of the mercy of Jesus Christ in whom only thou art well pleased that thou wilt not deal with me according to my deserts but that thou wouldst freely and fully remit unto me all my sins and transgressions and that thou wouldst wash them clean from me with the vertue of that most precious blood which thy Son Jesus Christ hath shed for me For he alone is the Phâ—sician and his blood only is the medicine that ean heal my sickness And he is the true brazen Serpent that can cure that poison wherewith the fiery Serpent of my sins have stung and poisoned my sick and wounded soul. And give me I beseech thee thine holy Spirit which may assure me of mine adoption and that may confirm my faith encrease my repentance enlighten my understanding purifie my heart rectifie my will and affections and so sanctifie me â—hroughout that my whole body soul and spiâ—it may be kept unblameable until the glorious â—oming of my Lord Jesus Christ. And now O Lord I give thee most hearty thanks â—nd praise for that thou hast this day preserved me from all harms and perils notwithstanding all my sins and ill deserts And I beseech thee likewise defend me â—his night from the roaring Lyon which â—ight and day seeketh to devour me Watch â—hou O Lord over me this night to keep â—e from his temptations and tyranny and â—et thy mercy shield me from his unappeaâ—ble rage and malice And to this end I â—ommend my self into thy hands and proâ—ection beseeching thee O my Lord and God not to suffer Satan nor any of his eâ—il members to have power to do unto me â—ny hurt or violence this night And grant â—ood Lord that whether I sleep or wake â—ve or die I may sleep wake live and die â—nto thee and to the glory of thy name â—nd the salvation of my soul. Lord bless â—nd defend all thy chosen People every â—here Grant our King a long and happy â—eign over us Bless our gracious Queen Mary with their Princely Progeny the â—ady Elizabeth the King 's only Sister and â—er Princely Issue together with all our â—agistrates and Ministers comfort them â—ho are in misery need or sickness good â—ord give me grace to be one of those â—ise Virgins which may have my heart â—repared like a Lamp furnished with the 〈◊〉 of faith and light of good works to meet the Lord Jesus the sweet Bridegroom of my soul
unto the Sabbath Christ at his Death rested in the Grave all the Jewish Sabbath day and by that rest fulfilled all those Ceremonial Accessaries Now as the ceasing of the Ceremonies annexed to the 1 5 and 6 Commandments and to Marriage did not abolish those Commandments and Marriage nor cause them to cease from being the perpetual Rules of God's worship and man's righteousness no more did the abrogating of the Ceremonies annexed to the Sabbath abolish the morality of the Commandment of the Sabbath so that though the Ceremonies be abolished by the access of the Substance and the Shadow over-shadowed by the Body which is Christ yet the holy rest which was commanded and kept before either the Jews were a people or those Ceremonies annexed to the Sabbath still continueth as God's perpetual Law whereby all the Posterity of Adam are bound to rest from their ordinary business that they may wholly spend every seventh day in the solemn Worship and only Service of GOD their Creator and Redeemer but in the substance of the fourth Commandment there is not found one word of any Ceremony The chief Objections against the Morality of the Sabbath are Three 1. That of Paul to the Galatians Ye observe days and months and times and years c. But there the Apostle condemns not the moral Sabbath which we call the Lord's day and which he himself ordained according to Christ's Commandment in the same Churches of Galatia and Corinth and kept himself in other Churches but he speaks of the Jewish days and times and years and the keeping of the Sabbath on the seventh day from the Creation which he termeth shadows of things to come abolished now by Christ the body and in the Law are called Sabbaths but distinguished from the moral Sabbaths 2. That of Paul to the Colossians Let no man therefore condemn you in meat or drink or in respect of an holy-day or of the new-moon or of the Sabbath-days But here the Apostle meaneth the Jewish ceremonial Sabbaths not the Christians Lord's day as before 3. That of the same Apostle to the Romans This man esteemeth one day above another day and another counteth every day alike c. But S. Paul makes no such account For the question there is not between Jews and Gentiles but between the stronger and weaker Christians The stronger esteemed one day above another as appears in that there was a day both commanded and received in the Church every where known and honoured by the name of the Lord's day And therefore Paul saith here that he that observeth this day observeth it unto the Lord. The observation whereof because of the change of the Jewish seventh day some weak Christians as many now adays thought not so necessary so that if men because the Jewish day is abrogated will not honour and keep holy the Lord's day but count it like other days it is an Argument saith the Apostle of their weakness whose infirmity must be born till they have time to be further instructed and perswaded Other objections are frivolous and not worth the answering The true manner of keeping holy the Lord's Day NOW the sanctifying of the Sabbath consists in two things First In resting from all servile and common business pertaining to our natural life Secondly In consecrating that rest wholly to the Service of God and the use of those holy means which belong to our spiritual life For the first 1. The servile and common works from which we are to cease are generally all civil works from the least to the greatest More particularly First from all the works of our Calling though it were reaping in the time of harvest Secondly from carrying burthens as Carriers do or riding abroad for profit or for pleasure God hath commanded that the beasts should rest on the Sabbath day because all occasions of travelling or labouring with them should be cut off from man God gives them that day a rest and he that without necessity deprives them of their rest on the Lord's day the groans of the poor tyr'd Beasts shall in the day of the Lord rise up in judgment against him Likewise such as spend the greatest part of this day in trimming painting and painpering of themselves like Jezabels doing the devil's work upon God's day Thirdly from keeping of Fairs or Markets which for the most part God punisheth with Pestilence Fire and strange Floods Fourthly from studying any Books of Science but the holy Scriptures and Divinity For our study must be to be ravished in spirit upon the Lord's day In a word thou must on that day cease in thy calling to do thy work that the Lord by his Calling may do his work in thee For whatsoever is gotten by common working on this day shall never be blessed of the Lord but it will prove like Achan's Gold which being got contrary to the Lord's Commandment brought the fire of God's curse upon all the rest which he had lawfully gotten And if Christ scourged them out as thieves who bought and sold in his Temple which was but a Ceremony shortly to be abrogated is it to be thought that he will ever suffer those to escape unpunished who contrary to his Commandment buy and sell on the Sabbath day which is his perpetual Law Christ calleth such sacrilegious Thieves and as well may they steal the Communion Cup from the Lord's Table as steal from God the chiefest part of the Lord's day to consume it in their own lusts Such shall one day find the judgments of God heavier than the opinions of Men. Fifthly from all recreations and sports which at other times are lawful for if lawful works be forbidden on this day much more lawful sports which do more steal away our affections from the contemplation of heavenly things than any bodily work or Labour Neither can there be unto a man that delighteth in the Lord any greater delight or recreation than the sanctifying of the Lord's day For can there be any greater joy for a person condemned than to come to his Prince his house to have his Pardon sealed for one that is deadly sick to come to a Physician that can cure him or for a prodigal child that fed on the husks of swine to be admitted to eat the bread of life at his father's table or for him who fears for sin the tidings of death to come to hear from God the assurance of eternal life If thou wilt allow thy self or thy servant recreation allow it in the six days which are thine not on the Lord's day which is neither thine nor theirs No bodily recreation therefore is to be used on this day but so far as it may help the soul to do more chearfully the service of God Sixthly from gross feeding liberal drinking of Wine or strong Drink which may make us either drowsie or unapt to serve God with our hearts and minds Seventhly From
thou hast and a supply of those which thou wantest But especially pray that thou maist have Grace to hear the word of God read and preached with profit and that thou maist receive the holy Sacrament with comfort if it be Communion day that God by his Holy Spirit would assist the Preacher to speak something that may kill thy sin and comfort thy soul which thou maist do in this or the like sort A morning Prayer for the Sabbath-day O Lord most high O God eternal all whose works are glorious and whose thoughts are very deep there can be no better thing than to praise thy Name and to declare thy loving kindness in the morning on thy holy and blessed Sabbath day For it is thy Will and Commandment that we should sanctiâ—ie this day in thy service and praise and in the thankful remembrance as of the creation of the world by the power of thy Word so of the redemption of Mankind by the death of thy Son Thine O Lord I confess is greatness and power and glory and victory and praise for all that is in heaven and earth is thine Thine is the Kingdom O Lord and thou excellest as head over all Both riches and honour come of thee and thou reignest over all and in thine hand is power and strength and in thine hand it is to make great and to give grace unto all Now therefore O my God I praise thy glorious Name that whereas I a wretched sinner having so many ways provoked thy Majesty to anger and displeasure thou notwithstanding of thy favour and goodness passing by my prophaneness and infirmities hast vouchsafed to add this Sabbath again unto the number of my days And vouchsafe O heavenly Father for the merits of Jesus Christ thy Son whose glorious resurrection thy whole Church celebrateth this day to pardon and forgive me all my sins and misdeeds Especially O Lord cleanse my soul from those filthy sins with the blood of thy most pure and undefiled Lamb which taketh away the sins of the world And let thy Holy Spirit more and more subdue my corruptions that I may be renewed after thine own Image to serve thee in newness of life and holiness of conversation And as of thy mercy thou hast brought me to the beginning of this blessed day so I do beseech thee make it a day of Reconciliation betwixt my sinful Soul and thy Divine Majesty Give me grace to make it a day of Repentance unto thee that thy goodness may seal iâ— to be a day of pardon unto me and that I may remember that the keeping holy of this day is a Commandment which thine own finger hath written That on this day I might meditate on thy glorious works of our Creation and Redemption and learn how to know and to keep all the rest of thy holy Laws and Commandments And when anon I shall with the rest of the holy Assembly appear before thy Presence in thy House to offer unto thee our Morning Sacrifice of praise and Prayer and to hear what thy Spirit by the preaching of thy Word shall speak unto thy servant Oh let not my sins stand as a Cloud to stop my Prayers from ascending unto thee or to keep back thy grace from descending by thy Word into my heart I know O Lord and tremble to think that three parts of the good seed falls upon bad ground O let not my heart be like the high-way which through hardness and want of true understanding receives not the seed till the evil one cometh and catcheth it away nor like to the stony ground which heareth with joy for a time but falleth away as soon as persecution ariseth for the Gospel's sake nor like the thorny ground which by the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choaketh the Word which it heareth and makes it altogether unfruitful but thâ—t like unto the good ground I may hear thy Word with an honest and good heart understand it and keep it and bring forth fruit with patience in that measure that thy Wisdom shall think meet for thy glory and mine everlasting comfort Open likewise I beseech thee O Lord the door of utterance unto thy faithful servant whom thou hast sent unto us to open our Eyes that we may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God that we may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith in Christ. And give me grace to submit my self unto his Ministery as well when he terriâ—ieth me with judgments as when he comforteth me with thy Mercies And that I may have him in singular love for his works sake because he watcheth for my soul as he that must give an account for the same unto his Master And give me grace to behave my self in the holy Congregation with comeliness and reverence as in thy presence and in the sight of thy holy Angels Keep me from drowsiness and sleeping and from all wandring thoughts and worldly imaginations sanctifie my Memory that it may be apt to receive and firm to remember those good and profitable doctrines which shall be taught unto us out of thy Word And that through the assistance of thy holy Spirit I may put the same Lessons in practice for my direction in Prosperity for my consolation in Misery for the amendment of my Life and the glory of thy Name And that this day which godless and prophane Persons spend in their own Lusts and Pleasures I as one of thy obedient Servants may make my chief delight to consecrate to thy glory and honour not doing mine own ways nor seeking mine own will nor speaking a vain word but that ceasing from the works of sin as well as from the works of mine ordinary calling I may through thy blessing feel in my heart the beginning of that eternal Sabbath which in unspeakable joy and glory I shall celebrate with Saints and Angels to thy praise and worship in thy heavenly Kingdom for evermore All which I humbly crave at thy hands in the name and mediation of my Lord Jesus in that form of Prayer which he hath taught me Our Father which art in Heaven c. Having thus in private prepared thine own soul if thou hasâ— the charge of a Family call all thy Houshold together read a Chapter and pray as in the week-days but remember so to dispatch these private preparations and duties as that thou and thy family may be in the Church before the beginning of Prayers Else your private exercises are rather an hindranâ—e than a preparation And as thou and thy Houshold do go in all reverence towards the Church let every one meditate thus with himself Things to be meditated as thou goest to the Church 1. That thou art going to the Court of the Lord and to speak with the great God by prayer and to hear his Majesty speak unto
now called to Repetitions in Christ's School to see how much Faith Patience and Godliness you have learned all this while and whether you can like Job receive at the hand of God some evil as well as you have hitherto received a great deal of good As therefore you have always prayed Thy will be done so be not now offended at this which is done by his holy will 7. That all things shall work together for the best to them that love God Insomuch that neither Death nor Life nor Angels nor Principalities nor Powers c. shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Jesus Christ our Lord. Assure your self that every pang is a prevention of the pains of hell every resâ—ite an earnest of Heavens rest and how many stripes do you esteem heaven worth As your life hath been a comfort to others so give your friends a Christian example to die and deceive the Devil as Job did It is but the â—â—oss of Christ sent before to crucifie the love of the World in thee that thou mâ—â—st go eternally to live with Christ who was crucified for thee As thou art therefore a true Christian take up like Simon of Cyrâ—nâ— with both thy arms his holy Cross carry it after him 〈◊〉 him thy pains will shortly pass thy joys shall never pass away Consolations against the fear of Death IF in the time of thy sickness thou findest thy self fearful to die meditate 1. That it argueth a dastardly mind to fear that which is nor For in the Church of Christ there is no death Isa. 25. 7 8. And whosoever liveth and believeth in Christ shall never die Job 11. 26. Let them fear death who live without Christ. Christians die not but when they please God they are like 〈◊〉 translated unto God Their pains are but Elijah's fiery chariot to carry them up to heaven or like Lazarâ—â—'s sores sending them to Abraham's Bosom In a word if thou be one of them that like Lazarus lovest Jesus thy sickness is not unto the death but for the glory of God who of his love changeth thy living death to an everlasting life And if mans heathen men as Socratâ—s Câ—â—tiuâ— Seneca c. died willingâ—â— when they might have lived in hâ—pe of the immortality of the soul wilt thou being traiâ—â—d so loâ—g in Châ—â—st's Schâ—ol and now câ—llâ—d to the Marriage Supper of the blessed Lâ—â—h Rev. 19 7. be one of those Guests thâ—â— refuse to go to that joyful banquet God forbid 2 Remember that thy abode here is but the second degree of thy life for after thou hadst first lived nine Months in thy Mothers Womb thou wast of necessity driven thence to live here in a second degree of life And when that number of months which God hath determined for this life are expired thou must likewise leave this and pass to a third degree in the other world which never ends Which to them that live and die in the Lord surpasseth as far this kind of life as this doth that which one lives in his Mothers Womb. To this last and excellentest degree of life through this door passed Christ himself and all his Saints that were before thee and so shall all the rest after them and thee Why shouldst thou fear that which is common to all God's Elect Why should that be uncouth to thee which was so welcom to all them Fear not death for as it is the Exodus of a bad so it is the Genesis of a better World the end of a temporal but the beginning of an eternal life 3. Consider that there are but three things that can make death so fearful unto thee 1. The loss thou hast thereby 2. The pain that is therein 3. The terrible effects which follow after All these are but false â—res and causeless fears For the first if thou leavest here uncertain goods which Thieves may rob thou shalt find in heaven a true Treasure that can never be taken away these were but lent thee as a Steward upon accounts those shall be given thee as thy reward for ever If thou leavesâ— a loâ—ing Wise thou shalt be married to Christ which is more lovely If thou leavest Children and Friends thou shalt there find all thy religious Ancestors and Children departed yea Christ and all his blessed Saints and Angels and as many of thy Children as be God's Children shall thither follow after thee Thou leavest an earthly pâ—ssession and a house of clay and thou shalt enjoy an heavenly inheritance and mansion of glory which is purchased prepared and reserved for thee What hast thou lost Nay is not death unto thee gain Go home go 〈◊〉 and we will follow after thee Secondly For the pain in death the fear of death more pains many than the very paâ—gs of death for many a Christian dies without any great pangs or pains â—itch the 〈◊〉 of thy Hope on the firm ground of the Woâ—d of God who hath promised in thy weakness to perfect his strength and not to suffer thee to be tempted above that thou art able to bear And Christ will shortly turn all thy temporal pains to his eternal joys Lastly As for the terrible effects which follow after death they belong not unto thee being a member of Christ for Christ by his death hath taken away the sting of death to the faithful so that now there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus And Christ hath protested that he that believeth in him hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but haâ—â— passed from death unto life Hereupon the holy Spirit from Heaven saith Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord and that from thenceforth they rest from their labours and their works do follow them In respect therefore of the faithful death is swallowed up in victory and his sting which is sin and the punishment thereof is taken away by Christ. Hence death is called in respect of our bodies a sleep and rest In respect of our Souls a going to our heavenly Father a departing in peace a removing from this body to go to the Lord a dissolving of soul and body to be with Christ. What shall I say Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints These pains are but thy throes and travail to bring forth eternal life And who would not pass through Hell to go to Paradise much more through death There is nothing after death that thou needest feaâ— not thy sinsâ— because Chrâ—st hath payed thy ransom not the Judge for hâ— is thy loving brother not the grave 〈◊〉 iâ— is the Lord's bed not he for thy Redeemâ—r keeps the keys not the Devil for God's holy Angels pitch their Tents about thee and will not leave thee till they bring thee to Heaven Thou wast never 〈◊〉 etâ—â—nal life glorifie therefore â—â—ist by a