thy self as it were in the grave and see thy ghastly skull lying in the dust among the worms of the earth and then look on thy glorious Head in Heaven and so comfort thy self with this that as vile and loathsome a spectacle as thy diseased body is now and thy dead body will be shortly yet it is a precious member of Jesus Christ who will by his infinite power change and fashion this contemptible dust into the likeness of his glorious body in heaven 4. Comfort in respect of death it comes to the godly without a sting In this we are taught to triumph 1 Cor. 15.55 56. O death where is thy sting Now to clear up your comfort in this consider that sickness and death are said to sting when God as a revenging Judge sends them to execute the curse of the law for sin so that death is compared to a fearful Serpent which kills and devours all the men and women in the world And saith the Apostle the sting of this Serpent Death is sin it 's sin that makes the sting and then he adds the strength of sin is the law The strength that sin hath to sting is from the curse of the Law and the Law hath its strength and power from the wrath of God for the law worketh wrath Rom. 4.15 So that by all you see that by the sting of death is meant the dreadful torments of hell which at death come from the wrath of God through the curse of the Law for sin O poor Christless sinner what a miserable case art thou in Look well as thou fittest in thy seat and thou mayst see this stinging Serpent Death lye under thy feet when thou liest down this Serpent lies under thy bed when thou art at meat this Serpent lies under thy table when thou goest out of thy house thou mayst see this Serpent at the door ready to sting thee to heâ— But now here comes in the unspeakaâ— comfort of believers for though death hâ— power to kill them yet it hath no poâ—er to sting them because all the cauâ— of Deaths sting are taken away by Jesâ— Christ 1. Sin is gone for this lamb of Gâ— hath taken away the sins of the world Joâ— 1.29 Observe they are taken away â— if they had never been Hence 1 Pet. â— 24. Who his own self bare our sins in his owâ— body on the tree So that by the righteouâ—ness of Christ given to us by God and received of us by Faith and thereby maâ— our own we are fully cleared and absoâ—ved from sin and God will never impuâ— it to us 2. It follows that the curse of the Law is gone for Christ hath delivered us froâ— the curse of the law being made a curâ— for us So that the law hath no strength tâ— binde us to punishment there being neither sin to binde us for nor punishment tâ— binde us unto 3. The wrath of God which makes thâ— punishment is also taken away for it iâ— God that justifieth Rom. 8.33 and we havâ— thereby peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ Rom. 5.1 So that God is ours and for us to love bless and save and glorifie us and therefore every believer may with comfort hold up the Blood of Christ in the very face of the King of Terrors and say Here is my Christ my righteousness but O death where is thy sting Nay further Death is now changed from coming to execute the curses of the Law for it comes to fulfil the blessings of the Gospel for death to a believer is a work of a reconciled Father whereby he looseth his childe out of earth into heaven so that we may see death so full of the love and goodness of God that it should even indear it to us and make it lovely and precious to our souls That is a most comfortable promise Joh. 8.51 Verily verily I say unto you If a man keep my saying he shall never see death It is not meant he shall never die as the Jews understood it ver 52. And I conceive it is not only intended he shall never die the second death but the meaning also seems to be this that a Childe of God shall see so much of God and Christ and Heaven that he may even overlook the fears of death which are swallowed up by God and Christ and Life Lastly Comfort in respect of our glorious victory over all diseases and death at the day of Judgment This victory consists in two things 1. In putting a final period to all diseases and death Sickness shall never trouble us more and death shall never kill us more I warrant thee Christian thy head will never ake in heaven and for certain there will be no Funerals in that Country but corruptible must put on incorruption and mortal shall put on immortality 2. In that the bodies of believers shall then be never the worse for the diseases and death which they have suffered but the bodies which were sown in dishonour shall be raised in glory Beloved a Saint may live comfortably in any condition by living in the joyful knowledge of the day of judgment Hence when the Apostle had propounded this as an argument of comfort that yet a little while and he that shall come will come and will not tarry He adds this Now the just shall live by faith meaning they shall live a life of holiness and comfort in believing the day of judgment And Saint Paul having made a glorious description of that great day 1 Thes 4.15 16 17. makes this use of it vers 18. Wherefore comfort one another with these words And in this the godly did comfort themselves Rom. 8.23 And not only they but our selves also which have the first-fruits of the Spirit even we our selves groan within our selves waiting for the adoption to wit the redemption of our bodies This is a most comfortable life to live as those that are always groaning and waiting for the day of judgment A believer may apply this to his comfort against any particular trouble Art thou disgraced and reproached in thy name summon as it were all thy accusers to the day of judgment and believe what a name thou shalt have then and that thou shalt be sure to come off with credit at that day when the glorious Judge of quick and dead shall confess thee before his Father and Angels and Men and as mean and obscure as thou seemest now the world will have other thoughts of thee when they see thee appear with Christ in glory Col. 3.4 And therefore we learn that one great work of that day will be to make a clear and open manifestation of the sons of God Rom. 8.19 Art thou troubled with unreasonable and wicked men so that thou mayst say with David My soul is among Lyons and I lye even among them that are set on fire Psal 57.4 Consider what Christ will do to them at the day of judgment and what
all the powers of my soul â—nd members of my body and I can say â—f many things that I do that they come â—ot from my created nature or corrupted â—ature but from Christ that liveth in me â—nd I am convinced of this by such things â—s these 1. I can look on my sins and finde a â—ower within me that loaths them and would crucifie them and be revenged of them and it 's the greatest burden of my â—ge that I have any thing in me against the will and glory of so good a God and which â—s displeasing to him and makes me so unâ—ike unto him 2. I can look at Gods Commandments â—nd finde a power within me agreeing with them so that they are the very law of my minde I account them all holy just and good and they are for that reason precious to me because they are against my sins and I judge it the best work that I can do to be doing the Will of God revealed in these good Commandments 3. I can look upon the world and upon the Kingdoms and Country where I live and I judge it the greatest happiness and glory of a Nation which I most pray for and in my place and calling contend for to have all places filled with the Name and Kingdom and Will of Jesus Christ 4. I look upon men and I see amongst them a company who are separared from the world and differ from the world and are of another spirit who appear and shine in the image and likeness of the most holy God in whom there is a sweet agreement betwixt their lives and the Scriptures and the life of Jesus Christ is manifested in them Now my heart doth judge these the best people in the world and to be far more excellent then their carnal Neighbours I love and delight in them and desire living and dying to be found with my heart joyned to them Poor soul iâ— thou canst finde these things sincerely in thee thou art certainly a part of Christ and shalt go in peace from thy death-bed to thy head to sit together with him in heavenly places Duty 4. If thou finde on Scripture grounds that thy sins are pardoned and thy peace is made with God then improveâ— thy experience in a spiritual triumph over all the enemies of thy Salvation Say to Death that stands daring anâ— staring thee in the face O death where iâ— thy sting And Death must answer in effect thus When Christ laid down his life I lost my sting but Christ took up again his life but I could never take up again my sting Ask the grave O grave where is thy victory The grave must answer I lost the victory when Christ rose again from me and I must needs give up thy precious Body when it is called for at the resurrection of the just Look on the Devils and see how Christ hath spoiled these principalities and powers and triumphed openly over them Col. 2.15 and now rejoyce thou in the spoil Let that be spiritually fulfilled in thee which was spoken Isa 33.23 The lame take the prey Death and Devils are spoiled by Christ and the poor weak sick Christian takes and triumphs in the prey So that because of this Let the weak say I am strong Joel 3.10 This may make thee even to forget thy aches and pains so that thou shalt not say I am sick because the Lord hath forgiven thy iniquities Isa 33.24 Duty 5. Having thus seen a settlement of my soul and body to all eternity make a godly consciencious and seasonable settlement of thy outward estate this ought to be done if it be not done before and if thou art in a capacity to do it This was part of Isaiah his message to Hezekiah on his sick-bed Isai 38.1 Set thy house in order for thou shalt dye and not live Now in making thy Will be ruled by this principle Be sure that thy will be ruled by the Will of God that so thy last Will and Testament which is the signification of thy will may make it appear that thy will is in subjection to the Will of God and that thou doest Gods Will when thou makest thy own will For this purpose observe these three Directions 1. If thou hast got any thing unjustly take order so far as is possible to make restitution do not dye in injustice to go with a curse to hell thy self and to leave the curse of God behind thee upon thy family 2. Be full of love and faithfulness to thy Relations Christ himself is our pattern herein who when he was nigh unto death commended the care of his Mother to his beloved Disciple John 19.27 Then saith he to his disciple Behold thy mother Let thy last Will and Testament witness that thou diest in conjugal love to thy wife Give her of the fruit of her hands Prov. 31. ult endeavour to make thy poor widows life as comfortable as thou canst and although I advise not husbands to leave power in the hands of their wives to wrong and defraud their poor fatherless children for sad experience witnesseth that many widows are so careful to get themselves husbands that they grow careless of their poor children yet however leave no tye upon her to binde her from after-marriage seeing God hath made her free do not thou leave her bound Again provide so for thy children that there be neither want nor strife nor emulation among them and though I advise to nothing to prejudice the first-borns birth-right yet I must witness against it as the great sin of many Parents that are so ambitious to set up their Families that they highly advance the elder brothers and often leave the younger to be as poor as beggars or as bad as thieves 3. Dye in dear love to the Church of God and to the poor that so far as thou art able thy last Will and Testament may savour of good will towards them It is the wickedness of many that they seek to make a Monopoly of the world by ingrossing to themselves and their families and restraining the good and use of it from others but every man keeping to the rules of justice should dispose of his estate so as may make it most useful for Gods glory and to be a blessing unto man And therefore consider that if thou expectest when thou dyest to be received into the everlasting habitation of Gods poor in the other world let their lives be made somewhat more comfortable by thee in this world Duty 6. Use all lawful means to recover thy health though thou art ready to dye yet it 's thy duty to endeavour to live thy life is Gods and he hath bound thee to keep it for him till he call for it and thou art the Churches servant and must not by thy sinful neglect defraud her of her right thou hast yet need to mortifie sin and to grow in grace and to strengthen thy assurance of Salvation and to lay up more treasures in
find this to be the effect of Davids sickness Psal 38.3 4. There is no soundness in my flesh because of thy anger neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin For mine iniquities are gone over my head as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me Beloved people would not be so fond of their sins if they saw the diseases and dangers which they bring upon them as a man would not be greedy of the daintiest meat if he knew it were mixt with Rats-bane nor be proud of the finest cloaths if he knew they were infected with the Pestilence So if people saw the Plague Pocks Dropsie Fever and the Consumption in their pride and oaths and lyes and drunkenness and covetousness it would make them afraid of sin as well as of sickness and therefore look not upon sin as it appears in your honours profits and pleasures as it appears at an Ale-house May-pole or Maurice-dance or Cock-pit or Bear-bait or Stage-play for there thou canst not see sin for its pleasures but look upon thy self on a bed of languishing and there see thy sins standing in order before thee and then tell me what fruit thou hast in these things Look upon thy self as hanging over the lake of brimstone and then call thy drunken Companions about thee and bid them pour out their flagons and quaff off their cups and see whether all these can make thee merry when the flames of hell begin to catch and kindle in thy guilty soul call in thy lyes and injustice to bring thee thy treasures of wickedness and lay them under thy pillow and see whether they can bring thee ease when Death and Hell and the day of Judgment stand present before thee And my Brethren it is observeable that when we sin in our sickness we should see far more evil in it then as it is the meritorious cause of that disease as we should look further into a sickness then as it causeth present aches and pains in the body we should see that Death and Eternity which comes after so we should see more evil and danger in sin then as it brings such a disease for the evil of it is not spent in that therefore we should look upon it as provoking God to punish us with diseases and with death and hell which diseases are loosing us into The second End to convince us of the vanity of the creature now we are truly convinced of the vanity of the creature when we judge it to be empty of that good which must free a sinful man from misery and fill him with true happiness It must needs be a vanity when a man may be miserable with it and happy without it Now Christ appoints diseases as means to convince us of this vanity of the creature for as one saith wittily the world is the Devils Chess-board wherein a man can neither move forward nor backward but the Devil attaches him with some creature or other and indeed we are so full of the spirit of the world as it 's called 1 Cor. 2.12 which doth so fill our hearts with the world that God and Christ and Heaven and Salvation are nothing to us and therefore this sin is called a denying God that is above Job 31.24 25 28. and Agur tells us that when a man is full of the world he is apt to deny God and to say Who is the Lord Prov. 30.9 Oh what poor scornful thoughts a covetous proud secure worldling hath of God and Christ and Saints and Ordinances and Salvation Now this is one great use of sicknesses to convince a man of the vanity of the world and this is a most convincing argument for I dare challenge all the worldlings which the world it self can own to name me that earthly creature and tell me what I shall call it which can heal the wounds of a guilty conscience or can take out the sting of death or of which a man can truly say Here is a treasure which a lump of phlegm cannot take from me If thou canst not say this of the creature I grant thou mayst use it for thy good but be ruled by a friend never choose it for thy portion But more particularly we may hereby be convinced of the vanity of these five things First Of the vanity of our selves Sickness moved David to beg wisdom of God to know how frail he was Psal 39.4 and this made Job compare himself to a leaf and to the dry stubble and to a flower and shadow Job 13.25 and Cap. 14.2 and we read that this is the use of sickness to hide pride from man Job 33.17 that is to take it quite away to be seen no more and if we did look on every thing which we are usually proud of as it will prove on a sick bed or death-bed it would be an effectual means to abase us and to hide pride from us Beloved it is a most precious thing for a man to be fill'd with the knowledge and sense of his own emptiness and vanity The Kingdom of heaven is unchangeably entail'd upon all such Mat. 5.3 Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven Hereby a man is sweetly qualified for every duty Faith never acts with more integrity and strength then when it acts from the belief of a mans own emptiness for when self is most denied Christ is most acknowledged and believed then doth a man most heartily and strongly receive and rest upon Christ to justifie and to save him when he sees what a guilty condemned lost wretch he is in himself and when he sees what a weak helpless creature he is then doth he most trust to the infinite power of Jesus Christ and this also doth exceedingly endear his heart in love to God when he sees that God is so good and so full of grace and love and mercy as to chuse and call and pardon and save such a vile and loathsome creature as he then repentance is most inward and spiritual when a man with Job abhors himself and repents in dust and ashes Job 42.6 and this fills the heart with prayer for prayer begs of God what a man wants in himself therefore when a man sees himself poor and empty of all good and knows that he cannot be supplied from himself then doth he pray to be fill'd with the fulness of God Now I say sickness is a special means to convince a man of his emptiness and vanity for hereby a man is left bare and empty of all those creature-comforts which seemed to fill him before and now he sees that nothing will fill him but grace and glory and that there is nothing in him to make up this fulness Secondly To convince us of the vanity of great men Oh what is a Prince or a Noble-man or Gentleman when the Pox or the Fever or the Consumption will insult over him and scorn him and make nothing of him and there is nothing in him
ordinance do meet the heart agrees and is suitable to the ordinance and so is fit and worthy to receive it but on the other hand here is a dead unbelieving sinner that hath no principle or faculty to discern Jesus Christ or to receive him as hereby offered therefore he comes unworthily he is not fit for his heart and the ordinance do not agree but he is like a blinde man before the most glorious shew Again here is spiritual food meat indeed and drink indeed to feed and satisfie a soul with grace and pardon and salvation Well and here is a poor soul hungring and thirsting after this very food Now such a man is fit and comes like a hungry man to a good and wholesome feast but here is another dead sinner that sees and feels his want of nothing and so is no more fit and meet for such an ordinance then a man that lyes dead in a Coffin is to eat the bread and wine which is dealt at his funeral nay further you may see the unworthiness of a wicked man in that his heart is against the Lords Supper as a man is very unfit for a feast when he loaths and his stomack doth rise against every dish on the table and against all the company So my Brethren a man is very unfit for the Lords Supper when his heart hates and riseth against Christ and against holiness against all godly Christians Sirs here is set before us that which condemns all sins and which requires the greatest strictness and holiness so that to be sure the man that hates Christ in a Minister or in a Christian cannot but hate him in the Lords Supper Well you see who are unworthy and who by this sin bring diseases and other judgements of God upon themselves in this life and also damnation on their bodies and souls in the life to come I might here also tell you that the godly themselves for want of the present exercise of grace suitable to this Ordinance may bring diseases and death upon themselves for as Christ with all his benefits is herein actually set forth so grace should actually come forth to meet him to take receive and enjoy him as when a feast is ready drest and disht up those that are fit guests must not onely have life and stomachs c. but they must also actually eat and drink The application is easie I shall therefore conclude this reproof in seriously warning all to take heed of unworthy receiving the Lords Supper would any man eat that which he knows would breed the Pestilence or the Fever or the Dropsie Why Christ tells you if you come unworthily you eat and drink judgement to your selves And certainly though the food be precious and wholesome and it is your duty to receive it worthily yet by unworthy receiving you do that which may bring the Plague Pox Fever c. upon you and without sound repentance will bring damnation upon your bodies and souls for ever The third sin to be here reproved is niggardliness this is a sin whereby men restrain from themselves the lawful use of the creature they have not hearts to take and use the creatures to those ends which God hath made them good for but basely defraud their own backs and bellies by grudging themselves the meat drink clothes recreations physick which nature requires and God allows The word speaks expresly against this sin Eccles 6.12 such men play the thieves in robbing God of the honour and themselves of the use of these mercies and they love their â— states better then themselves and by prâ—serving their riches they disease and destroâ— their own bodies 4. Drunkenness to which may be addâ— the sin of gluttony The former bring themselves to untimely sicknesses anâ— death by taking too little of Gods creâ—tures and these by taking too much consider the evil and danger of thiâ— sin of drunkenness in these five particulars 1. Drunkenness doth unman the drunkard and turns him into a very beast Hencâ— saith the Prophet Hos 4.11 Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart This is given as one reason of the peoples wickedness mentioned in this Chapter because they were so besotted with drunkenness and whoredom which sins took away all knowledge and wisdom from them Augustine saith Ebrietas est blandus daemon quam qui habet seipsum non habet Drunkenness is a flattering Devil which he that hath hath not himself Drunkenness is voluntaria insania wilful madness as Seneca speaks A Drunkard though at other times he may be learned yet now he can neither understand discourse see go ride nor do any business as becomes a reasonable man look on a drunkard and consider yonder goes one with the immortal soul and precious body of a man yonder staring eyes stammering tongue staggering limbs would if they were filled with the Spirit be precious instruments to honour God and become blessings to man but what a beastly creature is he made by this filthy sin 2. A drunkard is unfit for any employment he is good for nothing Who will venture his business with a drunken Servant or his life with a drunken Physician or his soul with a drunken Minister how many thousand of mens lives have been lost by drunken souldiers Whatever a mans estate be he may be cheated of all when he is drunk 3. A drunkard is unfit for all societies and that for divers reasons I shall mention but this one viz. a man cannot commit a secret to a drunkard who will chuse such a friend to whom a man can speak nothing but what he will have proclaimed in every Alehouse or Tavern in the Country Now what ever a man says to a drunkard no body knows but that the next time he is drunk he will tell all 4. Drunkenness betrays a man to all sin for a man at the best is full of the principles of Sin Now drunkenness is apt to set all a work and leaves a man incapable of many restraints which might be used to a sober person who knows what a man full of sin may do in his drunken mood when he hath neither grace nor reason nor counsel of others nor fear nor shame to restrain him and therefore what horrid sins are committed in drunkenness swearing cursing whoring fighting yea and murdering also Clitus was a dear and faithful friend to Alexander yet Alexander murders him when he was drunk though he was ready to kill himself for it when he was sober Augustine reports that a son of one in Hippo who was too much cockered by his Father came home drunk in which sin he would have ravished one of his Sisters slew his Father and wounded to death two of his other Sisters Lastly drunkenness shuts a man out of heaven and by untimely sicknesses and death hastens him to hell The Apostle assures us 1 Cor. 6.10 that no drunkards shall inherit the kingdom of God Oh what a fearful sin is this it hurries a
Husband nor enjoy the fruit of thy womb upon earth thou mayst live with Christ and enjoy the fruit of his righteousness in heaven for ever I shall conclude this with that suitable Scripture 1 Tim. 2.5 Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childe-bearing if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety lest poor women should be swallowed up with the sad thoughts of the sin mentioned in the former verse where it 's said that Adam was not deceived but the woman being deceived was in the gransgression for which sin disgrace and punishment is fixt to the Sex these words are added for their comfort to shew that notwithstanding that sin and the punishment thereof yet they shall be saved in childe-bearing if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety Poor woman methinks I see thee walking with two souls over eternity and both full of sin Oh therefore hasten to make thy peace with that God whose power alone must take the childe out of the mothers bowels that so thou mayst comfortably depend and call upon him to save both your lives but however to save your poor souls I come now to urge this duty with these seven Motives Mot. 1. It is the will of God that you should be prepared for sickness and death in so doing you do the will of God he commands you to wait and watch and prepare for the day of judgement Matth. 24.42 Mar. 13.33 35. Now it 's a certain rule that all those Scriptures which command us to prepare for the day of judgement do imply our duty to be prepared for sickness and death which are the forerunners of that day and the same preparation which is made for the one will serve for the other Now my Brethren this is a sufficient reason to move you to this duty for it 's the will of God which makes it our duty and binds us to it and must be the reason to us why we do it or we can never be prepared aright Beloved God would have us to be saved 1 Tim. 2.4 to reign with him in heaven and therefore to be always ready against the time that he sends for us thither Mot. 2. It 's a signe of a very wise man to be prepared for sickness and death Prov. 22.3 A prudent man fore-seeth the evil and hideth himself A wise godly man sees sickness and death and the day of judgement before him he knows he must go through all these and therefore he takes care to provide so as to be safe and happy in those great dangers Beloved it 's the greatest wisdom in the world to be wise to salvation It 's better miscarry in a thousand businesses then in the business of Salvation Now he that is wise to salvation prepares against all the dangers that he must be saved from and the greatest danger is at death when a man must go through that door where so many millions fall into hell what a wise man then is he who is prepared so as that door to him is the door of heaven Many that get estates and preferments in the world are much admired for their wisdom and yet when death comes they must be damned for their folly Remember the Parable of the ten Virgins five whereof were wise and five were foolish Now why were those five called wise the reason was because when that great cry was made at midnight Behold the Bridegroom cometh they were prepared and why were the other five foolish because they were unprepared for that great time Beloved when the great God our Saviour shall come out of heaven with his mighty Angels and his glorious Saints and shall shew his blessed face in the clouds and sound a trumpet that will call all the quick and dead before him in the twinkling of an eye certainly they will prove the wisest persons that are so prepared as to stand and triumph and lift up their heads with joy in that great appearance Ah Sirs when Come ye blessed and Go ye cursed hath distinguished and parted the world it will then be known who are wise men and who are fools Mot. 3. Because it 's altogether uncertain when sickness and death will come the Scripture useth this argument Mar. 13.33 Watch and pray for ye know not when your time is Solomon elegantly sets forth the uncertainty of our time Eccles 9.12 For man also knoweth not his time as the fishes that are taken in an evil net and as the birds that are caught in the snare so are the sons of men snared in an evil time when it falleth suddenly upon them As the fishes are sporting in the water and are presently masht in the net and as the birds are hopping in the chaff and are presently caught in the snare so poor man is suddenly and unexpectedly surprised in the snares of death Sometimes a man is fast asleep and sickness awakens him sometimes he is feeding at the table and death comes between the cup and the lip sometimes he is riding a journey and death throws him into eternity and sometimes he is making a purchase and death comes and breaks the bargain sometimes he is marrying a wife and death comes and mars the match Sirs sickness and death are under no rules of civility they care not for disturbing the weightiest business in the world if therefore we cannot say of any thing I will do this or I will have that before I am sick or dead certainly our very next work should be to prepare for sickness and death Mot. 4. Because thou knowest not what kinde of sickness or death may come upon thee We read of a great death 2 Cor. 1.10 Sometimes death comes with great pains and great terrors and great temptations which make it a great death so that the provision of a whole age of grace will not without the mighty support of Gods Spirit keep thee holy and cheerful at such a time It is said Job 18.13 The first-born of death shall devour his strength The first-born is the chiefest and mightiest in it's kinde and therefore the meaning is that death shall come in the most cruel and terrible manner to devour a man Now set before thee those that have dyed in the most fearful pains of body and have been assaulted with the most horrid temptations and consider this may be thy case however prepare against the worst that Sin and Death and Devils and men can do against thee Mot. 5. By thy being prepared for sickness and death thou art also prepared for health and life for there is none so fit to live as he who is fit to dye the same graces which will make thee holy and patient and joyful in sickness will make thee so in health for the same faith love humility meekness and patience which qualifie the soul for passive obedience do also fit the soul for active obedience as the same provision of victuals or money which is made against
the Devil may bewitch you into sickness another by as bad a league will as it is termed bless you into health but though these seem to counter-work one another yet the Devils in both agree to devour your souls 3. It is enough to deter thee from ever seeking to such when they are branded with the names of Witches Wizards Conjurers c. When they are so reputed not onely by some malicious slanderers for Christ himself was slandered as one who had commerce with the Devil Matth. 12.24 but also by the voice of the country and by the sober wise charitable and godly Ministers and people who hear of their Clyents and of their practice Lastly this is a sufficient reason for all to abhor the thoughts of seeking to them because they use such means upon the use of which thou hast no Scripture-ground to believe or call upon God for a blessing as when they use inchanting words spells circles herbs salt stones c. which have no natural virtue to work such effects for these are but signes upon the use of which the Devil hath bound himself to his confederates to do what they trust him for For as Peter Martyr well observes the Devil is herein Gods Ape to imitate him and therefore as God hath made a covenant of grace with his people and hath ordained Sacramental signes and seals upon the faithful use of which he is present to believers to perform all that he hath promised in the Covenant So the Devil makes a covenant with Witches and appoints them to use certain signes and tokens upon the use of which he is present to do so far as he can and God permits all that they call upon him and trust to him for And thus you may see the nature evil and danger of this horrid wickedness of seeking in your sicknesses to Witches and Wizards for health that such as are guilty may repent and pray to God that the thoughts of their hearts may be forgiven them and that others who may be tempted to this sin may hear and fear and do no more any such wickedness Secondly This Doctrine reproves those who are full of murmuring and discontent when Christ visits them or their friends with sickness If Christ commands diseases to go there can be no reason to murmur if Christ doth it no body must finde fault yet most people are very apt to this sin in time of sickness for this is the property of a man that what ever is most in his heart when he is troubled it presently riseth and works up into his affections thoughts looks words and actions I shall illustrate this by a clear similitude Take two bottles of wine the one with sugar the other with dregs at the bottom now shake them and the sugar and dregs will rise and work up and the one fills the wine with a sweet and pleasant taste and the other will make it muddy and unpleasant both to taste and look upon so if a godly man and ungodly man be visited with sickness when the godly man is stirred and troubled his graces will presently work and the man will be full of faith love patience and prayer which makes his words and carriage exceeding sweet and savoury but when the wicked man is visited the dregs of sin presently rise and work up and his words and actions are then full of pride anger and discontent which make him sinful and unsavory so that I say a murmuring and discontented spirit usually prevails with men in sickness or other afflictions The Jews are often branded for this sin which was so notorious in them that the Scripture warns all people to take heed of murmuring for their sake 1 Cor. 10.10 Neither murmur ye as some of them also murmured and were destroyed of the destroyer Now to arm you against this sin I shall briefly 1. Shew you the Nature and Properties of it 2. The Causes 3. The sad Consequences of it For the first observe the nature of it in this description The sin of murmuring is an unruly disobedient and unquiet frame of spirit whereby the heart riseth against God so as to question and quarrel with him as if he were unholy cruel unjust and unmerciful in his proceedings against us As by the grace of contentation the heart doth quietly and obediently yeild to the Will of God so as to approve and praise all his dealings as holy just and fatherly to him so a discontented spirit doth resist God and judge of all his dispensations as if they were unworthy and injurious to him This sin is further known by these four filthy properties 1. It is a rebellious rising of the heart against God especially as he appears in that Providence which is the present occasion of his murmuring Hence murmurers are called rebels Numb 16.41 for now all the powers of a man are up in a tumult and insurrection against God the affections and thoughts rise up in a quarrel with him Oh what a fearful case is this that when a mans body is so weak that he cannot rise out of bed yet his corruptions are so strong that they rise in an uproar against the Will and Authority and Justice of God! 2. It is an unjust judging of God for whatever the murmurer pretends his quarrel is against God as the cause of his visitation Perhaps in thy sickness thy discontented spirit flies out towards thy husband wife children or servants which are about thee but they may say with Moses to the Israelites Exod. 16.8 What are we did we make thee sick are we the causes of thy aches and pains thy murmurings are not against us but against the Lord Nay sometimes the spirit riseth so high that it expresly complains of God as if the parties grieved would set themselves above him and call him to their bar and be the judges of God and his dispensations so did the Israelites Numb 14.3 Wherefore hath the Lord brought us into this land Oh horrid pride and insolencie they challenge God as if he had wronged and deceived them in bringing them from Egypt Such men practice what Jobs wife tempted him unto in his sickness Job 2.9 Curse God and dye they have cursed and blasphemous thoughts of God and his Providence it appears that men do thus judge God Psal 51.4 That thou mightest be justified when thou speakest and be clear when thoâ— judgest implying that God is judged and condemned by wicked men and therefore he is said to justifie and clear himself Oh thou proud worm thou conceited clay judge thy self and not God for he giveth not account of any of his matters and to be sure he will overcome when he is judged 3. A murmuring spirit makes his mercieâ— little and his afflictions great This cursed property is seen in the Israelites for although their deliverance from Egypt was such a Providence as God delights to be owned by Hence he is so often called The God that brought them
their curses to pass We read of a Mother that in a passion cursed her Son thus Get thee gone I would thou mightest never come again alive and the same day her Son went into the water and was drowned Another woman said in her anger to her Childe The Devil take thee and presently the poor childe was possessed with the Devil These and many more such dreadful examples should make all afraid of such or any other words of cursing Consider once more that every man should have his heart filled with love unto and earnest desires of the good of all men and should be always in a frame to offer up these desires in prayer to God Now how contrary to this is that devillish spirit which inclines thee to hate and to curse others The Apostle James sets out the great hypocrisie and wickedness of a man who with the same tongue will bless God and curse men James 3.9 10. Therewith bless we God even the Father and therewith curse we men which are made after the similitude of God Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing My brethren these things ought not so to be Lastly This Doctrine reproves those who hasten diseases and death to themselves by their own sins I may reason with such sinners in Solomons words Eccles 7.17 Be not over-much wicked neither be thou foolish why shouldst thou die before thy time It is not meant the time absolutely appointed by God for that cannot be prevented but it 's meant that time which in the course of nature they might have probably lived unto as a Lamp will burn till the Oyl be spent but it may be quencht or blown out sooner So in the course of nature many a man might have probably lived many a year but oftentimes either by a sudden blast of God or by some diseases which are bred by his own sins the lamp of his life is quickly blown out and some of such sins I shall here particularly reprove I might instance in that horrible sin of self-murder which ordinarily proceeds from pride unbelief revenge covetousness discontent or despair when men cannot despite God and man enough by their lives they will attempt to do it by their deaths and will venture with their own hands to cut the thred of their own lives and to loose themselves out of the troubles of earth into the torments of hell I might also mention the horrid sins of Treason Murder Witchcraft Theft c. which sins binde their bodies to the wrath and justice of men and their souls and bodies to the wrath and vengeance of God These sins bring men to be hanged like dogs because they could not be contented to live like men I shall instance in these five sins which do provoke God to visit men with diseases some of which do of their own nature bring men to untimely sickness and death 1. Persecution of Gods people This is a sin which doth not only bring everlasting damnation hereafter but usually it also brings some fearful judgments on the bodies and families of Persecutors here Hence we read Psalm 55.23 Bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their daies It would take up far more room then I can here spare to instance in the fearful examples of Gods vengeance upon the very bodies of the cruel enemies of Gods Church and people whereby we might see that all the cruelty which the most barbarous persecutors have invented to torment the Christians with hath not been comparable to those torments wherewith God hath tortured their Enemies with fearful and strange diseases We read of that bloody Herod who murdered the Infants Matth. 2.16 that he was smitten by the hand of God with a most shameful and painful disease so that his body boiled and burnt with heat and his bowels were gnawn he was tormented with a ravenous and insatiable appetite after meat his privy parts were rotten and full of filthy vermine and after he had endured a while the horririble pangs of a lingring death he died in desperate madness and misery See Eusebius Ecclesiastic Histor Lib. 1. Cap. 8. Tertullian amongst other examples of the like kinde reports that one Claudius Herminianus in Cappadocia being enraged that his Wife was turned Christian to revenge himself did exercise much cruelty upon the precious Christians for which God did smite him with a fearful plague wherewith after a while he was tormented he dyed ad Scapulam cap. 3. Steven Gardiner a bloudy butcher in Queen Maries days hearing that Bishop Ridley and Master Latimer were burned at Oxford rejoyced greatly and being at dinner ate his meat merrily but whilst the meat was in his mouth the wrath of God came upon him so that he was taken from his board to bed where continuing fifteen days in intolerable anguish by reason he could not expel his urine his body being miserably inflamed within he was brought to a wretched end with his tongue all black and swoln hanging out of his blasphemous mouth I shall conclude this by warning all that either love their souls lives or posterity or country to take heed of wronging the precious people of God the truth is the Nation which persecutors are a curse unto and the souls of persecutors themselves are dearer to godly Christians then all their own private interest which persecution can take from them and therefore I say to all malicious enemies as Tertullian said to Scapula a Ruler in Carthage and a cruel enemy to Christians Parce tibi si non nobis parce Carthagini si non tibi Spare thy self if thou wilt not spare us spare Carthage if thou wilt not spare thy self So I say if ye will not spare the holy people of God spare your selves if ye will not spare your selves spare your families spare your poor children if you will not spare your families spare the precious nation spare London spare England for you swallow up all by swallowing up Gods people The second sin which I shall here reprove is unworthy receiving the Lords Supper God often punisheth this sin with bodily diseases Hence we read 1 Cor. 11.30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you and many sleep Now that you may know the evil and danger of this sin I shall shew you what it is to eat and drink the Lords Supper unworthily A man eats and drinks the Lords Supper unworthily when he is without the gracious qualifications which make the heart fit and meet and agreeable to this blessed Ordinance The best way to understand this is to consider what is in the Ordinance and what is in the heart and then by comparing them together to see whether they do meet and agree as for example in the Lords Supper Jesus Christ crucified with all the blessings of the Gospel are shewed forth 1 Cor. 11.26 well and there is a Believer who by faith sees and discerns the Lords Body as it is set forth therein now such a heart and the
hath done for thee Psal 42.8 My prayer shall be to the God of my life He honours God with this Title The God of his life Psal 59.10 The God of my mercy Psal 18.1 2. I will love thee O Lord my strength The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer Believe it poor Christian that the God of all the world is pleased and praised by thy calling him thy God and therefore praise God as his glory shines and appears in all other things and as it appears to thee As thus the God of all the world and my God the Father of Jesus Christ and my Father the God of life and health to his people and the God of my life and of my health 3. Labour to the utmost of thy power to fill all places with the Name of God and Jesus Christ Psal 66.2 Make his praise glorious This is a right praising God when we endeavour to make his Name glorious in the hearts of all that are about us our lives should be such that in every thing that we do there may be reason to cause others to love bless praise and rejoyce in God Mat. 5.16 Our works should be such that they should set all that see them on work to glorifie our Father which is in heaven and we should live so that it may be an honour to God to be called the God of such a people Now is it any honour to God to be called the God of Drunkards or the God of Swearers or the God of Whoremongers No no but as Master Latimer said they may say Our father which art in hell But the God of Believers the God of all that love him and fear him and seek him it is his honour to be called the God of such a people and as it is said Heb. 11.16 He is not ashamed to be called their God 4. Let every thing that hath been the subject of mercy be the instrument of praise David calls upon all that is within him to praise Gods holy Name Who healeth all his diseases Psal 103 1 3. And we are commanded to yield our members as instruments of righteousness unto God Rom. 6.13 Sirs every member of a Christian is a member of Christ and the Life of Christ spreads all over and fills his whole body and this life should branch out in all the parts and members of our bodies Christ hath bought and paid for all the Law bindes all every member can be an instrument of sin every member must at last be cloathed with glory therefore we should glorifie God with our bodies and souls which are Gods 1 Cor. 6.20 Consider What may I do for God with my tongue hands feet countenance c. Perhaps not long since thy whole body was overspread with a disease and there was no soundness in thy flesh because of Gods anger neither was there any rest in thy bones because of thy sins Never a bone or joynt was free from pain Now then seeing God hath healed all thou shouldest say with David Psal 35.10 All my bones may say Lord who is like to thee Lastly Let the consideration of the greatness of thy mercy cause thee to praise God Consider this in four particulars 1. Thou art restored to life God hath as it were clearly given thee a life We have this passage in Jer. 45.5 and elsewhere in Scripture Thy life will I give unto thee for a prey the meaning seems to be thus that when a mans life is in great danger though he suffer divers losses yet if his life be saved he triumphs in the preservation of his life as if he had got a great prey or spoil from an enemy Now to apply this to the present case perhaps thou hast suffered divers losses and crosses in thy sickness and now thou art restored thou mayst see many things sad in the Church and in thy family but thy life is given instead of a prey to thee and in this thou hast cause to rejoyce Look at thy life and consider what a mercie that is and thou wilt see great reason to praise God in the midst of thy greatest afflictions Oh then let thy life be laid out to the will and glory of God say with David after his recovery from a great danger Psal 116.9 I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living do nothing but what thou canst with comfort do before the Lord as seeing the all-seeing God looking on 2. Thou art restored to thy health consider how lately the multitude of thy bones were tortured with strong pains thy stomach was gone and thy life did abhor bread and thy soul dainty meat Job 33.19 20. Thou wouldst have given much for a nights sleep when wearisome nights were appointed to thee Job 7.3 yet now God hath given thee health he hath caused thy bones to rejoyce and filled thy heart with food and gladness and thou liest down and thy sleep is sweet unto thee 3. Thou art restored to thy friends and relations to thy husband wife children parents brothers and sisters and to thy dear and bosom-friends the day would have been sad to these mourners going about the streets following thee to thy long home But now God hath restored comfort to thee and to thy mourners Isa 5.18 therefore let the sight of all thy friends fill thee with a fresh sense of the goodness and mercie of God Say as Jacob said of his Brother Esau in another case Gen. 33.10 I have seen thy face as though I had seen the face of God See the gracious face and presence of God shining upon thee in the face of all thy friends look on thy yoke-fellow and look upon God look on thy parents and look upon God look on thy children c. and look upon God and so as the sight of every friend fills thee with new and fresh thoughts of thy mercie let it also renew in thee a fresh and thankful remembrance of the God of thy mercie Lastly thou art restored to thy blessed and soul-saving opportunities Sirs if we consider how precious time is we must needs acknowledge this to be a precious mercie now that you may see time precious and so for this reason may esteem your recovery a precious mercie look on thy time as the season allowed thee to glorifie God and to work out the Salvation of thy soul you know in other cases we prize our time according to the worth of those things which time gives us an opportunity to gain as the husbandman accounts Harvest-time precious because it is his season to reap the precious fruits of the earth as St. James calls them Jam. 5.7 The Merchant accounts the time precious when the wind blows him to his prize The souldier accounts the time precious when he marches for his life And is not that time much more precious which God hath given thee to save thy soul If God and Christ and Heaven and Grace and the Soul be precious
then that time must needs be precious which gives thee an opportunity to gain these The Apostle determines this 2 Cor. 6.2 Now is the accepted time now is the day of salvation Now God is offering Christ for thy Salvation now the Spirit is striving for thy Salvation now Ministers are praying preaching and travelling for thy Salvation Thus God fills thy time with salvation-work Oh then what a mercy it is to be restored to such precious opportunities when perhaps if thou hadst dyed in thy last sickness thou wast in great danger to be damned and now thou hast time to labour to be saved The second Duty to be performed by those who are restored to health is this Keep up a frequent remembrance of thy visitation and of the Lords dealing with thee therein It seems by the contents of it that David penned Psalm 38. in a time of great sickness and it 's very observable that he gives that Psalm this title A psalm of David to bring to remembrance Implying that one special use of this Psalm was to bring his sickness to remembrance Whence we may learn that it is our duty in our health to be often remembring the hand of God in our sickness when thou art full of mirth and findest thy heart apt to be loose from God in thy recreations then remember the pains of sickness and this will cause a spirit of moderation and sobriety to rule thy heart when thou art going to worship God it may much quicken thee with a new and fresh spirit to consider how near thou wast to eternity in such a sickness and to go to duty as one that is newly risen out of a sick-bed and that thou art still praying hearing receiving Sacraments as it were in the very gates of death So when thou art tempted to any sin remember thy sickness consider Wilt thou bring again upon thy self an Ague Fever Dropsie Consumption c Beloved in abundance of cases it will do your souls much good to be often remembring your visitation Thirdly examine what good thou hast got by thy visitation Beloved many come out of a sickness like Rogues out of a gaol Rogues they went in and worse Rogues they come out So they were Drunkards Whoremongers Persecutors of Gods people when they went into sickness and are far worse and more hardned in their sins when they come out of sickness Let us therefore all examine what good we have got by our sickness as you know after a man hath been in a course of Physick he observes whether he coughs less or burns less c. and whether his stomack be better and strength better and sleep better so if thou hast been in a course of sickness observe whether thy corruptions abate and whether thy heart be better since thy visitation is pride less and peevishness less and covetousness less and canst thou pray better and sanctifie Sabbaths better and hear Sermons better and is thy discourse better and thy life better David upon search found sweet experience of the blessed effect of his affliction Psal 119.67 Before I was afflicted I went astray but now have I kept thy statutes So canst thou say Before I was sick I could not endure to be provoked I was very light and loose in company I was very apt to be proud and self-conceited but now I bless God I am more patient and more serious and more humble Fourthly take special care to avoid sin after thy recovery I say to thee as Christ said to another upon the same occasion Joh. 5.14 Thou art made whole sin no more lest a worse thing come unto thee Thou thoughtest thy disease was very bad and grievous but consider there are worse things then thy sickness was worse pains and worse miseries Oh then sin no more lest a worse thing come unto thee I shall press this duty in these four Particulars First watch especially against those sins which thou wast most inclined unto before thy sickness Some conceive that the impotent man before-mentioned was visited especially for some particular sin which our Saviour did particularly aim at in bidding him sin no more The Apostle tells us of some 2 Pet. 2.22 that return with the dog to his own vomit where he compares those that seemed to loath sin and after return to the same sin to a sick dog which when he hath eased himself by vomiting up that which made him sick goes and licks up again his own loathsome vomit and so we see very many who lick up in time of health those very sins which they seemed to loath and vomit up in time of sickness Beloved sin appears in its actings most strong when the instruments are most strong therewith a man commits it and the weakness of the instruments causeth a weakness in the actings of sin and therefore when the body is weak all those sins which are fulfilled by the body seem weak too but now when the body gathers strength as a man hath strength to eat and strength to work and strength to walk so without the mighty power of the Spirit strength will also return into sin Therefore I say Watch and pray and fight against those sins which thou wast most apt to commit before thy sickness Secondly take heed of surfetting with the profits and pleasures and preferments of the world for as a man after long fasting is apt to surfeit when he returns to his meat so when a man by sickness hath been long with-held from the creature there appears such a fresh kinde of pleasure and delight in the world and the heart is so eager in the desires of it that there is great danger of being glutted with it We should therefore receive all the blessings of the creature as the Israelites did eat the Pass-over Exod. 12.11 where we finde that they were to eat the Pass-over as those that were ready to go out of Egypt towards Canaan with their loyns girt their shoes on their feet their staves in their hands and they were to eat it in haste So my Brethren we should eat drink buy fell work take our recreations as those that are hasting away into eternity and as if we were ready drest to go to heaven Thirdly Beware of security for we are apt herein to be like Pharaoh who when one plague was past thought himself safe enough from that or any other So when one fit of sickness is past we look for no more but dream of a long time of ease and peace and health before us but we should be rather like one that is sick of an Ague who when the fit is over eats drinks and is merry but yet he looks for another fit So Sirs is a sickness over and past why I do not deny but that God who hath given thee a stomach and provided food would have thee to eat and drink and he that hath created matter for thy delight and made thee a risible creature doth allow thee to be merry and
to die to the Lord Rom. 14.18 I tell you a man may with courage and resolution burn at a stake and men burn him to death because of his profession of the truth of Christ and yet this is but the height of hypocrisie and he may hereby dye to himself And though men may commend him for a Saint yet God may justly condemn him for an hypocrite but he that willingly yeilds himself to dye in obedience to God dyes in the Lord and to the Lord and graciously offers up his life as a sacrifice of a sweet savour to God in Christ Consider further thou dost hereby graciously finish all passive and active obedience thou now leavest thy Country and Estate and Father and Mother and Wife and Children to fulfill the will of God So also all that thou hast been doing by Prayer Meditation Sacraments Sabbaths c. thou willingly yeildest to have finisht by death thou art heartily willing that the old man of sin be put off by death for ever and that the new man of holiness be put on for ever Consider thou hast often pray'd to be filled with the likeness and presence of God which can never be till death Christ hath prayed that thou mayst be where he is that thou mayst see his glory Joh. 17.24 and this can never be till thou dyest therefore I say be willing to dye call upon the sad mourners about thee saying to them as Jacob to Joseph Gen. 46.30 Let me dye Dear yokefellow let me dye sweet children let me dye my pleasant Jonathans let me dye and turn thy face to God and say with Simeon Luk. 2.29 Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace Lastly Commend thy soul to God this is an act of a Believer whereby he freely gives up himself to God and Christ as his right and due to glorifie and to enjoy him for ever in heaven Now by giving up thy soul to God thou givest up thy body too for the body will be sure to follow the soul if the soul go to hell the body must go thither too if the soul go to heaven the body must be glorified there too therefore see God as it were standing by thy bed-side saying to thee My son give me thy heart give me thy soul give it me from sin and self give it me from the world and devils give it me for I made it and bought it and I will save it Oh then give it up and commend it to God See the infinite and unchangeable love and mercy of God in Christ to thy soul and believe that with this love he will graciously and lovingly receive thy soul and see what God will do with thy soul in what fulness of holiness and joy and glory he will settle it for ever See that thy soul be such as thou mayst comfortably commend it unto God do not present to him a drunken ignorant proud covetous unbelieving soul but a believing loving holy humble soul See thy soul cloathed with Christs righteousness and aâ— such give it up to God to be blessed and glorified for ever in Heaven saying Father into thy hands I commit my spirit FINIS Pâ—al 52.7 Psa 39.11 â—sa 22.17 Psalm 10.18 Job 40.9 1 Cor. 10.22 Job 40.9 Psal 128.3 Jer. 9.21 Job 21.21 2 Kin. 4.40 Psal 94.12 Jam. 5.14 Psal 17.14 Psal 49.7 Job 9.17 Eph. 2.6 Col. 3.4 Luke 12.4 Jam. 5.11 Phil. 4.17 Heb. 10.31 Gal. 4.29 1 Tim. 4.16 Rev. 6.8 Job 23.14 Deut. 30.20 Psal 41.2 â—ct 8.22 â—eut 13. â—1 Job 33.13 Rom. 3.4 Exod. 16.3 17.3 Prov. 23.5 Isa 57.20 Lam 3.19 22. Numbers 12.14 Job 21.23 Prov. 25.15 Act. 23.12 Cor. 3.9 * Cyprian de mortalitate 1 Cor. 13.12 2 Cor. 5.1 Phil. 3.21 Gal. 3.13 1 Cor. 15.54 1 Cor. 15.43 Heb. 10.37 38. 2 Cor. 5.4 Prov. 27.1 Psa 33.11 2 Cor. 5.19 Jam. 1.22 2 Cor. 4.7 Heb. 3.13 Deut. 34.7 Prov. 12.4 Prov. 1.8 Psal 22.30 Eccl. 12.1 Psal 71.6 2 Tim. 3.15 Matth. 25. Vers 6. Vers 8. Phil. 1.9 10. Job 38.7 2 Tim. 1.18 Luk. 12.20 Psal 88.3 Acts 14.17 Prov. 3.24 Rom. 5.8 Eph. 5.2 Gal. 2.20 1 Joh. 3.23 2 Pet. 3.14 Heb. 11.4 Prov. 23.26