as my Husband my Wife my Father my Mother my Brother my Sister my Son my Daughter my Friend c. Whereas the truth is they are not ours but Gods he is the absolute owner of them he made them and hath freely lent them to us without any certain time or date or promise of continuance and what is lent freely we cannot deny but may be call'd for most justly at the pleasure of him that lent it May not God most justly say as the Owner of the Vineyard to the murmuring Labourer Mat. 20.15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own Well then we hold our Friends non jure sed gratis not by a juridical right but upon favour and courtisie and if we enjoyed our Relations some time we should be thankful to God that hath lent them to us so long rather then murmur that he takes them so soon St. Jerome comforting Paula for the death of her Daughter Bresilla said Durum quidem sed tolerabile quia sustulit ille qui dederat It was a heavy loss but to be born patiently because he took that gave at first This comforted Job when amongst other things he had lost his Children Job 1.21 22. The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away blessed be the Name of the Lord. Job considered that God had taken but what he gave at first and so doth thankfully resign up his losses to him Consid 3 Thirdly consider God hath a hand in death of Friends Psal 31.15 My times are in thy hand saith David times of plenty and times of poverty times of health and times of sickness living times and dying times are in the hand i. e. of the disposal of God He measures time of life in what proportion he pleaseth to some he gives a large piece to others a small remnant Job 7.1 Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth Here he puts it by way of question but Job 14.5 There he puts it out of question and takes it for granted That mans dayes are determined the number of his moneths are with thee O Lord thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass So that when a Friend departs that 's the time that God hath appointed So it is said of David Acts 8.36 After he had served his own generation by the will of God fell asleep c. Will of God may be annexed to his falling asleep as well as serving his generation he dyed then by the will of God and was gathered to his Fathers and saw corruption Job saith Job 30.23 I know that thou wilt bring me unto death and to the house appointed for all living Naomi said when she was deprived of her Husband and two Sons in a strange Land The Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me and the Lord hath testifyed against me and the Almighty hath afflicted me Ruth 1.5 20 21. compared So Moses speaking of the frailty and shortness of mans life saith Thou turnest man to destruction and sayest Return ye children of men Psal 90.3 Gods dixit is his fecit as in the first Creation he said Let there be light and there was light Gen. 1.3 So God here saith Return i. e. he makes them to return viz. to their Original The Body to the earth and the Spirit to him that gave it Eccles 12.7 So David tells us God takes away mens breath and then they dye and return to their dust Psal 104.29 God indeed is the orderer and ordainer of all conditions 1 Sam. 2.6 The Lord killeth and maketh alive he brings down to the grave and bringeth up So Isa 45.7 I form the light and create darkness I make peace and create evil I the Lord do all these things Our Saviour tells us not a Sparrow falls to the ground nor a hair from our heads without the overruling providence of God Mat. 10.29 30. Here is Argumentum a minore ad majus If not a Sparrow a bird of small price and account or an Hair which is no essential part but made for convenience and ornament if these fall not to the ground without the will of our heavenly Father surely a Friend cannot dye but God wills it Let us then at loss of Friends patiently submit to Gods will The Heathenish Idolaters were loth to cast Jonah overboard but when they had cast lots and found it to be Gods will it should be so they patiently submitted 1 Jonah 13.14 Let not Heathens outstrip Christians Let us say with Christ John 18.11 The Cup which my Father hath given me shall I not drink it See Jobs carriage Job 1.20 21 22. He fell down and worshipped not murmured he charged not God foolishly by railing as though he dealt unjustly with him but saith The Lord hath given and the Lord hath taken He saw the hand of God in whatever befel him and this was a strong pillar of supportment to his drooping spirit It is no striving against the stream or current of Gods powerful will Job 9.4 Isa 45.9 Let Gods authority over thee prevent impatience in thee God who doth what he will and will do what he pleaseth Psal 115.3 So Psal 135.6 He takes away and none can hinder him who will say unto him What dost thou Job 9.12 Say then when a Friend is dead Truly this is a grief yet I must bear it Jer. 10.19 And as Seneca saith Aequum est ut patientèr feras quicquid corrigere est nefas It is but fit to bear that patiently which we cannot remedy Consid 4 Fourthly consider God intends it for thy good Psal 119.68 Thou art good O Lord and doest good So vers 75. I know O Lord that thy judgments are right and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me So Psal 145.17 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Misericors The Lord is righteous in all his wayes and holy or according to Orig. merciful in all his works Plutarch in his Epistle consolatory to his Wife on the death of a Child amongst others hath this Argument We must always think well of what the Gods do Christians should consider that God in the saddest passages of his providence aims at their good Though indeed his ways be sometimes hidden yet they are alway just When clouds and darkness are round about him then righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his Throne Psal 97.2 Though his Providences sometimes seem to cross his Promises yet in the conclusion you shall see all things work together for good as Physick works for the good of the Patient Rom. 8.28 Every Rod like Jonathans 1 Sam. 14.27 hath Honey at the end of it All things even loss of Friends work together for good to those that love God We read how Sampson fetch'd Honey out of the carcase of the Lyon Judg. 14.8 9. So may we find or fetch good instructions from the Carcase of a deceased Friend God it may be took away such or such a Relation as the Widow of Sarepta said when
it sleeps by fits and starts either cold starves it or heat overcomes it or hunger pines it or wind pains it sickness sores and teeth-breeding torture it When it begins to go if with Mephibosheth it be not lame on its feet 2 Sam. 9.13 it may meet with many a knock And afterwards it is beset with bryars and thorns of temptations and troubles So that in time if thy Child had lived it might have complained with Job chap. 3.11 Why died I not from the womb why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly for now should I have lyen still and been quiet I should have slept then had I been at rest v. 13. so Job 6.8 9. 10.18 19. he still harps upon the doleful string and continues his pittiful complaint as weary of life Put case thy Child had not been so sorely afflicted yet no mothers Child can escape scot-free for Job 5.7 Man is born unto trouble as the sparks fly upward Blow the coal and you shall see the sparks fly upward 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Haec enim levium Lex est Duport 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in loc It is the nature of sparks to fly upwards so it is ordinary for man to be in trouble So Job 14.1 That is true of Bóetius In hoc vitae salo circundantibus agitamur procellis Whilst we are in this life we are tost on a sea of troubles Shall we grieve that our Child is come so soon to the shoar and freed from the winds and waves of care and trouble 3. Consider If your Child had lived it would have been matter of pains and care to you What great care do Parents take what great pains are they at to provide for Children Prov. 13.22 2 Cor. 12.14 1 Tim. 5.8 Nulli parentibus magis noxii quam filii nimis amati Salvian ad Eccl. Cathol lib. 3. p. 435. The care of the Mother for the little Child is great she hath troublesome dayes and wakeful nights in the nursing of it How doth the Father cark and care for its Education and future Portion The care of both eats out many times the heart of their Religion St. Jerom reports of Metania who when she saw her Husband dead presently before he was cold had two Children died also whereupon she said Expeditius sum tibi servitura Domine quia tanto me onere liberâsti I will now serve thee more readily being delivered from many encumberances 4. Consider If this Child had lived it had been a great question whether you might have had any comfort of it or not Who knows whether it might have proved a wise-man or a fool Children are certain cares but uncertain comforts Some Children Viper-like seek the death of those that were a means to give them life Dr. Vanes Wisdome Innocence p. 143. Hecuba when with child of Paris dreamed she was brought to bed of a Firebrand and so indeed he proved afterwards Our first Parents had great hopes that their first-born would have been a comfort to them and therefore gave him an honourable name Gen. 4.1 calling him Cain that signifies a Possession They looked upon him as a choice Possession but he proved a very wicked person and to the great grief of his Parents murdered his Brother Abel v. 8. How was Eli crossed in his Hophni and Phineas see 1 Sam. 2.12 1 Sam. 3.13 compared David promised himself some happiness in his son Absalom which name signifies a Father of Peace but the Child proved a Father of War and Misery to him 2 Sam. 16.11 David said to Abishai and to all his Servants Behold my Son which came forth of my bowels seeketh my life So Adonijah whom his Father David had not displeased at any time even this his Darling usurps his Fathers Kingdom as you may see 1 Kin. 1.5 6. Many times aged Parents are forced to complain as the Tree did in the Fable that it was rent and torn and split asunder with the same Wedg that was cut off from its own Body Children many times are living Monuments of Disgrace to their Parents Mic. 7.6 The Son dishonoureth the Father the Daughter riseth up against her Mother So that instead of finding Honey thou mightest have met with a Sting To end this the Wise-man saith Prov. 17.21 He that begets a Fool doth it to his sorrow and the Father of a Fool hath no joy And v. 25. A foolish Son is a grief to his Father and bitterness to her that bear him And who knows but thy Child might have proved such a one 5. Lastly consider It had been better for the greatest part in the world they had died as soon as they were born St. John tells us The whole World i. e. the greatest part of the World lieth in wickedness 1 Joh. 5.19 Few there be that serve God And if we serve him not as Christ said of Judas Mat. 26.24 It had been good for us if we had not been born Or like Aristotle's Ephemeron or Jonah's Gourd we had perished the same day or night that we came into the world For the longer we live the more sin we commit and the greater will be our damnation at last Surely an untimely birth is better than he that comes in with vanity and departs in darkness Eccl. 6.3 4. Surely The day of death is better than the day of ones birth Eccles 7.1 And the Heathen as though he had lighted his Candle at this Torch said right Optimum non nasci proximum quà m citò mori It is best not to be born or being born to die soon for by this means poor mortals are freed from much sin and misery I conclude this with that of Lactantius Lactant. de opificio hominis c. 4. Stultissimi sunt qui de morte immaturâ quaeruntur They are Fools in the Superlative degree that complain because Friends die soon Object But my chid dyed unbaptized Answ Children of believing parents are within the Covenant Act. 2.39 The Promise is to you and to your children c. Rom. 11.16 1 Cor. 7.14 * See Mr. Attersal on Book of Numbers pag. 1081. Unto Infants belongs the promise of Grace the forgiveness of sins the regeneration of the Spirit the Imputation of Christs Righteousness the Kingdom of Heaven Mat. 19.13 14. And therefore they ought by no means to be denyed the outward sign and ceremony which is the least part of the Sacrament if the things signified belong to them who shall dare to debar them of the outward sign It is the duty of Parents to bring their children to Baptism which is the Seal of the Covenant and Sacrament of admission or entrance into the Church Besides who knows not but Circumcision was a type of Baptism Col. 2.11 12. or that Baptism succeeded in the room of it now we know children were circumcised the eighth day Gen. 17.12 so 21.4 before that time the child was too weak to bear the pain
may read Heb. 11. that Chapter is a little Martyrology ver 35 36 37. how some were tortured scourged stoned sawn asunder slain with the sword c. Mr. Fox or Mr. Clark in his Martyrology will tell you that many Martyrs had their skins pulled off joynts racked bodies torn in pieces c. willing to endure for Christ's sake what the wit of man could invent or cruelty impose Now God might have called thy Friend to such a death which would have been far more sad cruel and painful as to outward appearance Well then consider God might have delivered thy Friend into the hands of cruel man which would have been very sad as appears by David's speech 2 Sam. 24.14 but God cast him on a soft Bed amongst Friends who did carefully attend him and minister unto him 3. Consid The greater thy Friends pain was the more fervent prayers were put up for him You find David in Psal 38. lying under God's afflicting hand what servent ejaculations he sent up towards the Throne of Grace So Asaph Ps 77.2 In the day of his trouble sought the Lord. So Jesus Christ in his Agony prayed more earnestly Luke 22.44 Great Miseries make the loudest Eccho's in the ears of Mercy And as the afflicted party himself so all that saw him or heard of his misery would be ready to pity and pray for him Methinks the sad groans of a dying Friend are sufficient to dissolve an heart of stone into prayers and tears especially godly Friends would pray fervently for him And these are most likely to prevail for Jam. 5.16 The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much That Ship saileth the surest to the haven of Heaven which is driven with the breath of godly mens prayers 4. Consid The greater the pain was the shorter was the continuance of it Dolor si gravis brevis si longus levis We reade how Aeneas kept his bed eight years and was sick of the Palsie Act. 9.33 We read of one that had an issue of blood twelve years Mat. 9.20 and had suffered many things of many Physicians and had spent all that she had and was nothing bettered but rather grew worse Mark 5.26 So John 5.5 there we read of one that had an infirmity thirty eight years Now if thy Friend's pain had not been so great he might have continued still a burden to thee and to himself but the greatness of his pain hastened death which put an end to all trouble and grief his great pangs and struglings as throes of a travelling woman made way for deliverance And therefore 5. And lastly Consider Thy Friend is now at rest Rev. 14.13 Let them die of never so cruel a death if they die in the favour of God they are blessed for they rest from their labours It may be thou grievedst but little whilest thy Friend laboured for rest and wilt thou grieve much when he rests from his labours Whilst thy Friend was ground with the Stone or burnt up with a Feaver and rouled upon his bed without sleep thou hadst cause to weep and it was thy duty to sympathize with him Rom. 12.15 but being dead he is at rest Isa 57.2 for death to a Child of God is but a sleep Joh. 11.11 12 13. so Act. 7.60 and being buried he hath laid his head upon the lap of his mother for so the Earth is called Job 1.21 to be awakened again at the last Trump to the everlasting comfort both of soul and body And shall we now weep Surely this sorrow is unseasonable We prayed or else we were to blame whilst our Friend was in pain that God would deliver him and therefore when God by death hath put an end to all his pain we should give thanks to God and rejoyce rather than weep The Church our careful Mother hath taught us as much in the Funerals of the Dead We give thee hearty thanks for that it hath pleased thee to deliver this our Brother or Sister out of the miseries of this sinful world Another cryes out 10th Apology answerd This Eriend of mine dyed of a sad mischance he fell into the Fire or Water or was kill'd of Lightning fell off a Horse or Cart or was shot in War or otherwise or he was kill'd by Thieves or wicked men c. or he fell suddenly sick groan'd sigh'd dyed And this troubles me that he dyed such a sudden violent and untimely death Answ From sudden death i. e. from death not thought-of and so not provided-for good Lord deliver us not only for our own sakes but for our Friends sakes too they 'l take it the less sudden it is the more patiently See how sadly Jacob takes the supposed death of his son Joseph upon the sight of his bloudy coat he too rashly concluded his son was dead that he was devoured by some cruel beast Significans inâ—ternum animi dilacerationem seu moestitiaeÌ„ And the Text tells you Gen. 37.33 34. He rent his cloaths in token as Pareus saith upon the place that his heart was rent through with sorrow and he put on sackcloth a coarse and sorry stuff which was the usual Mourning-Weed in those times And he refused to be comforted Thus his father wept for him for Joseph who dyed as he thought a sudden death David himself proclaimed a solemn and publick Funeral-Mourning for the death of Abner who was cowardly and suddenly slain when he did least suspect it by one that pretended peace and friendship And David himself laid aside his Royal Dignity and attended the Corps joyning with the People in that sad Consort as you may reade 2 Sam. 3. towards the latter end of the chapter So David weeps excessively for the space of three whole years because his son Amnon dyed so unnaturally untimely unexpectedly being kill'd by Absalom 2 Sam. 13.28 c. And we reade how the true Mother of the living Child had rather her Adversary should have the comfort of her Child than that it should dye a violent and untimely death 1 King 3.26 And in that appeared both the truth of her affection towards it and that she was the true Mother of it v. 27. Job hearing the heavy tydings of the sudden death of his Children could no longer contain but vents his grief in words being more affected with the sudden loss of his Children than all the rest of his Goods Job 1.18 19 20. But for your comfort 1. Consid It hath been the lot of some of Gods dear Servants to dye so Thus righteous Abel was suddenly butchered by his brother Cain Gen. 4.8 So old Eli though indeed he had his failings in not correcting and severely punishing his wicked Sons 1 Sam. 2.23 c. and 1 Sam. 3.13 as he should have done being chief-Magistrate as well as Parent yet questionless was a good man as may be gathered from sacred Story and the manner of his death was sudden he fell off from his seat backward and
yearning in his bowels with bitter grief that he should be the cause of bringing this destruction upon his dearly beloved People So should we when our sins have been a cause to hasten the death of our dear Friend confess them unto God be deeply humbled for them and pray heartily for pardon thereof And then Thirdly and lastly Let us be careful to avoid these sins for the future This God expects Job 36.9 10. He shews them who are holden in the Cords of Affliction their work and their transgressions that they have exceeded he openeth also their ear to discipline and commandeth that they return from iniquity This the Church hath practised in times of great distress Lam. 3.40 Let us search and try our wayes and turn again unto the Lord. Oh! how should our hearts rise against such sins as rob us of our dear Friends If any mortal man had murdered our Father or Mother Son or Daughter Brother or Sister or any other near and dear Friend or Relation We would not endure that man but prosecute the Law on him to the uttermost and we would rejoyce to see justice done upon him Our hand would not spare our eye would not pitty him Oh then take an holy revenge upon your Lusts which have provoked God to take away such or such Relations let your hearts be transported with infinite indignation against them 2 Cor. 7.11 Say in the Language of Elihu Job 34.31 I have born chastisement I will not offend any more nor provoke God in this manner by my sins to take away my Friends Mortifie therefore your earthly members fornication uncleanness inordinate affection c. Coloss 3.5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 kill or make dead Pursue these sins with a deadly implacable hatred not only odio aversationis but inimicitiae Oh! let not your sins survive any longer but as they have killed your Friend so let them be buried with him in his Grave Use 4 4. Imitate deceased Friends in what is good There is no Friend so universally bad but there is something of good in him worth imitation some good might be distil'd from him if we put under the fire of Charity Who so deeply buried * Refined Courtier p. 58. saith a learned man under the rubbish of his own ruines that something of goodness may not be discerned by a charitable Surveyor We find David commending Saul in that Panegyrick or Funeral Oration mentioned 2 Sam. 1. Do not like the silly Sheep leaping off a Bridge follow one another in irregular wayes to your destruction Nequaquà m facere nos improbos improbitas debeat aliena Salv. Salv. de Gub. Dei lib. 7 p. 241. What you find in any materially good follow it but chiefly imitate your godly Friends Phil. 3.17 But in as much as they have their failings as pure Gold hath its dross and the purest Wheat its Chaff follow them so far onely as they follow Christ 1 Cor. 11.1 Make then your godly Parents your Paterns as * Mr. Dugard in Epist deâ—icat to his Sermon on Ps 89 48 Constantines Sons are said to resemble him to the life 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Euseb Write after those good Copies which deceased Friends have set you Jerom having read the Life and Death of Hilarion who died Christianly as he lived Religiously Well said he Hilarion shall be the Champion whom I will follow Zeno Cilliaeus consulted with the Oracle how he might live well and he received this answer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If he was of the same colour with the dead This he interpreted to mean That he should get and read all the antient Books that he could hear of and then steep and die his mind in those sacred Notions A * Mr. Patrick in his Serm on Psal 90.12 Reverend Divine saith of this Sentence what St. Paul did of Epimenides's Sentence Tit. 1.13 This testimony is true If you would live well Look as like to the dead in the Lord as ever you can and labour to turn your Souls into their shape As living Examples are to be followed so the dead are not to be forgotten Heb. 6.12 Be not slothful but followers of them who through Faith and Patience inherit the Promises It is said of Abel Heb. 11.4 That being dead yet speaketh which as it may be understood of his blood calling for Vengeance Gen. 4.10 Heb. 12.24 So likewise of his example calling for our imitation Heb. 12.1 Well then was thy Friend a strict observer of the Sabbath a constant frequenter of the Ordinances a diligent reader of God's Word a faithful Instructer of his Children and Servants Was he a lover of good Ministers a reliever of good People a reprover of Vice an encourager of Vertue Was he much in praying laborious in his Calling Was he serviceable to his Neighbour faithful to his Friend a forgiver of his Enemies In a word Was he temperate meek patient peaceable humble honest heavenly-minded c If these and the like vertues were conspicuous in thy Friend Go thou and do likewise Luke 10.37 Though your Friend be dead and buried yet let his vertues live in your practice Use 5 5. Admire Gods goodness who as yet continues thee in the land of the Living Life is a mercy that we ought to bless God for Psal 66.8 9. O bless our God ye people and make the voice of his praise to be heard who holdeth our soul in life So Ps 103.1 2 3 4. The Psalmist there amongst other mercies blesseth God for healing his Diseases and redeeming his life from destruction Indeed God's delivering our Soul from Death is an effect of his bounty as ye may gather from Psal 116.7 8. It is of the Lords mercies that we are not consumed Lam. 3.22 For God to maintain that radical moisture that Oyl that feeds the Lamp and Light of thy Life is as * Mr. Goodwin on Rom. 2.4 5. one saith as great a miracle as the maintaining the Oil in the cruse of the poor famished Widow 1 Kings 17.16 When thou therefore hearest of the death of any Friend Neighbour or Relation consider with thy self it might have been thine own case thou art made of no better Mould then he was 'T is God only that preserveth the House of Clay from falling to the ground As thou accompaniest him to the Grave to pay the last office of Love consider thou mightest have been carried forth and others have accompanied thee Is it not a miracle of mercy that the Dart of Death should kill many round about thee and yet miss thee Conclude that the Hand of God guides it and it is his meer mercy that thou art yet spared When Lot as I told you before had his Wife turned into a Pillar of Salt and his Sons in Law swept away by a fearful showr of Fire and Brimstone he took it for a great favour that God had spared his life Gen. 19.19 Behold now thy Servant hath found grace in thy sight and
thou hast magnified thy mercy which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life Oh then let death of others put thee upon blessing and praising God for sparing thee and not only praise him with thy Lips but with thy Life too Love him obey him cleave to him for he is thy Life and the length of thy dayes Deut. 30.20 Use 6 6. Let death of Friends teach you not to trust in the arm of flesh God would not have us by any means to put our trust in man as these places shew Isa 2.22 Isa 30.23 Isa 36.6 Jer. 17.5 7. So Psal 118.8 9. Luther on that place It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man c. calls it Artem artium mirificam sacrificium omnium gratissimum suavissimum cultum omnium pulcherrimum To trust in God and not in man is the Art of Arts the wonderful and great Art a most excellent Sacrifice and commendable piece of Religion He that builds his hopes on so weak a foundation as the life of Man he is like that foolish Man in the Gospel that built his House on the Sand Mat. 7.26 Or like a foolish Merchant that ventures all his substance in a crazy Vessel The Psalmist tells you Men of low degree are a vanity and men of high degree are a lie he gives great ones the lie Psal 62.9 He means all Friends both of high and low degree are lying vanities and perform not what they seem to promise so that whoever trust in any Friends as it is said in another case Isa 28.15 They have made lies their refuge and under falshood they have hid themselves And these Friends that they trust in like Absaloms Mule 2 Sam. 18.9 many times give them the slip when they have most need of their support and assistance for if they fail them not through willful treachery as many times they do Psal 55.12 Mic. 7.5 6. Luke 21.16 yet they may through unavoidable mortality as Jonathan failed and disappointed David of whom he saith I am distressed for thee my Brother Jonathan 2 Sam. 1.26 27. Mr. Duguard's Sermon on Psal 89.48 p. 17 18. Caesar Borgia that wicked Son of a more wicked Father Pope Alexander the sixth grounded many designs on his relation to the Pope but the Pope suddenly dies and dashes all And Borgia when he heard of his death cryed out I never dreamed of such an accident now all my purposes and projects are stifled and come to nothing He that knows man well enough knows him better then to trust in him Wherefore as it is Psal 146.3 4. Put not your trust in Princes nor in the Son of man in whom there is no help his breath goeth forth he returneth to his earth in that very day his thoughts perish His thoughts and designs of doing thee good if he had any die with him and thine hopes and expections are buried in his Grave therefore as it follows vers 5. Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help whose hope is in the Lord his God He casts Anchor amiss that casts it any where else save on the Rock of Ages Use 7 7. Let death of Friends teach you not to set your affections too much upon any Relation We see Friends stay but a short time with us who would be too fond of them We may love and rejoyce one in another Husband in Wife Wife in Husband Parents in Children Children in Parents c. But it must be moderately as though we rejoyced not seeing the time of enjoying is short and will quickly be expired 1 Cor. 7.29 30 31. The rivolet of our affections may run to other things but the full stream must run towards God Luke 14.26 If any man come to me saith Christ and hate not that is loveth not less then me Mat. 10.37 Father and Mother Wife and Children Brethren and Sisters yea and his own life also he cannot be my Disciple Say then with the Psalmist Psal 73.25 Whom have I in Heaven but thee And there is none upon Earth that I desire besides thee God is called the Living God Psal 42.2 Let therefore the life and vigour of your affections as love joy delight c. be for ever set upon him and not upon mortal Friends which like Noah's Dove however they bring an Olive Branch promising peace and comfort yet they are upon the Wing and presently fly from us Or like Thorns under a Pot though they give a little blaze shining and comfort for a while yet they presently drop into ashes When you too fondly set your affections on them and think to hold them fast they give you the slip as Juno did Ixion or as Joseph did his Mistress when she laid hold on his Coat Gen. 39.12 13. Let therefore these perishing comforts have perishing affections Use 8 8. Let death of Friends put a stop to covetousness and immoderate desires after the riches of this World The wise man saith Prov. 23.4 Labour not to be rich And the Prophet Jeremiah saith to Baruch Jer. 45.5 Seekest thou great things for thy self Seek them not And David saith Psal 62.10 If riches increase set not your heart upon them Riches indeed are a very uncertain tenure 1 Tim. 6.17 Orig. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Silver and Gold those refined parts of the Earth are but corruptible things 1 Pet. 1.18 Worldly possessions are nothing certain Prov. 23.5 If they leave not us which they may do for they are subject to many casualties Fire may burn them Thieves steal them c. yet we must ere long leave them Death gives a Bill of Ejectment It divorceth from Gold and Silver Houses and Lands c. It squeezeth those Spunges that have suckt themselves full and leaves them as dry and empty as they were at first Job 1.21 Eccles 5.15 16. Psal 49.10 17. comp Luke 12.20 1 Tim. 6.7 8. Death that surly Serjeant as you see daily will not be bribed to put off his Arrest In a word you may be sick and die and be turned to dust yea and be damned too for any thing your riches can help you Prov. 11.4 And therefore project not for time to come as if this life would never be done Use 9 9. Let death of Friends be a curbing-bit to restrain intemperance in eating and drinking and an eager prosecution of sinful pleasures Many in the last dayes of this Worlds continuance Jehu-like drive on furiously in sinful pleasures They are lovers of pleasures more then lovers of God 2 Tim. 3.4 but God would not have us to indulge our selves in rioting and drunkenness in chambering and wantonness he would not have us to make provision for the flesh to fulfil the lust thereof Rom. 13.13 14. And methinks the meditation of death of Friends should be a means to prevent intemperance As I have read of one who had continually amidst the multitude of his dainties a Deaths Head served up in a Charger to
therefore actions issuing thence cannot be perfect and consequently not meritorious Yet a true iustifying Faith is ever accompanied with purity and charity Acts 15.9 Tit. 3.8 Jam. 2.14 c. Jude 20. * Maccovius's Distinct cap. 13. de Justif Fides sola justificat non solitaria Faith alone doth justifie yet that Faith which justifies is not alone as the Eye alone seeth in the body yet the Eye which seeth is not alone in the body without the other senses Good Works are the Pulse and Breath of a lively Faith Mr. Abraham Wright's Serm. on Luk. 16.9 It is as impious to deny the necessity as to maintain the merits of good Works God hath joyned good Works and Salvation together in his Word and what God hath joyned together let no man put asunder But when we have done all we can do let us confess our unprofitableness and cast our selves upon Gods Love and Favour as the surest hold Let us build our hopes of happiness upon Christ's satisfaction only for indeed there is no other way then by this Ark to escape drowning The Church is described Cant. 8.5 leaning on her Beloved which as it betokens infinite familiarity within so likewise faithful dependance upon him Well then as Joseph said to his Brethren Ye shall not see my face he means with safety and favour except your Brother Benjamen be with you Gen. 43.5 So neither shall we comfortably see God's Face hereafter except we bring the Lord Jesus that Benjamin the Son of his right Hand Col. 3.1 Rom. 8.34 with us in the Arms of Faith Let us then act Faith upon the Lord Jesus who alone delivereth us from wrath to come 1 Thes 1.10 Thus much for the matter wherein preparation for Death consists I shall now shew you how you ought to put these Directions into practice CHAP. III. Shewing how we ought to put the forementioned Directions into practice OUR Saviour saith Luke 13.24 Many will seek to enter in at the strait Gate and shall not be able Stella on Luk. 13.24 And Stella gives this reason Quia tardè insufficientèr quaerunt because they seek not after a right manner Right means are to be used after a right manner Put then the forementioned Directions into Practice First Early Secondly Earnestly Thirdly and lastly Constantly 1. Festinanter First Early or speedily whilst young healthful and strong This God calls for Eccles 12.1 Remember now thy Creator in the dayes of thy youth God's Adverb is manè betimes or early the Devil's Verb is mane tarry till afterwards Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto the Devil more than unto God judge ye Acts 4.19 O do not put off preparation for Death till sickness Thou mayest perhaps die suddenly An Imposthume Squinancy Apolexy or some such Distemper may suddenly dispatch thee in so much that thou shalt not have time to call upon God for mercy Some that have gone to bed in good health as they thought have been found dead the next morning dead they were before they could tell what ailed them But in case God exercise thee with sickness thou wilt be very unfit to go about this great Work thy thoughts will be upon thy pain and they enquieries will be after a Remedy proper for the removing the Malady Friends about thee without any ground for it will be ready to tell thee what thou art glad to hear and willing to believe that there is great hopes of thy recovery These flatterers are miserable comforters for in case thou growest deadly sick as thou may'st do of a sudden then it is ten to one thy Will is to make Worldly things are to be disposed of for men generally are too too blame herein putting this off to extream sickness and this making thy Will takes up a considerable part of that little time allotted thee Upon this follow exclamations and outcries of near Relations together with the clamour of thy sins if Conscience be awakened enough to distract thee Impertinent visits of Friends which come only with an How do you I am sorry to see you in this condition c. do rather hinder than further Devotion And perhaps by this time through want of sleep and extremity of pain thou wilt be light-headed unfit to listen to any good counsel if given to thee as the Israelites who hearkned not to Moses for anguish of Spirit Exod. 6.9 Do not then put off this great Work till sickness no nor till old Age neither for Life is uncertain as I have shewed We know not how soon our Pulse may leave beating We can call no time ours but the present 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This day is mine and thine whose to morrow may be we know not To day then cannot be too soon to set upon this Work because to morrow may be too late I have read of Archias the Lacedemonian that whilst he was in the midst of carnal Jollity quaffing with his Companions one presented to him a Letter wherein was signified that some did lie in wait to take away his life and desired him to peruse it presently for it was a Letter of serious concernment but he carelesly replyed Seria cras let serious things alone till to morrow and that very night he was slain Oh! then reckon not of many years seeing thou art not Lord of to morrow Prov. 27.1 But if God should grant thee longer space to repent in yet he may deny thee the means of Grace or he may deny his Grace to make a good improvement of the means See what is said of Jezebel I gave her space to repent of her Fornication but she repented not Rev. 2.21 Repentance is not in our own power to be performed at pleasure it is God's-Gift Jer. 10.23 Acts 11.28 2 Tim. 2.25 And if we slight God calling upon us now who in the seasons of Grace is willing to be found of us 2 Cor. 6.2 Isa 66.5 Prov. 8.17 he may justly slight us in sickness and old age when his judgements break forth upon us We may then seek early and that early be too late to find him Prov. 1.24 c. As Jeptha said to the Elders of Gilead Judg. 11.7 Did not ye hate me and expel me out of my Fathers House And why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress So may God justly say to such as defer preparation for Death till sickness or old Age Did not ye hate me in your youthful time whilst healthful and strong and say unto me Depart from us we desire not the knowledge of thy wayes Job 21.14 Why do you now forced through fear or pain come to me in your distress Do we think God will be pleased with the Devils leavings What King will receive a cripled Rebel that hath spent the best of his strength and time under his Enemies Colours Cum nemine obtrudi potest itur ad me Ter. What Husband will receive his Wife that hath