Israel God puts him in this Grave betimes in mercy because he should not see the evil coming on the Land and there 's a parallel to this the 2 Kings 12 last it is spoken of Iosiah I will gather thee unto thy Fathers thou shalt be gathered unto thy grave in peace and thine eyes shall not see the evil I will bring upon this place Iosiah he dyed in battle how then was it said he went to the grave in peace We must understand the meaning of it is this Iosiah went to his Grave in peace because he was a holy man and he has made his peace with God and so he went to his grave in peace and because he should not see the evil approaching God gathered him to his grave in peace Ierom. speaking of his friend Nepotian you must observe Ierom lived to see some troubles before he dyed saith he O how happy is my friend Nepotian that sees not these troubles but is got out of the storm and is arived safe in the Haven Luther dyed in mercy before the troubles in Germany broke forth and thus you see the righteous though they dye yet it is well with them God takes them away in mercy that they may not see approaching evils 2. Though the Righteous dye and are taken away yet it is well with them because death cannot hurt them Death can neither hurt their bodies nor yet their souls and then it is well with them 1 Death cannot hurt their bodies the body of a Saint it doth not perish though it dye the bodies of the Saints are very precious dust in Gods account precious dust the Lord locks up these Jewels in the grave as in a Cabinet the bodies of the Saints lye mellowing and ripening in the grave till the blessed time of the resurrection Oh how precious is the dust of a Believer though the world mind it not yet it is precious unto God The Husbandman he hath some Corn in his Barn and he hath other Corn in the ground why the Corn that is in the ground is as precious to him as that that is in the Barn the bodies of the Saints in the grave are Gods Corn in the ground but the Lord makes very precious account of this Corn the bodys of the Saints shall be more glorious and blessed then ever 〈◊〉 were at the resurrection Turtullian he calls them Angellical bodies in regard of that beauty and lustre that shall be upon them As it is with your silks when they are dyed of a purple or scarlet colour they are made more bright and illustrous then they were before thus it is with the bodies of the Saints they shall be dyed of a better colour at the resurrection they shall be made like a glorious body Phil. 3. 20. thus it shall be well with the righteous their bodys shall not perish 2. It wall be well with the righteous at death as to their souls too Oh it will be a blessed time me thinks it is with a Saint at the time of death just as it was with St. Paul in his voyage to Rome we read that the Ship did break but though there were so many broken pieces yet he got safe to shore so though the ship of the Believers body break by death yet it is safe with the passengers his soul that gets safe to the Havenly harbour let me tell you the day of a Believers death it is the birth-day of his blessednesse it is his ascention day to Heaven the day of his death it is hi marriage day with Iesus Christ. Faith doth but con tract us here in this life is but the contract but at death then the Nuptials shall be solemnized in glory they shall see God face to face it will be Heaven enough to have a sight of God saith Austin when the Saints shall enter into joy here joy enters unto them but then they shall enter into it Tâ—â—y shall drink of those pure Rivers that run from the â—â—â—rlasting Fountain And thus you see it will be well with the righteous However things go though trouble come though death come yet it will go well with the righteous And oh let those that are the people of God comfort themselves with these words oh what an incouragement is this to all you that hear me to begin to be righteous this Text may tempt us all to be Godly Say unto the righteous it shall be well with him when things are never so ill with him yet it is well with him We would be glad to have things go well within our relations and in our estates why when the righteous things go well with us thy person is sealed thou art heir of all Gods promises thou art Christs favourite thou hast heaven in revertion and is it not now well with thee if you would have happiness you must espouse holiness Say unto the righteous it shall be well with them and thus much of their first proposition the Godly mans comfort in life and death it is well with him But now if all this will not prevail with you to make you leave your sins and become righteous I must passe in a few words to the next branch of the Text to scare men out of their sins to affright men out of their wickednesse woe unto the wicked it shall be ill with him This my beloved is the dark side of the cloud It may cause in every wicked man that hears me a trembling at the heart Woe unto the wicked it shall be ill with him The proposition that doth result out of the words is this Doct. When things seem to be well with the wicked men it shall be ill with them at last though they have more then heart can wish yet it shall be ill with them at last Ecclesiast 8. 13. It shall not be well with the wicked nor shall he prolong his dayes which are as a shadow because he fears not God it shall not be well with the wicked the God of truth hath pronounced this It is as true as God is true it shall not be well with the wicked Now that I may a litle clear this to you I shall demonstrate this to you in these four particulars 1. It is ill with the wicked in this life 2. It is ill with them at death 3. It is ill with them at the day of judgement 4. It is ill with them after judgement it shall be ill with the wicked 1. It is ill with the wicked in this life a wicked man that hears me will hardly think so when he hath the affluence and confluence of outward comforts when he eates the fat and drinkes the sweet He will hardly beleive the Minister that shall tell him it shall be ill with him but it is so For is it not ill with that man that hath a curse Yea the curse of God entailed upon him can that man ever thrive that lives under the curse of God Floods of blood and wrath hang
their iniquity the sense of pardon takes away the sense of pain and then it must needs be well with the righteous for his greatest evil is removed 2. However things go it is well with the righteous because that God is his portion Psal. 16. 5. The Lord is the portion of my inheritance the lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places in Godthere are all good things to be found and all that is in God is engaged for the good of the righteous his power is to help and his wisdom is to teach and his Spirit is to sanctifie and his mercy is to save God is the righteous mans portion and can God give a greater gift â—nto us than himselfe God is a rich portion for he is the Angels riches God is a safe and sure portion for his name is a strong Tower he is a portion that can never be spent for he is infiniteness he is a portion can never be lost for he is eternity Thou art my portion for ever Psal. 72. 26. and surely it iswell with the righteous that hath God for his portion is it not well with that man that is happy why if God be our portion we are happy Psal. 144. 15. Happy is the people whose God is the Lord. Thus I have cleered up the Doctrinal part for the use of this Here is abundance of comfort for every Godly man for every person serving God in this Congregation God hath sent me this day with a Commission to comfort you O that I might drop in the Oyl of gladnesse into every broken heart and rejoyce every troubled spirit O here is good news from Heaven Say unto the righteous it shall be well with him But here is a question must be answered You 'l say to me but how doth this appear that it shall be well with the righteous for we often see ti is worst with them in this world he is deprived of his comfort many times he loses his very life in that quarrel he is made the very reproach of the world often times how them is it well with the righteous To this I answer Yet still it is well with the righteous though he meet with trouble in the world and one follows on the neck of another yet it is well with the righteous as will appear in these three or four particulars 1. The troubles that the righteous man meets with they turn to his good and so it is well with him That is a most famous Scripture in the 24. of Ier. the 5. Whom I have sent out of this place unto the Land of the Caldeans for their good Gods own Israel were transported into Babylon among their enemies but it is for their good saith the Lord the troubles of the righteous are a means to purge out their sin I have read a story of one who running at another with a sword to kill him by accident his sword run into an impostume and broke the impostume thus all the evils and troubles of the righteous serve but to cure them of the impostume of pride to make them more humble when that the body of a Saint is afflicted his soul that revives and flourishes in Grace At Rome there were two Lawrel-trees and when one withered the other did flourish so when the the body is afflicted yet the soul that Lawrel doth revive and flourish God doth distill out of the bitterest drink his Glory our Salvation Saith Ierome that that the world looks on it as a punishment God makes a medicine to heal the sore why then it is well with the righteous The rod of God upon a Saint is but onely Gods pencil whereby he draweth his Image more lively on the soul God never strikes the strings of his Viol but to make the Musick the sweeter Then it is well with the righteous 2. In the midst of all the trouble that doth befall the righteous yet still it is well with them in regard of those inward heart revivings that God doth give them We see a Godly mans misery but we do not see his comfort we see his prison-grates but we do not hear the Musick that is within in his conscience God doth sweeten to his people outward trouble with inward peace it is the title that is given to God 2 Cor. 6. 7. God that comforteth them that are cast down the Bee can gather honey aswell from the thistle and from the bitter herb as from the sweet flower a child of God can gather joy out of his sorrow out of the very carkass sometimes the Lord gives honey when the body is in pain the soul may be at ease as when a mans head akes yet his heart may be well thus it is well with the righteous God gives him that inward comfort that revives and sweetens his outward pain 3. In the time of trouble and calamity yet still it is well with the righteous because God doth cover his people in time of trouble he hides them in the storm God hath a care to hide his jewels and will not let them be carried away and thus he makes good that Scripture litterally Psal 91. 4. He shall cover them with his feathers and under his wings shalt thou trust no evil shall touch thee God oftentimes verifies this Scripture litterally he makes his Angels to be his peoples Life-guard to hide them and defend them when a Flood was comming upon the world God provided an Ark to hide Noah when Israel is carried and transported into Babylon God hid Ieremiah and gave him his life for a prey Ier. 39. 11. and in this sense the Saints of God are called hidden ones Psal. 83. 3. Why so not onely because they are hid in Gods decree and hid in Christs wounds but often times God hides them in a time of common danger and calamity they are hidden ones he reserved to himselfe seven thousand that had not bowed the knee to Baal The Prophet knew not where there was one but God knew where there were seven thousand In this sense it is well with the righteous in time of publick misery I but you 'l say sometimes it fares yet worse then all this sometimes the righteous they dye and perish they are carried away with a tempest why yet still it is well with the righteous and that in a twofold sense 1. Many times God doth take away the righteous by death and that in great mercy he takes them away that they shall not see the misery that comes upon a Nation Virgil the Heathen Poet saith they are happy that dye before their Countrey his meaning was they dye before they see the ruine of their Countrey and truly God many times takes away his people in mercy that they may not see the ruine that is coming on a Land you have a Scripture for this 1 Kings 14. 13. He onely of Ieroboam shall come to the Grave in peace because in him there is found some good things towards the Lord God of
fire of the Damned it is partly material and partly spiritual partly material to work on the body and partly spiritual which is the wrath of God to torment the soul that is the lake the burning fire Oh who knows the power of Gods anger Who can dwell with these burnings it is intollerable to endure them and impossible to escape them 3. In Hell there are chains chains of darkness Those sinners that would not be bound by any Law of God such shall have chains of darkness to bind them Quest. What should be the meaning of that phrase chains of darkness Answ. I suppose it may be this to intimate unto us that the wicked in Hell shall not have power to walk up and down which perhaps might be a little ease though very little but they shall be chained down fast not to stir they shall be fastned to that stake with chains of darkness Oh this will be terrible indeed Suppose a man should lye always on a Down-bed and might not stir out of the place it would be very painful unto him Oh but to lie as the damned upon the wrack always under the torturing scorchings of Gods wrath and to be tyed and not to move how dreadful are the thoughts of this and this is the condition of the wicked they are under fire and darkness and chains And to add unto the torment of Hell there are these two things more to shew you that it shall be ill with the wicked let them die when they will The first is the Worm The second is the Serpent First There is the Worm to torture the damned spirits and this is no other but the Worm of Conscience the 9th of Mark the 44. verse Where there worm never dieth Oh how dreadful will it be to have this worm Melancthon calls the tormenting Conscience A hellish Furie Conscience will be just as if a worm full of poyson were feeding on the heart of a man Those sinners that would never hear the voyce of Conscience they shall feel the worm of Conscience And then Secondly As there is the worm to torment so there is the Serpent that is the Devil who is called the old serpent Revel 9. As there iâ— the biting of the worm so there is the stinging of the Old Serpent First of all The damned shall be forced to behold the Devil I remember what Anselm saith saith he I had rather endure all the torments of this life then to see the Devil with bodily eyes But now this sight the wicked shall see whether they will or no and not onely see but they shall feel the stinging of this old Serpent the Devil Satan is full of rage against mankind and will show no mercy As he puts forth all his subtilty in tempting of man so he puts out all his cruelty in tormenting of mankind And this is not all There are Two things more to set out the torments of hell First These agonies and hell-convulsions they shall be for ever take that Scripture for proof Revel 14. 11. And the smoak of their torment ascendeth for ever and ever and they have no rest day nor night Thus it is in Hell they would die but they cannot the wicked shall be always dying but never dead the smoak of the furnace ascends for ever and ever Oh who can endure thus to be ever upon the wrack This word ever breaks the heart Wicked men now think the Sabbaths long When will the Sabbath be over and they think a Sermon long and think a prayer long but Oh how long will it be to lye in Hell for ever and ever After millions of years their torments are as far from ending as at the first hour they began Secondly Which is another aggravation of Hell torment the damned in hell have none to pity them it is some comfort some ease to have our friends to pity us in our sickness and want I but they have no friends Mercy will not pity them mercy is turned into fury Christ will not pitty them he is no more an Advocate for them The Angels will not pitty them but they rejoyce when they see the vengeance they insult and glory when they see the Justice of God executed upon his Enemies O how sad is this to lye in the scalding Furnace of Gods Wrath and none to pity them When thy cry out God will laugh at them O hear this all ye that go on in sin it will be ill with the Wicked O therefore turn from your sins least God tear you in peices as a Lyon and there be none to help you Now for Application O what an affrighting Word is this to all wicked men that go on desperately to sin to add drunkenness to thirst never such an inundation of Wickedness as now men sin as if they would spight God and dare him to punish them men sin so greedily as if they were affraid Hell Gates would be shut up ere they got thither Oh how manfully do many sin they go to Hell strongly in their wickedness O these are in a sad condition is it not sad at the hour of death and at the day of judgment and after judgment with them Wicked men Live Cursed and they Dye Damned Sinners are the very mark that God will shoot at his standing mark and he never misses this mark you know what the Scripture saith there shall be weeping and there shall be gnashing of toeth And saith Latimer that is sad fare where weeping is the first course and gnashing of teeth is the second course Quest. Whence is it that there is this gnashing of teeth Answ. First it doth arise from the extremity of torment the wicked suffer they are not able to bear it and know not how to avoid it Secondly the wicked gnash their teeth in Hell at the godly to see them in Heaven them whom they persecuted and scoffed and jeared to see them in Heaven and themselves in Hell they are mad at it Luk. 13. 28. When they shall see Abraham Isaac and Jacob and all the Prophets in the Kingdom of God and they themselves shut out they shall gnash their teeth at this How may this amaze a wicked man if all the curses in the Bible will make a man miserable he shall be made so The Second Use is This Take heed that none of you here be found among the number of the wicked take heed of being of this black regiment that wears the Devils colours and fight under his banner the sinner and the furnace shall never be parted Oh take heed of those sins which will bring you to Hell-fire There are saith Bernard fiery sins that bring men to hell fire What are those fiery sins why the fire of malice the fire of Passion and the fire of lust and concupiscence and the fire of revenge these fiery sins bring men to fiery plagues to Hell fire When thou art tempted to any wickedness think with your selves Oh how can I bear the fierceness of Gods wrath for ever how can I lye in the winepress of Gods wrath for ever Oh take heed of those sins that will bring you into this place of torment I have read a story of a Virgin who being tempted by a young man to commit folly saith she unto him Grant me but one request and I will do what thou desirest What is that saith he Do but hold your finger one hour in this burning candle No he would not do that Saith she will not you for my sake hold your finger an hour in the candle and will you have my soul lye burning in hell for ever Thus she rebuked the temptation Doth Satan tempt thee to wickedness hold out this text as a shield to the Devil to quench his fiery Darts Say thus Oh Satan do I embrace thy temptations I must be under thy tormentings to all eternity O therefore labour to be righteous it shall be well with the righteous But take heed of sin It shall be ill with the sinner I will conclude all with that saying of Austin When a man hath been vertuons the labour is gone but the pleasure remains when a man hath been wicked the pleasvre is gone but the sting remains FINIS