help him and calls upon the name of Jesus but he receives no comfort On the contrary he hears his Saviour speaking thus unto him I did oftentimes speak to thy heart I gave thee a thousand inspirations to avoid sin and thou wouldst not hear me I sent Prophets Apostles good Ministers to declare my will to instruct and perswade thee to embrace vertue I did upon a Cross dye like a Criminal to save thee and manifest the excess of my Love. Then I did open my Arms to embrace thee and bow my head to kiss thee and thou hadst rather fall into the Arms of a lascivious Woman and take more pleasure in her kindness than in mine begone depart from me now when thou callest upon me I will not hear thee Thus this poor Soul finding neither help nor any inward comfort full of fright She shall say unfortunate that I am why did I not make a better use of the Grace of God And of the time allowed unto me to work out my eternal Salvation Let the day perish wherein I was born and the night in which it was said there is a Man-child Conceived Why dyed I not from the Womb Why did I not give up the Ghost when I came out of the Belly Why did the Knees prevent me or why the Breast that I should suck Cursed be the Man that shewed my Father saying a Child is born unto thee and comforted him Job 3. in that lamentable condition being enraged and in despair she will say Mountains and Rocks fall on me and hide me from the face of him that setteth on the Throne and from the wrath of the Lamb for the great day of his wrath is come and who shall be able to stand Rev. 6.16 CHAP. XXXVI The Condition of a Sinner after Death THE Wicked and Criminal Soul being separated from its Body hears the Sentence of her Condemnation whereof she cannot appeal to any other Depart from me thou Cursed into Everlasting Fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels For I was a Hungry and thou gaveth me no Meat Thirsty and thou gaveth me no Drink Stranger and thou didst not receive me in Naked and didst not cloath me Sick and in Prison and didst not visite me And then shall she say unto him when saw I thee an Hungred or Thirsty or Stranger or Naked or Sick or in Prison and did not Minister unto thee then shall he answer her saying Verily I say unto thee in as much as thou didst it not to one of the least of these thou didst it not to me Mat. 25.42 43 44 45. Then she seeth her self for ever separated from the sweet presence of God from the pleasant Company of all Blessed Souls from those unspeakable delights and Soverain honours that are in Heaven She seeth her self environ'd with an innumerable number of Devils and with them precipitated into an Everlasting Fire wherein she shall weep sigh and lament perpetually and endure an intolerable stink pain and fear without any hope of the least assistance The cries of Korah Dathan and Abyron when they saw themselves swallow'd up in the Earth are not to be compared with hers and that which grieves her the more is because she seeth no Remedy for her Torments and hath deserved all these Pains for few worldly pleasures that are rather Imaginary than true She knows that in that place of darkness horror and confusion she shall be forced to spill more Tears than there are drops of Water in the Sea that after she hath endured and cried as many Years as there are sands on the Sea shore or Leaves on the Trees in the Summer-time she is no nearer to the end of her Torments than at the first day and this consideration is the cause of her rage and despair for as often as she thinks that her Pains shall never end this consideration of never is to her an other Hell in the middle of Hell. CHAP. XXXVII The Condition of a Holy Soul near the Separation from its Body by Death REpresent to your selves any Holy Man or Woman whose Conversation was always honest and who did always strive to Answer Gods Inspirations fulfill his Will in all things and obey his holy Commandments When Death presents it self unto him and seeth that by sickness or otherwise his Soul shall be separated from his Body he doth not grow pail for fear on the contrary he seems to be very glad of such a news bearing this Testimony in his Conscience that he is going to rest from his Labors and be for ever united to the Object of his Love. He is assured he is going to his Heavenly Father into that new Hierusalem the City of his God wherein he is to taste Everlasting Pleasures and enjoy for ever the sweet presence of his beloved and the lovely Company of all blessed Souls In the mean time he orders his business and disposing himself to forsake this World he leaves to his Family and Friends this Holy Counsel to serve Love and Worship the true God all the Days of their Life When his Body is dying and grow weak when his tongue begins to stammer and his Eyes to change then the Spirit of God enlightens and fortifies his Soul she sighs and saith with St. Paul Cupio dissolvi esse cum Christo sometimes with David she utters these words as the Heart panteth after the Water brooks so panteth my Soul after the O God. Othertimes she Sings with Simeon now let thy Servant depart in Peace according to thy word Sometimes with St. Stephen Lord Jesus receive my Spirit and very often with her Saviour into thy hands O Lord I recommend my Spirit And as soon as her Soul is separated from her Body then the holy Angels take and carry her into Heaven as they carried that of Lazerus into Abrahams Bosom CHAP. XXXVIII The Condition of an holy Soul after She is separated from her Body AS soon as the Holy Soul is gone out from her Body She is as I have said just now carried into Heaven by the Holy Angels then in the presence of all Blessed Souls Friends and Relations dead in the Grace of God she hath this comfort to hear these words Come thou Blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom which is prepared for thee from the beginning of the World. Well done and well come good and faithfull Servant enter into thy Masters Joy receive the Crown of Glory promised to them that are faithfull till death If for the maintaining the truth of the Gospel she hath endured in this world several Torments she shall receive the Crown of Martyrdom If she did overcome the lusts of the flesh and submit her concupiscence to the law of the Spirit she shall obtain the Crown of Virginity If in Marriage she were always faithfull and did never defile her Conjugal Bed she shall receive the Crown of Chastity If she did always give good example relieve the needy preach the word of God convert
came unto me Mat. 25.35 He shall render to every one according to his works to them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for Glory and Honour and Immortality eternal life but unto them that are contentious and do not obey the truth but obey unrighteousness indignation and Wrath Rom. 2.6 By those Texts of the Holy Scripture it is as clear as the day at Noon that Predestination is not without a respect to our Faith Obedience and good Actions CHAP. XXVIII How Reprobation is to be understood IT is a gross impious and blasphemous impiety to assert that God did by his immutable decree appoint the greatest part of Men to eternal damnation without having any regard to their infidelity disobedience and bad actions as Calvin will have it to be lib. 3. c. 23. Sect. 1 2. Reprobation is an Act of God's hatred and God hates and punishes nothing but Sin which no Creature can be guilty of before its existence Wherefore the existence of the Creature and his disobedience to Gods Commandments ought to be presuppos'd before he be doom'd to eternal damnation I mean before he can be hated and condemn'd by God into Hells Fire From whence it follows when God did by eternal decree appoint the greatest number of Man-kind to eternal damnation it was in consideration of their infidelity disobedience to his Commandments or wicked Actions And to let you see that what I say is very well grounded pray mark these Texts following Go ye cursed depart from me into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels mark the reason of it for I was an hungred and ye gave me no meat I was thirsty and ye gave me no drink I was a stranger and ye took me not in naked and ye clothed me not sick and in prison and ye visited me not Mat. 25. The wicked saith David shall be turned into Hell Ps 9.17 they shall have their portion in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone Ps 11.6 Rev. 21.8 the wrath of God cometh upon the Children of disobedience Eph. 3.6 Mans destruction is of himself saith Hosea The Angels which kept not their first estate and Sodom giving himself over to fornication are set forth for an example 2 Pet. 2. When God punished them 't was for their sins and when in his eternal decree he condemned them to everlasting flames 't was in regard of their sins because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the Children of disobedience Eph. 5.6 though Calvin saith that it is for no other cause but because he wills l. 3. c. 23. S. 1 2. Gods decree is eternal and immutable that is certain but it is subsequent and conditional I grant he hath appointed the greatest part of Men to eternal damnation but it is in regard of their infidelity or disobedience to his Commandments Their disobedience is antecedent and presupos'd the Soul that sinneth shall dye Reprobation is but conditional that is to say no man is Reprobate but upon condition he transgresses Gods Commandments or be unfaithful But some will say I grant predestination and Reprobation to be as you have explain'd them before I grant it is in respect of my Faith or Infidelity Obedience or Disobedience to Gods Commandments yet that hinders not his decree to be immutable For as he hath the knowledge of all things which have been are and shall be and because nothing can be added to his knowledge he knows whether I shall be faithfull or unfaithfull obedient or disobedient to his Commandments and therefore he knows whether I shall be sav'd or damn'd Therefore I have no need to trouble my self for whatsoever I do I can never change Gods knowledge and eternal decree concerning my salvation or damnation Answer It is true we cannot alter Gods knowledge it is certain his decrees are immutable and that we shall be either saved or damned But knowing not which of the two and being certain that God will have all Men to be saved and none to perish and that for this cause he gives his grace unto all it being their fault if they be not saved as it appears by several Texts of the Holy Scripture Mans destruction is of himself Hos 13.9 Whilst we are in this World we ought to entertain this thought that we are of the number of the Elect. And because the Tree is known by its Fruit and the mark of the Elect is to do good and avoid evil embrace vertue and eschew vice and wholly obey the will of God. Therefore we ought to live conformable to those Rules all the days of our life this is the Character of a predestinated Soul which we ought to endeavour to carry along with us to our Grave CHAP. XXIX Gods Works are necessary to Salvation WE speak of Faith we extol it in Sermons assert we are thereby Justified without having any regard to good works and to confirm what we say we alledge Both the words of St. Paul and the example of Abraham If Abraham were Justified by works he hath whereof to Glory but not before God. Abraham believed God and it was counted unto him for Righteousness even as David discribeth the Blessedness of the Man unto whom God imputeth Righteousness without works Rom. 4.2.6 which is the cause that many thinking too much upon Faith care very little to practice good works But they deceive themselves for they ought to Remember there are two sorts of Faith one Dead and another Living The Living Faith which only Justifies our Souls and whereby we are sav'd is never without good works as a good Tree is never without Fruit in its Season the Sun without Light Fire without Heat and Water without moisture Every Faith without good works is Dead saith St. James 3.17 What doth is profit my Brethren though a Man saith he hath Faith and have not works can Faith save him If a Brother or Sister be naked destitute of daily food and one of you say unto them depart in Peace be ye warmed and filled notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needfull to the Body what doth it Profit even so Faith if it hath no works is Dead being alone yea a Man may say thou hast Faith and I have Works shew me thy Faith without thy Works and I will shew thee my Faith by my works thou believeth that there is one God thou doest well the Devils also believe and tremble But wilt thou know O vain Man that Faith without Works is Dead was not Abraham our Father Justified by works when he had offered Isaac his Son upon the Altar seest thou how Faith wrought with his works and by works was Faith made perfect ye see then how that by works a Man is justified and not by Faith only for as the Body without Spirit is Dead so Faith without works is Dead also It profits nothing neither to our Justification nor Salvation Whosoever therefore will after his Death obtain an eternal Salvation ought
Souls turning them from sin to righteousness she shall obtain an incorruptible Crown of Glory that shall shine eternally and be cloathed with that fair white Garmnet whereof it is spoken in the Revelations She will rejoyce because the winter of her afflictions is past and seeth her self free from all diseases troubles and other Infirmities which are the common attendants of a Man as long as he is in this World. She will rejoyce because she seeth her self in a place wherein there is a light without any darkness a beauty without any deformity a happiness without any trouble a comfort without any end wherein the law is love and life Eternity and whose glory is such that according to St. Paul no tongue is able to express it nor understanding to conceive And in that happy and glorious state in the Company of an innumerable number of Saints and Angels in the sweet and lovely presence of her God and Saviour she thanks and praises him for all his Mercies Favours and Kindness She sings an eternal Allelujah and saith aloud praise honour and glory and power and thanks be unto thee O Blessed Lamb who settest upon the Throne wast killed and hast redeemed us to God by the Blood out of every Kindred and Tongue and People and Nation and hast made us unto our God Kings and Priests to raign with thee in thy Kingdom for evermore Amen CHAP. XXXIX The World is a Cheat. WHo in this World ever found a joy without sorrow or a peace without trouble or a perfect health without any pain The World promiseth but always deceiveth It makes us hope for great good but gives us onely ills As the Magicians make us see sometimes fine gardens filled with flowers or trees laden with pleasant fruits but if we put forth our hands either to gather the flowers or taste the fruits we soon find that they are not such as they appear to our Eyes Even so the World endeavours to perswade us that the goods which it offers unto us are true but indeed they are not such When we have tasted them we find by experience it is all but vanity And if for sometimes we enjoy any real pleasures or honours it cheats us always by withdrawing them sooner than we thought If it gives us long life 't is to the end that we may commit sins if it shortneth our days 't is to the intent we may have no time to repent Jacob served seven years with Laban for his Daughter Rachel he deserved her Laban promised her unto him and yet instead of the beautifull Rachel he gave him Lya the bleareyed So the World doeth it promiseth one thing and gives another Jobs Friends agreed together to come and comfort him in his affliction Job 2.11 but these very Friends were angry with him spoke ill of him and provoked him 4.1 Josephs Brethren sold him to the Ishmaelites took his Coat made of several colours dip'd it in a Goats blood which they killed for this purpose brought it to their Father shewing in their countenance much sorrow and astonishment and made him believe that a wild Beast devoured him Gen. 37. the World is like a Fisherman he hides his hook with bait to allure the Fish Latet anguis in herba The whore of Babylon offers a mortal Poyson in a golden Cup the Ignorant are deceived by it not perceiving the Poyson hidden therein Joab took Amaza by the Chin with his right hand and stabbed him with the left 2 Sam. 20.9 Judas saluted J. Christ his Master and in giving him a token of his friendship with a kiss betrayed him and delivered him into the hands of his Enemies When the World shews you a fine countenance mistrust it for it will cheat you Your most faithfull Friend will perhaps become your greatest Enemy It will do to you as the Quick-silver doth to the Gold for though it be very much united with it yet as soon as it is put into the Furnace it evaporates and forsakes the Gold. When you are in poverty and distress your greatest Friends will no more look upon you they will avoyd your Company and will find pretence to forsake you So goeth the World it is a cheat you must not trust it nolite confidere in filiis hominum in quibus non est salus Put not thy trust in the Sons of Men for there is no help in them Ps 143.3 CAAP. XL. Mistrust the World trust in God only IF you trust the World expect to be deceived it will forsake you when you have the most need of it put not thy trust in Princes nor in the Sons of Men for there is no help in them Cursed be the Man that trusteth in Man and maketh Flesh his Arm and withdraw his Heart from the Lord Jer. 17.5 Haman trusted too much in Assuerus Favour he caused a Gallows to be erected of fifty Cubits high he designed Mardochee should be hang'd thereon but himself was put in his Place Esth 6.18 Man is a broken Reed what can you hope of him what ground can you make of him turn then all your Confidence on him who neither will nor can cheat you O Lord saith David Blessed is the Man that trusteth in thee Ps 84.12 He is the Fountain of all goods If you will enjoy a quiet and Peaceable Conscience trust in him only but some one may say I mistrust the World and trust God only and yet I do not perceive that I am free from several troubles which vex me every day Will you know the reason of it your Confidence is false avoid evil and do good eschew Sin embrace Vertue and trust in God alone your assurance shall be true and then you will feel a Joy which you do not peceive for the present Happy is the Man whose force and strength and refuge God is in the day of Affliction was there ever any confounded that trusted in him who hath continued in fear and was forsaken whom did he ever despise that called upon him 't is he that forgives all our iniquities healeth all our Diseases redeemeth us from Destruction Crowns us with loving kindness and tender Mercies Ps 103.3 therefore O my Soul trust thou in God only and do good Ps 37.3 CHAP. XLI Nothing is able to satisfie our Soul but God alone TAste as much as you please of the honours pleasures and vanities of this world you will never be satisfied You will be like men in dropsie who the more they drink the more thirsty they be You will be like those that eat salt to quench their thirst and throw oyl on fire to extinguish it Ye have sown much saith God by his Prophet Haggai and bring in little ye eat but ye have not enough ye cloth you but there is none warm 1. 6. nothing can satisfie us but God. Without him all pleasure is pain all joy is sorrow and all riches poverty Happy then is he that seeks and loves him with all his heart Happy is he