fruits of the Spirit and of Heaven which do render Death to those that taste them more desirable than formidable The first is First Communion with Christ That of it which Saints have in this world is very sensible and sweet Truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ You know it is the holy boast of a holy man the Apostle John concerning himself and other real Saints and it is sweet Communion as in the next words These things write we unto you that your joy might be full Thus true joy comes into the heart even unparallel'd gladness by Gods lifting up the light of his Countenance The wicked whore cries Let us take our fills of love in unclean Communion but Christs Spouse's design is that her joy might be full in holy Communion with God and Christ The first misses joy altogether meets with only vanity and vexation of Spirit but the other loses her dumpish sorrow and never enjoys that Communion with Christ much but she meets also with joy unspeakable and full of glory and yet in this world never enough Therefore they that taste it most do most earnestly long to be dissolved and to be with Christ as the Apostle Paul Phil. 1.23 Having a desire to depart and to be with Christ He professes indeed that he had his Conversation in heaven as to real foretasts thereof which were enough to set him a longing not fully to satisfie and therefore he confesses that whilst in the body he was in great measure absent from the Lord. And would he not be present Yes even with all his heart and farewell body till the Resurrection that he might kiss his sweet Jesus his feet that he might be ever with the Lord. This this was the Apostle Pauls holy passion Oh! Then sincere Christians for two or three of you to be with Christ and he with you in prayer according to his promise and in other Ordinances yea in any divine exercises of grace This this must needs make your souls long to depart and to be with Christ This notion you must know flows not from a doubtful or pretended experience but from positive express Gospel Doctrine 1 Thes 4.17 18. And so shall we be ever with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words It is mighty comfort against death and judgment there spoken of to consider the happiness of being ever with the Lord. If it was the joy and boast of the enamoured Spouse Cant. 2.9 to view Christ shewing himself through the Lattess how can she but long to see him with open face to see him as he is in glory Surely that soul that by faith and love cleaves to Christ can never much fear death which it knows will never separate such lovers as Christ and a believing soul are but rather indeed bring it into heaven and force it only to be more happy in a more intimate close yea constant Vision and fruition of Christ Secondly Freedom from sin though but in some tolerable manner attained gives us a sweet foretaste of heaven where all just mens souls do enter but no unclean thing with them So much freedom from sin is so much heaven upon earth but the reliques of sin still pestering us till death make us if true Saints the more eagerly long for perfect freedom from it in heaven which huge longing is an holy extasie I confess and found only I think in those whose Consciences do not reproach them whilst they live They of all men even they that labour to the utmost to subdue sin do long to get rid of it altogether though it be by death Therefore the Apostle Paul expresses himself after this manner And not only they Rem 8.23 but we our selves groan within our selves waiting for the Adoption to wit the Redemption of the body reckoning upon not much mattering yea quite overlooking death having the eye on a sweet deliverance of soul and body from sin at the Resurrection sith in this life both of them are most sadly infected therewith Therefore saies he we groan but how Even as the Creature to be delivered from the bondage of Corruption And which is very remarkable We our selves who have the first fruits of the Spirit c. What are they The thirteenth verse a little before will clear that in these words If ye through the Spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live Blessed souls are they and they shall be blessed who have received the first fruits of the Spirit in the mortification of sin for they groan within themselves till that happy time come after death when soul and body shall no more sin They that have tasted how sweet the life-bloud of one sturdy lusty sin is can never be satiated till they have the bloud of all the rest the dam and all original sin insatiably crying out O when shall we be delivered from the body of this Death which indeed is far more dreadful than natural death But O how sweet is it for a Saint to see Necis artificem arte perire suâ sin killing it self with its own murthering-piece killing its enemy and it self with one blow How joyfully do Saints see the death of all their sins approach full as fast as the death of their bodies Well then the Saints with Sampson would gladly dye that so all their sins and therefore to be sure more might be utterly destroyed at their death than ever they could slay all their life time A true and thorough Saint fears to sin more than to dye therefore he feares not so much to dye and sin no more as to live yet and sin O thou that hast faithfully mortified any lust and art sure of it Death cannot wound nor astonish thee for certainly more comfort arises to the Saints from the mortality of sin then terrour from the mortality of the body Thirdly The blessed graces of the Spirit of God the possession of which is our participation of the Divine nature the exercise of which is our Conversation in heaven These Graces of the Spirit of God are indeed the very first fruits of heaven and cannot well be at rest till they have carried the soul into their own Element Heaven it self for from above it is whence every good and perfect gift doth descend and would as naturally carry the soul endued therewith up thither as the fire mounts upwards So that those Divine souls whose vigorous graces do make them hunger and thirst after righteousness will not stick to venture at Gods call a bodily life to satisfie that thirst in heaven The Apostle Paul was very desirous to attain to the Resurrection of the Dead Phil. 3.11 compared with ver 21. Oh! how he longed to be more holy here in this world to be quickly in the number of the dead in the Lord He cared not how soon Perfect he saies he was not yet nor likely to be perfect here below but yet he contended hard running to
to think that many who do so much and cry Lord Lord Lord have mercy on us yet are not thereupon to be judged in so good a condition and in an unquestionable state of Salvation Therefore I conceive a right understanding of such expressions may be got by taking notice of holy John's palpable intent and the drift of his speech upon the forementioned occasion the Apostle therefore for the better understanding of such mistaken spirits asserts in summe thus much that indeed those only that confess Jesus to be the Son of God and will not deny him in fear of Death or Torment are to be taken for true Christians and happy souls indeed Upon the same account he asserts also That Perfect love casteth out fear that is the tormenting fear of death or danger as Tertullian evinces in his Scorpiacum or Antidote against the Gnosticks speaking thus Johannes negat timorem esse in dilectione quem timorem intelligi praestat nisi negationiâ— authorem i.e. John denies fear to be in love what fear can be better understood then such as is the Author and cause of denying Christ even as the Apostle Peter did for fear of death or suffering He that loves Christ but tolerably aright will not be loath to dye for Christ or to dye and go to Christ That Spouse who is truly sick of love for Christ thinks no Cure of that sickness like Death even to depart and to be with Christ to be ever with the Lord her blessed Bridegroom Thirdly Christ by giving his people that excellent grace of hope kills the fear of death 2 Thes 2.16 There it is plain that good hope through his grace is not only his gift but therewith also or thereby everlasting Consolation which therefore is neither to be interrupted by the fears of Death or discontinued by Death it self yea the same Consolation springing from this grace of hope Heb. 6.18 19. is there called strong Consolation Indeed stronger then Death or the terriblest fears of Death For Christ giving this hope is there said to comfort and establish Saints so that no fear of death as in that place of judgment day can either sadden whom he so comforts or shake and disturb the minds he so establishes for their hearts thus become fixed trusting in the Lord. The Saints grace of hope gets beyond Death before hand and enters into heaven As this Apostle to the Hebrews represents it as entring into that within the vail and by it Saints on earth fit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus Now you know hope 's nature is contrary to fear He who hopes for eternal life and for the Adoption to wit the Redemption of the body as it is spoken of Saints hope Rom. 8 23 24 25. He that hath such a saving hope whereby as an Anchor sure and stedfast he hopes for life can never be tost like a wave with any slavish fears of Death Oh then still thy soul by hope in God The Apostle Peter calls the Saints the childrens hope a lively hope Who hath saies he begotten us unto a lively hope Lively hope destroys the exanimating killing fears of Death Puts us beyond death as to fear before it come at us as to feeling for he that hath this lively hope as an Anchor sure and stedfast cannot much fear that he shall at death become a Castaway though he be careful with the Apostle Paul It is Hells pit that is bottomless or fathomless so that the despairing Damned are alwaies tormented with Eternal pains and frights But alas Come the worst of it to the Saints of God this they know that the Graves pit is not bottomless there is enough for their hope to bottom and anchor upon surely and stedfastly The Grave to the wicked is indeed bottomless and though it detains a while the body yet it lets the soul slip into Hell and the body too not long after But Christs Death burial hath so sanctified every of the Saints Graves that at worst their graves will be by so much happier to them then that Grave was to the dead man whom Elisha's buried bones revived even by how much Lazarus his second was or will be better than his first Resurrection Christs Death and Burial hath left somewhat in every Saints grave sufficient at the lowest for his hope to bottom on so that his body when there may be truly said to rest in hope and therefore having this grace of hope he need not unless he will be disquieted with fears before Death Fourthly Christ by giving his people on earth some real foretasts of heaven and of eternal life doth thereby effectually destroy their fears of Death And therefore the Apostle Paul who was next to his Lord and Master the greatest conquerour and triumpher over Death we read of after that he had been Rapt up into the third heaven as he stories it himself in the second Epistle to the Corinthians was ever after most undaunted under the seriousest thoughts of death as is most evident in his other Epistles which were written after those to the Corinthians particularly in that to the Romans where he tells us how little he fears death or a thousand deaths though killed as it were all the day long yet more then Conquerour He had before so sweet a sight of heaven that Death could not fright him so sweet a taste of heavens pleasures that he could never after taste any bitterness in death And thereupon justly longing to be there again he feared not death the only passage into so much bliss Let every true Saint consider this I say every soul that conscionably walks with God and labours to have Communion with God in his holy waies and Ordinances that walks in some measure as that blessed Apostle Paul who lived in all good conscience before God that with holy David tastes and sees that the Lord is gracious that tastes in deed and truth savingly of the heavenly gift the good Word of God and the powers of the World to come O precious Saint dost thou so live How is it possible but thou must long to be filled with these heavenly joyes How canst thou fear that Death that will put thee into actual possession of thy Masters Joy According to that in Rom. 8.28 And not only they viz. the Creatures but we our selves also which have the first fruits of the Spirit do groan within our selves waiting for the Adoption to wit the Redemption of our body See here that a taste of the first fruits of the heavenly Canaan which Gods Spirit from above fetches for and feeds a Saint with makes him not to groan under the fears of dying but rather under fears of not dying O you that taste and rellish heavenly things in Divine Ordinances and have much of the presence of Christ with you in them are you affraid to dye and to be with Christ for ever Is not this better then to live There are three things deservedly to be called first
AN ANTIDOTE Against the Sinfull Palpitation of the Heart OR Fear of Death Humbly offered to mens serious Thoughts because sadly occasioned by That Dreadfull PLAGUE And those horrid Fears of Death that have seized This present Generation in England whom either greater Sins or weaker Graces or both together have rendred more then ever Timorous MADE UP OF That Singular and Soveraign Scripture Hebrews 2.15 And deliver them who through fear of Death were all their life time subject to Bondage By Robert Tatnall M. A. Sometimes Fellow of Trinity Colledge in Cambridge and lately Minister of the Gospel at St. John Evangelist's LONDON Isa 9.14 15 16 17. For all this his anger is not turned away but his hand is stretched out still Rev. 1.17 18. I am the first and the last I am he that liveth and was dead and behold I am alive for evermore Amen and have the keyes of Hell and of Death Psal 68.20 He that is our God is the God of salvation and unto God the Lord belong the issues from Death London Printed by J. Hayes and are to be sold by S. Gellibrand at the gilded Ball and S. Thomson at the Bishops Head in St. Pauls Church-yard 1665. Perlegi hunc Libellum cui Titulus An Antidote against the fears of Death in quo nihil reperio Doctrinae Disciplinaeve Ecclesiae Anglicanae aut bonis Moribus contrarium Joh. Hall R. P. D. Episc Lond. Ã Sac. Domest July 6. 1665. TO THE TRULY CHRISTIAN READER IT is not a time now if ever to complement with dying men and women that poor aid which any serious Christian can endeavour to give in such a publick Calamity as we all now do or should deeply lament The unworthy Labourer in this small Piece of Service must acknowledge so much concerning himself only for his Apology That having been some time till of late imployed in London as a Minister He cannot but weep over it in some Conformity to his Great President 's weeping over Jerusalem And lisp that tender Affection which he cannot express to so great a City For it is belov'd of all and a City once much in and 't is hop't not now out of God's favour To be sure not left out of the hearts of some few who as formerly do still most affectionately pray for her though they can do little else The Plague rages amongst us Good men as well though I hope not as much as bad men are obnoxious to this visitation The latter understand little of the Duty or Comforts manifested in Scripture Spiritually knowing nothing at all Such if they will may hear the sounding of Gods Bowels and tender Mercies to them as in some other instances so not least of all in those Comprehensive though SHORT INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE SICK with some other very lately made publick by an Eminent Labourer in the Gospel which with his leave may be stil'd His repeated Call to the Unconverted in Epitome or their Now or Never indeed The Lord make those Instructions as effectual as they are most opportune and importunate too with mens souls Surely the endeavouring of sinners conversion especially at the brink of the Grave must needs be a work of Sage Prudence and an Apostolick Spirit But who is sufficient as for that so for the rest of the Labour viz. The Edification and Building up of Souls in their most holy Faith when their bodies are near ruine Truly be that now questions who is must answer for himself that he of all men is not Who yet counts it his great Duty to deplore it as well as to confess it And whilst he laments his own evident insufficiency to rely upon that sufficiency which is of God both to Direct Assist and Bless the meanest of all his Labourers As for good men and women who are so though they can scarce themselves think so yet they are Christs flock And the Sheep and Shepherds too cannot but chiefly tender their good Now 't is clear that Death is near them as well as others Yea some of Gods most pretious Children have been sick of the Plague none that I know do much doubt it to be King Hezekiahs sickness unto death Nay some have dy'd of it as a most Eminent Minister of this City not long ago And 't is not question'd by some considerable Divines but that many of the converted Corinthians dyed of the Plague as well as others of them were much visited with it so that many were sick and many weak Whereupon some may say there may be no peremptorily asserted ground for a good mans looking on himself as unconcern'd and exempted in a common danger and calamity But however it must be remembred that a good man hath no reason to fear the fear of the wicked whilst he hopes not their hope He having more reason then any wicked persons have to wait upon God for a special Protection if the ninty first Psalm be a part of his Charter as no doubt it is Yet notwithstanding I find a great Terrour upon this Plague even possessing Good as well as Bad men Which I am the more troubled at because as good people have less cause to sink and faint away so Christ by their dispondency hath the less Honour Which two inconveniencies much sadder then a Plague O that I could as a poor Instrument if not remove yet abate at least in some O let Saints bear up and stand in the Gap or Breach Aaron you know ran into the midst of the visited Congregation and stood between the Dead and the Living making atonement for them till the Plague was stayed Numb 16.47 48. Hath Christ made his people a Royal Priesthood to offer up Spiritual Sacrifices acceptable by Jesus Christ and shall such run from the Congregation I mean from their Duty their Calling their Charge their own people yea God and all in vain O let Christ be honoured for the increase of whose Kingdom by the consciencious labours of Gods Children in their places The world both doth and shall stand through Gods mercy remembred in all his Judgments even till the great and general day of the Lords Tribunal There are indeed no greater Motives to any good Action or endeavour then the advance of Christs Honour and of the Holiness and Happiness of poor souls who may if they be wise become with Abraham strong in Faith and so rewarded with strong Consolation that believing so with him they might rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory not only after but also before their death All which is plainly intended in the Subject or Scripture here presented to such as would be serious and safe Which Design of God and interest of man if it be sincerely espoused in the ensuing Discourse God will I hope in mercy pardon and every good person pity his infirmities who in pity prayes for a blessing of God upon this and all other means to be used by such as are sick of the fears of Death before they are
Truly God-man the Son of God and of man who is what he is as a Christ a Jesus a Saviour for the real and effectual good of all his people who cannot if they will but sooner or later in some measure as really partake of every vertue and benefit of Christs death which they stand in need of as ever Christ did partake with them of the same flesh and bloud For as Mediator he is obliged to save to the uttermost 1 Cor. 1.30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus who of God is made unto us as Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification so Redemption Christ cannot and will not deny any real Saints that universal and full Redemption and deliverance which God hath made over to them in and with his Son The world out of Christ cannot claim a comfortable interest in Gods power whom they have perfectly disobliged and can by no manner of proper merit oblige him again But now Saints may claim an interest in Christs power to save them to the uttermost because he is made of God to them Redemption without any exception of so considerable a Redemption as this is from the fears of death or indeed without possibility of any such exception For if Christ be made to the Saints Righteousness the Law is satisfied the sting of Death sin and the strength of sin the Law is all quite taken away by a pardon given us through Christs satisfactory and meritorious righteousness If Christ be made Sanctification to us the power of sin is also much subdued so that the hearts courage is no more so weakened by sin nor such an enmity against and thereupon such a suspicion of Gods wrath maintained as before nor in a word such a spirit of bondage again to fear as formerly And then if Christ be made wisdome to us he gives us light whereby to discover the truth and benefit of all this grand provision for our souls peace and rest What then can his being made Redemption to us be more over and above or less Then his rescuing our hearts and consciences from the slavish and foolish fears of any damage by Death that penalty of the Law the wages of sin the worst that can come Christ removing the guilt of sin as our Righteousness and the power of sin as our Sanctification and also removing our ignorance of deaths impotency in such a case to hurt us as our Wisdom hath left nothing to be done more or in the next place as our Redemption but the removing also the impotency of our hearts in such unreasonable fears of Death which he hath so disarmed not only of weapon but of power also to hurt us Now all this he is obliged to do for the Saints For how is he made all this to them if it reach not their souls Separate not what God hath conjoyned in your Saviour one and all in some measure is every Saints portion They cannot ask more of each than is prepared for them in the fulness of Christ Nay not more than they have clear title to as much now as ever any Saints had in any former ages because Christ is made of God to all Saints in full Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption Poor souls power in God for your good you can hardly conceive sith by reason of sin he that made you by his power may refuse to save you by his power well yet power laid up in Christ for you may well encourage you God hath therefore lodged power in Christ God-man to let poor Saints believing in him see their interest in it and marriage claim to it to let them know he would have his power actually deliver and save them to the uttermost Go to God by him and he is not only able but obliged to carry you to God without fears in the way It being his very Office as Gods High Chamberlain one set over the house of God for this purpose Heb. 10.21 22. But to support this with another Consideration Thirdly As Christ is able and obliged so willing and faithful as willing as able and as faithful as obliged thus to deliver Truly this with the first I mean his willingness faithfulness and his ability which was first mentioned might easily be granted by any that consider the Person God-man here spoken of yet because it makes much to this present purpose I must shew you some Scripture that commands us to consider this in him as Heb. 2.17 Wherefore it behoved him in all things to be made like unto his brethren that he might be a merciful and faithful High Priest Merciful He took our nature our very flesh that he might be more tender of and merciful to us in our danger and fears of dying which by reason of flesh and bloud are incident to us And then faithful that is so sensible of every thing tender and pitiful as faithfully to improve his great Ability to save and deliver to the uttermost As his power is large to the uttermost of our misery and fear so his faithfulness is as large as his power He must then of necessity be an actual deliverer of his people in all points not only from their Enemies but from their servile fear of them As from Deaths misery so from the fear of it that they serve God without any such horrid fear in righteousness and holiness all their daies And the reason is cogent for in him concur sufficient ability to save and an indispensable obligation thereto from the immutable purpose and appointment mutual agreement and mercy both of his father and himself and also particularly a great obligation from the power of his Sympathy with those whose natures and flesh he took up and then as sufficient ability and indispensable obligation so infallible faithfulness meet gloriously in this blessed Jesus and speak him an Almighty Deliverer of his people from the fears of Death Doth not all this appear He dyed Who could who would so dye Before his death he cryed Let this cup pass that so no Saint might fear its approach He at his death cried out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me That so no Saint might at his own death cry out fearfully as forsaken of God Those his cries proceeded from mighty and meritorious pangs Thus each peculiar pain was appointed for our particular healing as these mentioned for the curing us of the painful fears of our death and they are also great demonstrations of Christs mercy and faithfulness unto us unto the last Who else might easily have had more than twelve Legions of Angels to have rescued him from the rest of his Passion but he was cruel to himself merciful and faithful to us Fourthly Christ is a Deliverer of his people from the fears of Death because he cannot but be faithful as to his childrens good so to his own glorious design Where Power and Resolution and unchangeableness meet what can hinder the accomplishment of a design Christs power of delivering from the fears
but hope he would trust in him for he knew his Redeemer lived David though he walked in the valley of the shadow of death would fear no ill for God was with him even Christ his great shepherd The three Children feared Death neither before they were cast into the fiery furnace nor after because a fourth was with them in form like the Son of God The Apostle Paul was perswaded that neither Death nor life no not death could separate him from the love of God in Christ Jesus and thereupon manifested such freedom from fear that he saies of himself and many others In all these things amongst which were manifold deaths we are more than Conquerours through him that loved us yea and for this purpose gave Christ for us Rom. 8.37 even we though killed all the day long and accounted as sheep for the slaughter v. 36. yet we in this condition that multiplies other mens fears are more than Conquerours Therefore O Saints see the valour of your fellow souldiers who have no other Captain or weapons than you have Christ is no respecter of persons but able and willing to save you as well as them from the fears of Death But to come to the second part of my Method Secondly I am now to proceed to another most pleasing and satisfactory account and to discover how Christ doth so dwell raign and rule in the Saints hearts as to eject thence these potent enslaving fears the fears of Death how he works them out of his childrens hearts and rids them of such troublesome Guests that when they are found in unregenerate men do as it were lay violent hands on them For the fears of Death in many are one sort of Deaths executioners or at least as Serjeants to arrest them for the Grave and that with such a clap and damp that makes uncontrolable way for death and quite overthrows them Now how doth Christ cast and bar out these killing fears of death Many waies First By Faith a gift flowing as all other grace from Christs fulness of which we receive grace for grace Christians see your strength 1 Joh. 5.4 This is the victory that overcometh the world even our faith The world comprehending the miseries arising from a dying life and from death it self yea Devil too for these are the enemies and forces the world breeds maintains and fights us with whilst we are in it But faith is our victory and surely if it makes us Conquerours it makes us not to fear This excellent grace of Faith hath so great a stroke in the Saints conquering that it is called the conquest and victory it self Nay farther Saints in this life are said to be kept by the power of God through FAITH unto Salvation because what ever is done by Gods and Christs power for our Salvation or Redemption from any or all our miseries first and last is accomplished not without our faith Thus Christ applies and conveys to us the merit vertue and power of his conquering death Christ hath shed his bloud but by faith he warms our hearts with it against the cold fears of death This was that which made the Apostle Paul so crow over Death He was perswaded that as not life so neither death could separate him from the love of God in Christ Jesus This perswasion was his faith that made him triumph over death without fears of it come when it would Thus is Christ the Author and finisher of our faith unto this particular conquest and victory over Death and over all its horrid fears For Christ is not contented himself thus to conquer unless he makes all his Servants not only that eminent Apostle Paul but also all Believers his Seconds in the encounter that they should conquer as well as he Nay in respect of any expected Death be more than Conquerours Oh! Faith in Christs bloud gives Saints a noble courage against Death I shall urge this with the citation of a truly Heroick and spiritual expression dictated by a most learned and pious Divine of our Protestant Religion which is this Siquis animum pacare non possit mortis contemptu is sciat parum se adhuc profecisse in Christi fide that is saies he If a man cannot quiet his soul or still that turbulent passion of fear with the contempt of Death Let that man know he hath made but little proficiency in the faith of Christ Thus he concerning a Professour too fearful of Death To such an one I think also it may be truly and justly said with a smart rebuke O thou of little faith To this purpose I shall propose a Scripture-passage most worthy of special notice It is that of Christ himself concerning the Apostle Peter Luk. 22.31 32. Simon Satan hath desired saies Christ to have you that he may fift you as wheat but I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not How did Satan sift and shake him Truly with fears of suffering death of faring like his Master so that for fear he denied him and swore to boot Thus Satan shook him with strong blasts of Temptations to fear death he blew him like a shaking leafe with his fears Well how did he recover I have prayed saies the Lord that thy faith fail not That was his Case this his cure fear of death cured by faith in him whom he forsook when Death was near Saies Luther Quantò major fides est tantò mors est imbecillior Quanto autem fides minor tantò mors est acerbior That is The greater Faith is the weaker is Death The less Faith is the bitterer is Death Have then a strong faith in Christ and your hearts shall not be troubled with any disquieting fears of Death for these will certainly be too weak to hold your spirits in bondage if your hearts be kept by the power of God through Faith unto Salvation Secondly Christ by putting into and maintaining in our hearts that divine and mighty principle of love a love in our souls for himself doth thereby banish the fears of Death and garrison them out Perfect love saies the Apostle John casteth out fear Joh. 4.18 There is a very eminent Divine of our English Nation that gives us a very rational and remarkable account of the occasion upon which this Apostle writ this whole Epistle or at least that Expression yet truly I conceive the former not hard to imagine inasmuch as the Gnosticks whom that Person saies this Apostle here confuted did hold that Christians in danger to save their lives might under fears of Death deny Christ outwardly so they owned him in their hearts a devillish Notion like that Ye shall not surely dye Therefore the Apostle most pertinently deals with these Gnosticks in many close touches and therefore he speaks so highly of believing in Christ that is professing or confessing openly that Jesus is the Son of God and particularly that whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God Joh. 5.1 Now we are apt
healthful lively grace of hope First Labour to know well God and Christ with the design merit and power of his death There is nothing knowable of God as the truth is in Jesus but it conduceth to a Saints confidence labour therefore to know as much of God as thou canst Psal 9.10 They that know thy name will put their trust in thee And indeed who will trust a stranger that he knows not See further Prov. 22.17 18 19. Bow down thine ear and hear the words of the wise and apply thine heart unto my knowledge Vers 18. For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee they shall withall be fitted in thy lips Vers 19. That thy trust may be in the Lord I have made known to thee this day even to thee Vers 20. Have I not written to thee excellent things in Counsels and knowledge And all this excellent instruction from Christ is to this very purpose that thy trust may be in God Read Gods word much labour to understand his blessed pregnant promises his wisdom power and faithfulness especially his love to comprehend with all Saints the breadth and length and depth and height of it Know God much and you will trust him the more as Psal 9.10 They that know thy name will put their trust in thee For thou Lord hast not forsaken them that seek thee Thy faithfulness O Lord is so experienced who that knows in but must trust in thee How came Job to trust God though he should slay him to be so fearless of any death Truly he had excellent knowledge of God yea and of Christ too He knew his Redeemer lived But let thy knowledge of God and Christ be such as includes Eternal life for the Devils know God they believe and tremble Let not thy knowledg be like the knowledge of the filthy Devils but like the knowledge of the pure God let it shine and sparkle in all holiness of heart and life Be good and do good as well as know good be like God and do like God Get a renewed heart and a reformed life that so beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord you may be changed into the same Image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord 2 Cor. 3.18 Oh continue beholding Christs glory as in a glass till you see your selves somewhat like him and then you cannot see any thing to fright you for as you have it Psal 64.10 The RIGHTEOUS shall be glad in the Lord and shall trust in him and all the UPRIGHT in heart shall glory Now surely Death and its fears shall not for bid it and make this Scripture a lye Secondly Use thy self to it to trust in God Exercise thy self extraordinarily unto this part of Godliness so no changes will put thee out no not thy last change Job could trust God in one sad condition after another though sadder and sadder And then at length he could do so as well even at death though God himself too should slay him he could not be put by his good use and holy custome of trusting in God Psal 62.8 Trust in him at all times And if thou dost I will assure thee thou wilt at no time much fear death or ought else but God But Thirdly Especially in times of danger as when War Plague Famine is begun or any other mortal Calamity When thou art in the valley of the shadow of death then it is high time to trust much in God and to pluck up thy heart Psal 2.12 When his wrath is kindled but a little blessed are all they that put their trust in him That take warning betime and return to him that smites them that cling to him and kiss the Rod at the first sight or the first lash at least Oh that men did but know the things which do belong to their peace to their speedy averting of Gods dreadful judgments Oh that men would trust in God and cleave unto him yea to his feet humbling themselves under his mighty hand when he begins to plague them that so he may not be provoked to chasten in his hot displeasure This David earnestly prayed against and as earnestly laboured alwaies to prevent For the very enkindling of Gods anger is dreadful but its waxing hot most lamentable desolating and full of horrour who can dwell with everlasting burnings Oh therefore saies a wise David that had felt Gods anger when his anger is kindled but a little blessed are all they that put their trust in him Fourthly Trust in God when thou findest thy heart most fearful That is the very nick of time that makes thy duty of trusting God most seasonable and advantagious to thee and therefore an hour wherein thou mayst expect the assistance of Gods Spirit to bear thee up according to Davids confidence grounded on good experience Psal 56.3 What time I am affraid I will trust in thee Why art thou disquieted O my soul Hope in God And again This I call to mind What Truly that my strength and hope was perished from the Lord yet therefore have I hope As God so a gracious soul will be seen in the mount God helps in extremity lest the Spirit he hath made should fail before him as the Prophet admirably therefore let thy trust in God be at work when to be sure Gods power is at work too and that is in extremity set in with God and thy Spirit shall be sustained When the fear of near approaching Death charges thee home and thy heart sinks within thee O let it not sink like a stone as Nabals but pluck it up and charge it again with a more lively hope in God This do master thy fears and conquer For it is often found that Cowards when they can master themselves and their own fears turn most valiant and daring against their enemies Fifthly Clear up thy interest in God and in Christ A Child trusts his Father best a Loyal Subject his good Lord and King To trust in such a relation is an easie because a genuine and natural work Psal 7.1 O Lord my God in thee do I put my trust Psal 42.5 Why art thou cast down O my soul and why art thou disquieted within me What is the matter The matter alas War Pestilence is at the door Peace O soul hope in God Alas but how shall I Away away how shalt thou not Dost thou not know that God is the health of thy Countenance and thy God Yet this very David could cry out sometimes as forsaken of God as if cut off from Gods eyes Oh that Gods People now a daies would not imitate Scripture Saints only in their complaints and weeping but also in their rejoycing and singing not follow them only in their diffidence but in their confidence also and not only in their dark paths but in their Lucidis intervallis as Isaiah phrases it Walking with them in the light of the Lord. O be not like Scripture Saints in their