day And yet not thou but Christ is he that hath been victorious for thee even as when thou livedst the life of Faith it was not thou but Christ lived in thee Gal. 2. 20. Thou mayst fear at thy departure and leave the Flesh with terrour and imagine that Satan will presently devour thee But the experience of a moment will end thy Fears and thou shalt triumph against thy conquered Foe He that saved thee from the dominion of a tempting Devil will certainly save thee from him when he would torment thee Here he would have us that he may sift us and get advantage on our weakness but Christ prayeth for us and strengthneth us that our faith may not fail Luke 22. 31. And he that saveth us from the sin will save us from the punishment and from Satans fury as he did from his fraud 2. Christs Receiving us doth include his savourable entertainment and welcoming the departed Soul Poor Soul thou wast never so welcome to thy dearest Friend nor into the arms of a Father a Husband or a Wife as thou shalt be then into the presence and embracements of thy Lord. Thou hearest and readest and partly believest now how he loveth us even as his Spouse and Members as his Flesh and Bone Eph. 6. But then thou shalt feel how he loveth thee in particular If the Angels of God have joy at thy Conversion what joy will there be in Heaven at thy enterance into that Salvation And sure those Angels will bid thee welcome and concur with Christ in that triumphant joy If a returning Prodigal find himself in the arms of his Fathers Love and welcomed home with his kisses and his robe and feast What welcome then may a cleansed conquered Soul expect when it cometh into the presence of Glorious Love and is purposely to be received with such demonstrations of Love as may be fitted to magnifie the Love of God which exceedeth all the Love of man as Omnipotency doth exceed our Impotency and therefore will exceed it in the effects Though thou hast questioned here in the dark whether thou wert welcome to Christ when thou camest to him in prayer or when thou camest to his holy Table yet then doubt of thy welcom if thou canst O had we but one moments sense of the delights of the embraced Soul that is newly received by Christ into his Kingdom it would make us think we were in Heaven already and transport us more than the Disciples that saw the Transfiguration of Christ and make us say in comparing this with all the Glory of the World Master it is good for us to be here but in consideration of the full to say It is better to be there But it must not be Earth must not be so happy as to have a moments sense of the unconceivable Pleasures of the received Soul that is the Reward and Crown and therefore not fit for us here in our Conflict But low things may by dark resemblance a little help us to conceive of something that is like them in a low degree How would you receive your Son or Husband the next day after some bloody Fight where he had escaped with the Victory Or your Child or Friend that arrived safely after a long and a dangerous Voyage Would you not run and meet him and with joy embrace him if he had been many years absent and were now come home I tell thee poor Soul thy Saviour hath a larger heart and another kind of Love than thou and other Reasons of greater force to move him to bid dice Welcome into his Presence 3. Christ's Receiving the departed Soul includeth the State of Blessedness into which he doth receive it If you ask What that is I answer It is unto himself to be with him where he is And that in general is full of comfort if there were no more For we know that Christ is in no ill place He is glorified at the right hand of the Majesty on high Heb. 1. 3. And that the Souls of the Righteous and at last their Bodies are received to himself he often telleth us John 12. 26. If any man serve me let him follow me and where I am there shall also my servant be John 14. 2 3. And if I go to prepare a place for you I will come again and receive you unto my self that where I am there you may be also And in the mean time when we once are absent from the body we are present with the Lord 2 Cor. 5. 8. and that is in the building of God not made with hands eternal in the heavens V. 1. Paul therefore desired to depart and be with Christ as being far better Phil. 1. 23. And Christ promiseth the converted Thief This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise Luke 23. 43. And our State after the Resurrection hath the same description 1 Thess 4. 17. And so shall we ever be with the Lord And what it shall be he declareth himself John 17. 24. Father I will that they whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me The Soul of Lazarus Luke 16. was received into Abrahams bosom where he is said to be comforted The heavens receive Christ Acts 3. 21. and therefore the heavens receive the spirits that go to him even the spirits of the just made perfect Heb. 12. 23. that is that are crowned with Christ in Glory and freed from the Imperfections and Evils of this Life And so that 1 Thess 5. 10. is plain though some would pervert it That whether we wake or sleep we may live together with him Not Whether we wake to righteousness or sleep in sin for such Sleepers live not with him Nor whether we wake by sollicitude or sleep in security Nor Whether we naturally wake or sleep only But whether we live or die and so our Bodies sleep in death yet we live together with him In a word Christ will receive us unto a participation of his Joy and Glory into a Joy as great as our Nature shall be capable of and more than we can now desire and that the largest Heart on Earth can justly conceive of or comprehend And because all this tells you but to the ear stay yet but a little while and experimental sight nnd feeling shall tell you What this Receiving is even when we receive the kingdom that cannot be moved Heb. 12. 28. and when we receive the end of our faith the salvation of our souls 1 Pet. 1. 9. DOCT. 6. A Dying Christian may confidently and comfortably commend his Spirit to Christ to be received by him Though he have formerly been a grievous sinner though at the present he be frail and faulty though he be weak in faith and love and duty though his body by sickness be become unfit to serve his Soul and as to present sensibility activity or joy he seem to be past the best or to be nothing
ambitious rebellious Absolom to molest us or to lament No sinful scandalous or impatient friends to be our grief And which is more than all no earthly sinful inclinations in our selves no passions or infirmities no languishings of soul no deadness dulness hard heartedness or we aknesses of grace no backwardness to God or estrangedness from him nor fears or doubtings of his love nor frowns of his displeasure None of these do enter into that serene and holy region nor ever interrupt the joy of Saints The great work is yet upon our hands to fight out the good fight to finish our course to run with patience the remainder of the race that is before us And as we must look to Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith as our great exemplar so must we look to his Saints and Martyrs as our encouraging examples under him Put the case you were now dying and O how near is it and how sure What would you need most if the day were come That is it that you need most now Look after it speedily while you have time Look after it seriously if you have the hearts of men and sin have not turned you into Ideots or blocks What a disgrace is it to mankind to hear men commonly at death cry out O for a little more time and O for the opportunities of grace again and O how shall I enter upon eternity thus unprepared As if they had never heard or known that they must die till now Had you not a lifes time to put these questions and should you not long ago have got them satisfactorily resolved And justly doth God give over some to that greater shame of humane nature as not to be called to their wits even by the approach of death it self but as they contemned everlasting Life in their health God justly leaveth them to be so sottish as to venture presumptuously with unrenewed souls upon death and the conceit that they are of the right Church or party or opinion or that the Priest hath absolved them doth pass with them for the necessary preparation and well were it for them if these would pass them currantly into heaven But O what heart can now conceive how terrible it is for a new departed soul to find it self remedilesly disappointed and to be shut up in flames and desperation before they would believe that they were in danger of it Reader I beseech thee as ever thou believest that thou must shortly die retire from the crowd and noise of worldly vanity and vexation O bethink thee how little a while thou must be here and have use for honour and favour and wealth and what it is for a soul to pass into heaven or hell and to dwell among Angels or Devils for ever And how men should live and watch and pray that are near to such a change as this Should I care what men call me by tongue or pen Should I care whether I Live at liberty or in prison when I am ready to die and have matters of infinite moment before me to take me up Honour or dishonour liberty or prison are words of no sound or signification scarce to be heard or taken notice of to one of us that are just passing to God and to everlasting life The Lord have mercy upon the distracted world how strangely doth the Devil befool them in the day-light and make them needlesly trouble themselves about many things when one thing is needful and Heaven is talk'd of and that but heartlesly and seldom while fleshly provision only is the prize the pleasure the business of their lives Some are diverted from their serious preparation for death by the leastly avocations of lust and gâ—wdiness and meats and drinks and childish sports and some by the businesses of ambition and covetousness contriving how to feather their nests and exercise their Wills over others in the world and some that will seem to be doing the work are diverted as dangerously as others by contending about formalities and Ceremonies and destroying Charity and Peace rending the Church and strengthening factions and carrying on Interests hypocritically under the name of Religion till the Zeal that Saint James describeth Jam. 3. 13 14 c. having consumed all that was tike to the Zeal of Love and Holiness in themselves proceed to consume the Servants and interest of Christ about them and to bite and devoure till their Lord come and find them in a day that they locked not for him smiting their fellow-servants and eating and drinking with the drunken and cut them asunder and appoint them their portion with the hypocrites where shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth Matth 24. 49 50 51. O study and preach and hear and pray and live and use your brethren that differ from you in some opinions as you would do if you were going to receive your doom and as will then be most acceptable to your Lord The guilt of sensuality worldiness ambition of uncharitableness cruelty and injustice of losing time and betraying your souls by negligence or perfidiousness and wilful sin will lie heavyer upon a departing Soul then now in the drunkenness of prosperity you can think Christ will never receive such Souls in their extremity unless upon repentance by faith in his blood they are washed from this pollution It is unspeakably terrible to die without a confidence that Christ will receive us And little knows the graceless world what sincerity and simplicity in holiness is necessary to the soundness of such a confidence Let those that know not that they must die or know of no life hereafter hold on their chase of a feather till they find what they lost their lives and Souls and labour for But if thou be a Christian remember what is thy work Thou wilt net need the favour of man nor worldly wealth to prevail with Christ to Receive thy spirit O learn thy Last Work before thou art put upon the doing of it The world of spirits to which we are passing doth better know than this world of fleshly darkened sinners the great difference between the Death of a Heavenly Believer and of an earthly sensualist Believe it is a thing possible to get that apprehension of the Love of Christ that confidence of his Receiving us and such familiar pleasant thoughts of our entertainment by him as shall much overcome the fears of Death and make it a welcome day to us when we shall be admitted into the Celestial society And the difference between one mans Death and anothers dependeth on the difference between Heart and Heart Life and Life Preparation and Vnpreparedness It you ask me How may so happy a Preparation be made I have told you in this following Discourse and more fully else where formerly I shall add now these few Directions following 1. Follow the flattering world no further Come off from all expectation of felicity below Enjoy nothing under the Sun but only use it in order to your
Death are set before you Christ will receive you if you will but come within the capacity of his acceptation If you will not there will then be no remedy It is a doleful thing to observe how Satan doth bewitch poor sinners That when time is gone and the door of mercy is shut against them they would think no cries too loud for mercy and no importunity too great for Christ telleth us Matth. 25. 10 11. that they they will cry Lord Lord open to us And yet now when the door stands open no arguments no earnestness no tears can intreat them to enter in Then there is not the most senseless sinner of you all but would cry more strongly than Esau for the blessing when his tears could find no place for repentance Heb. 12. 16 17. Lord receive a miserable soul O whither shall I go if thou receive me not I must else be tormented in those scorching flames And yet now you will sell your birthright for one morsel for a little of Judas or Gehezi's gain for the applause of worms for the pleasing of your flesh that is turning to corruption for the delights of gluttony drunkenness sports or lust There is not a man of you but would then pray more earnestly than those that you now deride for earnest praying as if they whined and were ridiculous And yet now you will neither be serious in prayer nor hear Christ or his messengers when he maketh it his earnest request to you to come in to him that you may have life John 5. 40. Then you will knock when the door is shut and cry Lord open to a miserable sinner and yet now you will not open unto him when by his word and spirit her mercies and afflictions he standeth at the door of your stubborn hearts and calleth on you to repent and turn to God Now our intreaties cannot so much as bring you on your knees or bring you to one hours serious thoughts about the state of those souls that are so near their doom O Sirs for your souls sake lay by your obstinacy Pity those souls that then you will beg of Christ to pity Do not you damn them by your sloth and sin in the day of your visitation and then cry in vain to Christ to save them when it is too late Yet the door of grace is open But how speedily will it be shut One stroak of an Apoplexy a Consumption a Fever can quickly shut it and then you may tear your hearts with crying Lord open to us and all in vain O did you but see departed souls as you see the corps that is left behind Did you see how they are treated at their removal from the flesh how some are taken and others left how some are welcomed to Christ and others are abhorred and turned over to the tormenter and thrust out with implacable indignation and disdain Luk. 13. 28. Prov. 1. 24 26 27. sure you would enter into serious consideration this day What it is that makes this difference and why Christ so useth the one and the other and what must be done now by the soul that would be received then Alas men will do any thing but that which they should do Among the superstitious Papists the conceit of a deliverance from Purgatory makes them bequeath their Lands and Moneys to Priests and Friars to pray for them when they are dead and to have other men cry to Christ to receive them and open to them when time is past And yet now in the accepted time now when it is at your choice and the door is open men live as if they were past feeling and cared not what became of them at the last and would not be beholden to Christ to receive them when the deceitful world hath cast them off And now Beloved Hearers all I would make it my most earnest request to you as one that knoweth we are all passing hence and foreseeth the case of a departed soul that you would now without any more delay prepare and make sure that you may be received into the everlasting habitations And to this end I shall more distinctly though briefly tell you 1. What souls they are that Christ will receive and what he will not and consequently what you must do to be received 2. What considerations should stir you up to this preparation I. Nothing is more sure than that Christ will not receive 1. Any unregenerate unconverted soul John 3. 3 5. Matth. 18. 3. that is not renewed and sanctified by his spirit Rom. 8. 9. Heb. 12. 14. Acts 26. 18. They must have the new and heavenly nature that will ever come to Heaven Without this you are morally uncapable of it Heaven is the proper inheritance of Saints Col. 1. 12. This heavenly nature and spirit is your earnest If you have this you are sealed up unto salvation 2 Cor. 1. 22. Ephes 1. 13. 4. 30. 2. Christ will receive none but those that make it now their work to lay up a treasure in heaven rather than upon the earth Matth. 6. 20 21. and that seek it in the first place Mat. 6. 33. and can be content to part with all to purchase it Matth. 13. 44 46. Luk. 14. 33. 18. 22. An earthly-minded worldling is uncapable of heaven in that condition Phil. 3. 17 18. Luk. 16. 13. You must take it for your portion and set your hearts on it if ever you will come thither Matth. 6. 21. Col. 3. 1 2 3. 3. Christ will Receive no soul at last but such as sincerely received him as their Lord and Saviour now and gave up themselves to him and received his Word and yield obedience to it and received his Spirit and were cleansed by him from their iniquities John 1. 11 12 Luk. 19. 27. 2 Thes 2. 10 12. That all they might be damned that believed not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness They are God's own words be not offended at them but believe and fear He hateth all the workers of iniquity and will say to them Depart from me I know you not Psal 5. 5. Matth. 7. 23. 4. He will receive none but those that loved his servants that bore his holy image and received them according to their abilities Matth. 25. 40 41 c. And if he will say to those that did not entertain them Depart form me ye cursed into everlasting fire what will he say to those that hate and persecute them 1 Joh. 3. 14. 5. 2. 5. He will receive none but those that live to him in the body and use his gifts and talents to his service and make it their chief business to serve and honour and please him in the world Matth. 25. 21 26. 2 Cor. 5. 9 15. Gal. 6. 7 8. and live not to the pleasing of the flesh but have crucified it and its lusts Rom. 8. 1 13. Gal. 5. 24. Examine all these Texts of Scripture for the matter is worthy of your
will confine it also to those special gifts and graces in which she was eminent that I may not take you up with a description of a Christian as such and tell you only of that good which she held but in common with all other Christians And if any thing that I shall say were unknown to any Reader that knew her let them know that it is because they knew her but distantly imperfectly or by reports and that my advantage of near acquaintance did give me a just assurance of what I say The Graces which I discerned to be eminent in her were these 1. She was eminent in her contempt of the Pride and Pomp and Pleasure and Vanity of the World and in her great averseness to all these She had an honest impatiency of the life which is common among the rich and vain-glorious in the world Voluptuousness and Sensuality Excess of Drinking Cards and Dice she could not endure what ever names of good house-keeping or seemly deportment they borrowed for a mask In her Apparel she went below the garb of others of her rank indeed in such plainness as did not notifie her degree but yet in such a grave and decent habit as notified her Sobriety and humility She was a Stranger to Pastimes and no Companion for Time-wasters as knowing that Persons so near eternity that have so short a life and so great a work have no time to spare Accordingly in her latter dayes she did as those that grow wise by experience of the vanity of the world retire from it and cast it off before it cast off her She betook her self to the society of a people that were low in the world of humble serious upright lives though such as had been wholly strangers to her And among these poor inferiour strangers she lived in contentent and quietness desiring rather to converse with those that would help her to redeem the time in prayer and edifying conference than with those that would grieve her by consuming it on their lusts 2. She was very prudent in her converse and affairs allowing for the passion of her sex and age and so escaped much of the inconveniences that else in so great and manifold businesses would have overwhelmed her As a good man will guide his affairs with discretion Psalm 112. 5. so discretion will preserve him and understanding will keep him to deliver him from the way of the evil man who leaveth the paths of uprightness to walk in the way of darkness Proverbs 2. 11 12 13. 3. She was seriously Religious without partiallity or any taint of siding or faction or holding the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ in respect of persons I never heard speak against men or for men as they differed in some small and tolerable things She impartially heard any Minister that was able and godly and sound in the main and could bear with the weaknesses Ministers when they were faithful Instead of owning the names or opinions of Prelatical Presbyterian Independent or such like she took up with the name and profession of a Christian and loved a Christian as a Christian without much respect to such different tolerable opinions Instead of troubling her self with needless scruples and making up a Religion of opinions and singularities she studied Faith and Godliness and lived upon the common certain truths and well-known duties which have been the old and beaten way by which the universal Church of Christ hath gone to heaven in former Ages 4. She was very impartial in her judgment about particular cases being the same in judging of the case of a child and a stranger and no interest of children or other relations could make her swerve from an equal judgment 5. She very much preferred the spiritual welfare of her children before their temporal looking on the former as the true felicity and on the later without it but as a pleasant voluntary misery 6. Since I was acquainted with her I alwayes found her very ready to good works according to her power And when she hath seen a poor man come to me that she conjectured solicited me for relief she hath reprehended me for keeping the case to my self and not inviting her to contribute And I could never descern that she thought any thing so well bestowed as that which relieved the necessities of the poor that were honest and industrious 7. She had the wonderful mercy of a man-like Christian patient spirit under all afflictions that did befal her and under the multitude of troublesome businesses that would have even distracted an impatient mind Though sudden anger was the sin that she much confest her self and therefore thought she wanted patience yet I have oft wondered to see her bear up with the same alacrity and quietness when Jobs messengers have brought her the tidings that would have overwhelmed an impatient soul When Law-suits and the great afflictions of her children have assaulted her like successive Waves which I feared would have born her into the deep if not devoured all her peace she sustained all as if no great considerable change had been made against her having the same God and the same Christ and promises and hope from which she fetcht such real comfort and support as shewed a real serious faith 8. She was alwayes apt to put a good interpretation upon Gods providences like a right Believer that having the spirit of Adoption perceiveth Fatherly love in all She would not easily be perswaded that God meant her any harm She was not apt to hearken to the enemy that accuseth God and his wayes to man as he accuseth man and his actions to God She was none of those that are suspicious of God and are still concluding death and ruine from all that he doth to them and are gathering wrath from mis-interpreted expressions of his love who weep because of the smoak before they can be warmed by the fire Yet God is good to Israel aud it shall go well with them that fear before him Psa 73. 1. Eccles 8. 12 13. were her conclusions from the sharpest providences She expected the morning in the darkest night and judged not of the end by the beginning but was alwayes confident if she could but entitle God in the case that the issue would be good She was not a murmurer against God nor one that contended with her Maker nor one that created calamity to her self by a self-troubling unquiet mind She patiently bore what God laid upon her and made it not heavier by the additions of uncomfortable prognosticks and misgiving or repining thoughts She had a great confidence in God that he was doing good to her and hers in all and where at present she saw any matter of grief she much supported her soul with a belief that God would remove and overcome it in due time 9. She was not troubled that ever I discerned with doubtings about her interest in Christ and about her own Justification and Salvation but whether she
not be in vain 1 Cor. 15. 58. Now give the full and final answer unto all my Prayers Now that I have done the fight and finished my course let me find the Crown of righteousness which thy mercy hath laid up 2 Tim. 4. 8. O Crown thy graces and with thy greatest mercies recompence and perfect thy preparatory mercies and let me be Received to thy glory who have been guided by thy counsel Psalm 73. 24. 13. Consider That Christ hath already received millions of Souls and never was unfaithful unto any There are now with him the spirits of the just made perfect that in this life were imperfect as well as you Why then should you not comfortably trust him with your Souls and say Lord thou art the Common Salvation and refuge of thy Saints Both strong and weak even all that are given thee by the Father shall come to thee and those that come thou wilt in no wise cast out Thousands have been entertained by thee that were unworthy in themselves as well as I It is few of thy members that are now on earth in comparison of those that are with thee in Heaven Admit me Lord into the new Jerusalem Thou wilt have thy house to be filled O take my Spirit into the number of those belssed ones that shall come from East West North and South and sit down with Abraham Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom that we may together with eternal joyes give thanks and praise to thee that hast redeemed us to God by thy blood 14. Consider That it is the will of the Father himself that we should be glorified He therefore gave us to his Son and gave his Son for us to be our Saviour that whoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life All our Salvation is the product of his Love Joh. 3. 16 17. Eph. 2. 4. Joh. 6. 37. Joh. 16. 26 27. I say not that I will pray the Father for you for the Father himself loveth you because ye have loved me c. John 14. He that loveth me shall be loved of my Father and I will love him and will manifest my self to him Say therefore with our dying Lord Father into thy hands I commend my Spirit By thy Son who is the way the truth and the life I come to thee Joh. 14. 6. Fulness of joy is in thy presence and everlasting pleasures at thy right hand Psalm 16. 11. Thy love redeemed me renewed and preserved me O now receive me to the fulness of thy Love This was thy will in sending thy Son that of all that thou gavest him he should lose nothing but should raise it up at the last day O let not now this Soul be lost that is passing to thee through the straits of death I had never come unto thy Son if thou hadst not drawn me and if I had not heard and learnt of thee John 6 44 45. I thank thee O Father Lord of Heaven and Earth that thou hast revealed to me a babe an ideot the blessed mysteries of thy Kingdom Luk. 10. 21. Acts 4 13. O now as the vail of flesh must be withdrawn and my soul be parted from this body withdraw the vail of thy displeasure and shew thy servant the glory of thy presence that he that hath seen thee but as in a glass may see thee now with open face and when my earthly house of this Tabernacle is dissolved let me inhabit thy building not made with hands eternal in the heavens 2 Cor. 5. 1. 15. Lastly consider That God hath designed the everlasting glory of his name and the pleasing of his blessed will in our salvation And the Son must triumph in the perfection of his conquest of Sin and Satan and in the perfecting of our Redemption And doubtless he will not lose his Fathers glory and his own Say then with confidence I resign my soul to thee O Lord who hast called and chosen me that thou mightest make known the riches of thy glory on me as a vessel of mercy prepared unto glory Rom. 9. 23. Thou hast predestinated me to the adoption of thy child by Christ unto thy self to the praise of the glory of thy grace wherein thou hast made me accepted in thy beloved Eph. 1. 5 6 11 12 Receive me now to the glory which thou hast prepared for us Mat. 25. 34. The hour is at hand Lord glorifie thy poor adopted child that he may for ever glorify thee Joh. 17. 1. It is thy Promise to glorify those whom thou dost justify Rom. 8. 30. As therere is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Rom. 8. 1. so now let him present me faultless before the presence of the glory with exceeding joy And to thee the only wise God our Saviour be the glory Majesty Dominion and Power for evermore Amen Jude v. 23 24. WHat now remaineth but that we all set our selves to learn this sweet and necessary task that we may joyfully perform it in the hour of our extremity even to recommend our departing Souls to Christ with confidence that he will receive them It is a lesson not easie to be learnt For Faith is weak and doubts and fears will easily arise and nature will be loth to think of dying and we that have so much offended Christ and lived so strangely to him and been entangled in too much familiarity with the World shall be apt to shrink when we should joyfully trust him with our departing Souls O therefore now set your selves to overcome these difficulties in time You know we are all ready to depart It is time this last important work were throughly learned that our death may be both safe and comfortable There are divers other Uses of this Doctrine that I should have urged upon you had there been time As 1. If Christ will Receive your departing Souls then fear not death but long for this Heavenly entertainment 2. Then do not sin for fear of them that can but kill the body and send the Soul to Christ 3. Then think not the righteous unhappy because they are cast off by the world neither be too much troubled at it your selves when it comes to be your case but remember that Christ will not forsake you and that none can hinder him from the Receiving of your Souls No malice nor slanders can follow you so far as by defamation to make your justifyer condemn you 4. If you may trust him with your Souls then trust him with your friends your Children that you must leave behind with all your concernments and affairs and trust him with his Gospel and his Church for they are all his own and he will prevail to the accomplishment of his blessed pleasure But 5. I shall only add that Use which the sad occasion of our meeting doth bespeak What cause have we now to mix our sorrows for our deceased friend with the joyes of faith for her felicity we have left the body to the earth and
that is our lawful sorrow for it is the fruit of sin But her spirit is Received by Jesus Christ and that must be our joy if we will behave our selves as true Believers If we can suffer with her should we not rejoyce also with her And if the joy be far greater to the Soul with Christ than the ruined state of the body can be lamentable it is but reason that our joy should be greater for her joy than our sorrow for the dissolution of the flesh we that should not much lament the passage of a friend beyond the Seas if it were to be advanced to a Kingdom should less lament the passage of a Soul to Christ if it were not for the remnant of our woful unbelief She is arrived at the everlasting Rest where the burden of corruption the contradictions of the flesh the molestations of the Tempter the troubles of the world and the injuries of malicious men are all kept out and shall never more disturb her peace She hath left us in these storms who have more cause to weep for our selves and for our Children that have yet so much to do and suffer and so many dangers to pass through than for the Souls that are at Rest with Christ We are capable of no higher hopes than to attain that state of blessedness which her Soul possesseth And shall we make that the matter of our lamentation as to her which we make the matter of our hopes as to our selves Do we labour earnestly to come thither and yet lament that she is there You will say It is not because she is cloathed upon with the house from Heaven but that she is uncloathed of the flesh But is there any other passage than Death unto immortality Must we not be uncloathed before the garments of Glory can be put on She bemoaneth not her own dissolved Body The glorified Soul can easily bear the corruption of the flesh And if you saw but what the Soul enjoyeth you would be like minded and be moderate in your griefs Love not your selves so as to be unjust and unmerciful in your desires to your friends Let Satan desire to keep them out of Heaven but do not you desire it You may desire your own good but not so as to deprive your friends of theirs yea of a greater good that you may have a lesser by it And if it be their company that you desire in reason you should be glad that they are gone to dwell where you must dwell for ever and therefore may for ever have their company Had they stayed on earth you would have had their company but a little while because you must make so short a stay your selves Let them therefore begin their journy before you and grudge not that they are first at home as long as you expect to find them there In the mean time he that called them from you hath not left you comfortless He is with you himself who is better than a Mother or than ten thousand friends When grief or negligence hindereth you from observing him yet he is with you and holdeth you up and tenderly provideth for you Though turbulent passions injuriously question all his Love and cause you to give him unmannerly and unthankful words yet still he beareth with you and forgiveth all and doth not forsake you for your peevishness and weakness because you are his Children and he knoweth that you mean not to forsake him Rebuke your passions and calm your minds Reclaim your thoughts and cast away the bitterness of suspicious quarrelsome unbelief and then you may perceive the presence of your dearest friend and Lord who is enough for you though you had no other friend Without him all the friends on earth would be but silly comforters and leave you as at the gates of Hell Without him all the Angels and Saints in Heaven would never make it a Heaven to you Grieve not too much that one of your Candles is put out while you have the Sun Or if indeed it be not day with any of you or the Sun be clouded or ecclipsed let that rather be the matter of your grief Find out the cause and presently submit and seek reconciliation Or if you are deprived of this Light because you are yet asleep in sin hearken to his call and rub your eyes Eph. 5. 14. Awake thou that sleepest and arise from the dead and Christ shall give thee light Rom. 13. 11 12 13 14. Knowing that it is now high time to awake out of sleep our salvation being nearer than when we first believed the night is far spent the day of eternal light is even at hand cast off therefore the works of darkness and put on all the armour of light walk honestly and decently as in the day And whatever you do make sure of the friend that never dyeth and never shall be separated from you and when you die will certainly Receive the souls which you commend unto him And here though contrary to my custom I shall make some more particular mention of our deceased friend on several accounts 1. In prosecution of this Use that now we are upon that you may see in the evidences of her happiness how little cause you have to indulge extraordinary grief on her account and how much cause to moderate your sense of our loss with the sense of her felicity 2. That you many have the benefit of her example for your imitation especially her Children that are bound to observe the holy actions as well as instructions of a Mother 3. For the honour of Christ and his Grace and his Servant For as God hath promised to honour those that honour him 1 Sam 2. 30. and Christ hath said If any man serve me him will My Father honour John 12. 26. So I know Christ will not take it ill to be honoured in his members and to have his Ministers subserve him in so excellent a work It is a very considerable part of the love or hatred honour or dishonour that Christ hath in the world which he receiveth as he appeareth in his followers He that will not see a cup of cold water given to one of them go unrewarded and will tell those at the last day that did or did not visit and relieve them that they did or did it not to him will now expect it from me as my duty to give him the honour of his Graces in his deceased servant and I doubt not will accordingly accept it when it is no other indeed than his own honour that is my End and nothing but the words of Truth and Soberness shall be the means And here I shall make so great a transition as shall retain my discourse in the narrow compass of the Time in which she lived near me and under my care and in my familiar acquaintance omitting all the rest of her life that none may say I speak but by hear-say of things which I am uncertain of and I