hear a voice this hour as that wicked Pope did Veâ—i Miser in judicium Come thou wretch unto thy particular and eternal judgement what wouldst thou do where wouldst thou appear and where wouldst thou leave thy glory Isai 10.3 I would not for a world take thy turn How is it possible that thou canst eat or drink or sleep with any quietness of mind that in the day thy meat is not sauced with sorrow and thy drink mingled with weeping that in the night thou art not scared with dreams and terrified with visions when thy whole eternity dependeth upon that little thread of life which is in danger every moment to be cut asunder and thou to drop into hell Art thou a man that hast reason and canst thou be contented one hour in such a condition Art thou a Christian that believest the Word of God to be truth and canst thou continue one moment longer in that Sodom of thy natural estate which will be punished with fire and brimstone I tell thee didst thou and the rest of thy carnal neighbours but give credit to Scripture thou and they too would sooner sleep in a chamber where all the wals round the cieling above and floor below were in a burning light flame then rest quietly one moment in thine estate of sin and wrath But for thy sake thy condition yet not being desperate though very dangerous that thou mightest avoid the easeless misery of the sinner and attain the endlesse felicity of the Saint I have purposely written the next Use which I request thee as thou lovest thy life thy soul thine unchangeable good nay I charge thee as thou wilt answer the contrary at the great and dreadful day of the Lord Jesus that thou read carefully and that thou practice faithfully the means and directions therein propounded out of the Word of God 3. My third Use shall be of exhortation to those that are dead in sins to labour for this spiritual life Whoever thou art that wouldest have gain by thy death then get Christ to be thy life Hast thou read of that fulness of joy of those rivers of pleasures of that exceeding and eternal weight of glory of that Kingdom that cannot be shaken of that enjoyment of Christ of that full immediate fruition of God and in him of all good of that perfect freedom from all evil which they and only they shall be partakers of who have this spiritual life And is not thy heart inflamed with love to it thy soul enlarged in desire after it Extrema Christianorum desiderantur etsi non exâ—r iâ— Hiâ—â— thy will resolved to venture all and undertake any thing for it Surely if thou art a man and hast reason thy will and affections will be carried out after things that are good but if thou hast but a spark of Christianity thou canst not but be exceedingly ravished with things so eminently so superlatively so infinitely good The Historian observeth that the riches of Cyprus invited the Romans to hazard dangerous fights for the conquering it How many storms doth the Merchant sail through for corruptible treasures How often doth the Souldier venture his limbs nay his life for a little perishing plunder Reader I am perswading thee to mind the true treasure durable riches even those which will swim out with thee in the shipwrack of death Stephen Gardiner said of justification by Faith only that it was a good supper doctrine though not so good a break-fast one So the power of godliness this spiritual life though it be not so pleasant to live in as to the flesh yet it is most comfortable to die with When Moses had heard a little of the earthly Canaan how earnestly doth he beg that he might see it Deut. 3.25 I pray thee let me go over and see the good Land that is beyond Jordan that goodly mountain and Lebanon Thou hast read a little of the heavenly Canaan and hast thou not ten thousend times more cause to desire it Plato saith If moral Philosophy could be seen with moral eyes it would draw all mens hearts after it May not I more truly say if the gain of a Saint at death could be seen with spiritual eyes with the eye of faith it would make all men in love with it and eager after it Baalam as bad as he was did desire to die the death of the righteous and surely they that dislike their way cannot but desire their end but God hath joyned them both together and it is not in the power of any man to put them asunder therefore if thou wouldst die their deaths thou must live their spiritual lives Holinesse is the seed out of which that harvest groweth If thou wouldst be safe when thou shalt launch into the vast Ocean of eternity if thou wouldst be received into the celestial habitation when thou shalt be turned out of thy house of clay make sure of this life in Christ If an Heathen Prince would not admit Virgins to his bed before they were purified Est 2.12 canst thou think the King of Kings will take thee into his nearest and dearest embraces before thou art sanctified Believe it heaven must be in thee before thou shalt be in heaven Unless the Spirit of God adorn thy soul as Abrams servant did Rebeckah with the jewels of grace thou art no fit Spouse for the true Isaak the Lord of glory The brutish worldling indeed would willingly live prophanely and yet die comfortably dance with the Devil all day and sup with Christ at night have his portion in this world with the rich man in the other world with Lazarus There is a story of one thaâ— b iâ—g repâ—â—ved for his vicious life and pâ—rswaded to mind godliness would anâ— often Thâ—t it was but sayâ—ng three words at his death â—nd he â—as sure to have eternal life probably his three words were Miâ—erere mei Deus but he riding one day over a bridge his horse stumbled and as boâ—h werâ— falling into the river he cryeth out Capiat omnia diabolus â—o se and mâ—n â—nd all to the Devil As he l ved so he died with three words 〈…〉 such as he hoped to have had As the young swaggerer told his gracelesse companion when they had been with Ambrose and seen him on his death-bed nothing affrighted at the approach of the King of terrors but triumphing over it O that I might live with thee and die with Ambrose But this cannot be an happy death is the conclusion of an holy life The God who giveth heaven hath in great letters written in his Word upon what termes and no other it may be had He chooseth to salvation through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth 2 Thess 2.13 It is as possible for thee to enjoy the benefit of the Sons passion without the Fathers creation as without the Spirits sanctification Believe the word of truth John 3.3 Verily verily I say unto thee except a
God may imprint what he pleaseth Lord what wilt thou have me do The other instance is in the cruel rough hard-hearted Jaylour After the earth-quake and the heart-quake which God had caused he springs trembling in and fell down before Paul and Silas crying out Sirs What shall I do to be saved Acts 16. 29 30. Observe now the man is heart-sick indeed he is willing to take the most bitter pills As if he had said Sirs Do but tell me what I must do for salvation though the terms be never so hard the conditions never so unpleasant the price never so much the pains never so great yet I will submit to any thing to all things for salvation What must I do to be saved When the Israelite first sets out towards Canaan there is a mixt multitude of carnal affections which desire and endeavour to bear him company now because God knoweth that the land is too good for such evil inhabitants and besides that they will cause many mutinies in the way he brings therefore the Israelite into the wildernesse to humble him and to cut them off Before the soul be throughly humbled it dodgeth with Christ it plaies fast and loose off and on this it liketh and that it disliketh this part of the yoke is uneasie this burthen is too heavy and such and such commandments are grievous fain it would have Christ and his precious promises but loth it is to forego its old friends its beloved lusts but when God is pleased to take the sinner by the throat and to shake him out of his security by shewing him sin and wrath in their colours making him sensible of the one and terrifying him with a fearful expectation of the other laying him at the pits brink within the smoak of hell within the smell of that brimstone within the sorchings of that eternal fire which is prepared for the Devil and his Angles now the sinner seeth that God is in earnest and therefore dareth not halt or halve it any longer now he is in a boisterous storm and casteth all those goods his darling-sinnes into the sea perceiving that he must perish if he do not God is necessitated to launce mens wounds and put them to pain because otherwise they cannot be cured When the metal is thus melted God may cast it into what mold he pleaseth O thrice happy is that heart which hath been deeply and truly humbled it shall hold out in those tempests wherein many others shall make shipwrack of faith and a good conscience Thirdly 3 Direction Application of Christ if thou hast been faithful in following my former advice to get thy mind enlightned to see and thy heart throughly humbled for thy sin and misery thy next work is to rest and rely upon the Lord Jesus Christ for pardon grace and salvation To look upon him as one appointed by the father given by himself sanctified by the spirit and revealed in the word of truth the Gospel to be the onely and al-sufficient Saviour of lost souls It is now the proper time for thee to cast thy soul thy sins thine eternal estate upon the infinite meritoriousnesse of the blessed Redeemer Experience sheweth that it is very easie for an unbroken sinner to presume but surely it is very hard for an humbled sinner that hath had all his vilenesse and unworthinesse displayed before his eye and the infinite wrath of God like a mountain of lead oppressing his conscience to believe and therefore I have prepared some choice cordials for such fainting spirits which I shall give thee anon But my work now is to beseech thee broken heart that thou take heed of thinking to lick thy self whole I know the Devil and thy heart will be both busie and diligent to get thee to make a Christ of thy contrition and a Saviour of thy humiliation O how unwilling is man when he hath shipwrack't his soul to commit himself naked to the sea of Christs blood how earnest is he to have the chains and jewels of his earthly affections along with him This spiritual life is a liâ—e of Faith and indeed upon this the whole almost of thy work dependeth Fide regenâ—ramur resipiscontia non solum fidem subsâ—quitur sed ex ea nascitur Calv. and to swim out upon the rotten boards of his own works Reader now therefore especially if thy soul be in a flame be careful out of what well thou drawest thy water to quench it This is one of the chiefest nay the chiefest of all fundamentals in Religion and therefore it behoveth thee to be very tender Now thou art nigh drowning neer sinking in the Ocean of divine fury thou hadst need to make sure that the bough or stake or what ever it be by which thou holdest be strong enough and able to bear thy weight It is likely nay it is certain if thou art humbled as aforesaid thou prayest thou mournest thou sighest thou loathest thy self for thy wickednesse thou admirest God for his forbearance thou longest after help and deliverance be sure that thou do not look on these as so much money wherewith thou maiest purchase thy pardon and buy off thy guilt for believe it if thou doest as white as thy silver is it will draw black lines instead of wiping off thy old score thou wilt thereby run further in debt Evangelical humiliation is required not so much to make thee acceptable to Christ as to make Christ acceptable to thee It is a good evidence of the beginnings of sanctification but it is a bad advocate for thy justification It is as truly dangerous to appear before God in the rags of thy own righteousnesse as in thy sinful nakednesse If ever thou receive the blessing of pardon and love from thy heavenly father it must be by appearing in the garments of thine elder brother He maketh his acceptable but it is in Christ the beloved Eph. 1.6 Nothing but perfect righteousnesse will pacifie Gods anger or satisfie his justice or please those eyes which are purer than to behold the least iniquity And this righteousnesse is onely in Christ who was made sin for thee that thou mightst become the righteousnesse of God in him 2 Corinth 5. ult Do not therefore when thou ceasest to be an Athiest begin to be a Papist in relying upon thy good works for though God will not save thee without them yet he will never save thee for them Shepherds Sincere Convert p. 107. Edit 5. Canst thou saith an eminent Minister now with Christ make thy self a Christ for thy self Canst thou bear and come from under an infinite wrath canst thou bring in perfect righteousnesse into the presence of God This Christ must do else he could not satisfie and redeem And if thou canst not do this and hast no Christ desire and pray till heaven and earth shake till thou hast worn thy tongue to the stumps endeavour as much as thou canst and others commend thee for a diligent
and the larger thy disbursements for God make to thy self friends of the Mammon of unrighteousness that when that faileth thou maist be received into the Celestial habitation The way to get that which thou canst not part with is by charity to part with that which thou canst not keep Thou canct not carry thy bags to heaven it is good to take bills of exchange from the poor whereby thou maist receive there what thou couldst not carry thither Laudent te esurientium viscera non ructantium opulenta convivia saith Hierom. It is storied of Alexander that having given away almost all he had one of his friends asked him where his treasure was he answered pointing to the poor In scriniis in his chest He asked him what he had left for himself Alexander answers spem majorum Let thy charity especially relate to the souls of people What were it for thee to maintain four or six poor children at School whereby they may come to read and learn to know the way to life Doth it not grieve thee to understand the gross ignorance of many and what do they tell us when we reprove them for it that they are not book learned they could never read What were it for thee that hast possibly severall hundreds per annum to give twenty pound a year this way I tell thee that God expecteth more than this for his service and I am confident thou maist have more comfort in such acts of soul-charity than in ten times the value bestowed on the world and the flesh I am sure God keepeth an exact account how thou employest thy revenues and think of it again and again what thou wilt do in such an hour when thou shalt stand naked at the judgement seat of Christ and all thy receipts and disbursments shall be declared and mentioned before the Lord Angels and Men when Imprimis Pride cometh with her Tailors long bill of so many thousands for new fashions foolish fancies or gaudy attire for thee or thine when the poor members of Christ were ready to perish with nakedness Item Gluttony or drunkenness or luxury so many thousands Item So many hundreds for Hauks or Hounds or gaming Item so many hundreds for idle needless expences Item for propagating the gospel relieving the poor exalting the interest of Christ so many pounds or onely some few scraps which the Knight or Esquire or Gentleman could spare after he had made full provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof Believe it thou wilt wish then thou hadst done more for God and his interest and less for the flesh It was a wise speech of Licon the Philosopher when a wealthy Merchant bragd to him of the multitudes of his ships and furniture for sea Laert. how he was able to trade into all parts I esteem not that to be felicitie which hangs upon ropes and cables Sure I am thy wealth hath wings and will within a few daies take an eternal flight from thee the way to make the best of it is not to lay it up but to lay it out as may be most for the glory of God Whoever thou art whether poor or rich make an absolute dedication of thy self and thy all unto Christ if thou wouldst attain salvation by Christ He that cannot live of himself must not live to himself for if he doth he dieth eternallie he loseth himself for ever If heaven might be had upon mens cursed terms of liberty for their lusts Christ would have customers enough but he that bought the purchase is fittest to set the price Reader I set before thee in this Treatise Life and Death Heaven and Hell if thou art a true Isaac and hast a spiritual appetite I dare promise thee such savoury meat as thy soul loveth but if Gallio-like thou carest for none of these things or as the two tribes and an half desirest thy portion on this side the land of Canaan If as Spira thou wilt put thy relations and possessions honor and pleasure and outward good things in one scale and God and Christ and Heaven in the other and then choose the former and refuse the latter I hope I shall never envy thy happiness nor desire to eat of thy dainties or drink of thy cup but pray that the Lord would have mercy on the onely let me tell thee if thou wouldst avoid the unconceivable endless misery of the damned if thou wouldst attain the eternal matchless felicity of the saved If thou wouldst have all thy former rebellions blotted out through the blood of the Son If thou wouldst have thy person reconciled to the Father If thou wouldst have God in Christ to stand by thee when none of thy friends or comforts shall own thee if thou wouldst appear at the dreadful Bar of Christ with comfort when thousands and millions shall weep and wail If thou wouldst not have me nor this book to be a witness against thee before the Lord Angels and men then turn from sin speedily cleave to thy Saviour unfainedly give up thy self to all the commands of Christ unreservedly To day if thou wilt hear his voice harden not thy heart least he swear in his wrath that thou shalt never enter into his rest Heb. 3. Reader I shall detain thee but a little longer in the porch onely to give thee a brief account of this ensuing tractate Though I confess I never liked large Apologies for any publications for if mens books are like to be serviceable to the honor of the infinite God and the welfare of the souls of men â— small a Apology will serve if they are â—ot why do they trouble the world â—ith them It is not all the image and â—uperscription which their excuses can â—amp on them shall ever make them â—urrant coin with me I was called to â—each a Sermon at Borden in Kent Octob. 7. 1658. at the Funeral of a grave Reâ—gious Gentlewomaâ— one that as I am â—formed was a tender mother of her â—ildren and a dutiful daughter to the â—ther of Spirits Mistris Beresford wiâ—w of Master Michael Beresferd a learnâ— painful godly Minister of the Lord Jeâ— Christ who had a good report of â— men that feared God and knew â— and of the truth it self He was â—nister of the abovenamed Parish above â—nty years â— was after the preaching of it reâ—â—ed to publish it and promised that â—nsiderable number should be freely â—red in several families whereby â—gh the blessing of God some poor souls might be turned from darkness unto light and from the power of Sataâ— unto God Before I had prepared thâ— Sermon for the Presse I was intreateâ— to inlarge it into a Treatise All whicâ— desires I was willing to satisfie partâ— out of the great respect I did bear * Mr. John Beresford Citizen Apothecary one that feareth the Lord aboâ—e many one especially that earnestly begd iâ— but chiesly out of the weak desire I â— to be instrumental for the conversion â— the
Piscator will by no means grant it to be the mind of the Spirit in this place In the words you may see the sign of a Saint to him to live is Christ and his solace to him to die is gain his holy description in the former his happy condition in the latter The Text being thus explained affordeth this truth taking both parts of it together Doctrine That such as have Christ for their life shall have gain by their death He that liveth in Christ on earth shall live with Christ in heaven Where the soul hath the seed of holinesse it shall reap an harvest of happinesse The Apostle when he summeth up the estate of a believer counteth death as a part of his riches Whether Paul or Apollo or Cephas or the world or life or death all are yours 1 Cor. 3.22 and ye are Christs he that can say I am Christs may as truly say Death is mine If thou canst say I am Christs servant I am Christs Subject thou mayest say Death will be my preferment death will be my advancement For the Explication of this doctrine I shall shew first what is meant by that phrase to me to live is Christ and secondly wherein it will appear that death to such a man iâ— gain Four things in the phrase To me to live is Christ For the former To me to live is Christ may imply these four things 1. Christ is the principle of my life All living creatures have an inward principle by which they live and according to which they act Plants have a principle of vegetation beasts have a principle of sense Ad vitam spiritualem quod attinet certum est adnos derivari exiguos quosdam rivulos ipsum autem fontem in Christo latere Daven in Col. 3.3 men have a principle of reason and their lives are different answerable to their different principles But a Christian hath an higher principle that is Christ dwelling in his heart by faith Ephes 3.17 and thence it is that he lives an higher life As the body liveth by its union with the soul so the Christian liveth by his union with Jesus Christ Christ is the fountaine and spring of his life the soul of his soul and the life of his life I live saith the Apostle Gal. 2.20 yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Sonne of God As the branches they live but it is by the root they derive sap from it and so live by it So the believer he liveth spiritually but it is by Christ he deriveth the sap of grace from this true Vine and so liveth by him The water in the Rivers doth not more depend upon the Ocean nor the light in the air upon the Sun than the life of a Christian dependeth on Jesus Christ And therefore the Holy Ghost telleth us He that hath the Son 1 Joh. 5.12 hath life and he that hath not the Son hath not life I have sometime read that the Lioness bringeth forth her whelps dead till after some time the lion roareth aloud and then they live This is certain every man and woman is born dead dead to God dead in sins and trespasses till this lion of rhe tribe of Judah uttereth his voice then they arise from the dead and Christ giveth them life When the soul like the body of Lazarus hath been dead so long that it stinketh and is unsavory when it hath been many dayes nay many years rotting in the grave of corruption then if Jesus Christ calleth effectually Lazarus come forth sinner come forth of thy carnal unregenerate estate then and not till then the soul heareth the voice of the Son of God and liveth Grace is of a divine birth Joh. 3.3 it is the seed of God John 3.3 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Except a man be born from above 1 Joh. 3.9 an unction from the holy One 1 Joh. 2.27 called dew which is of a coelestial extraction Psal 110.3 and light 1 Joh. 1.7 the fountain of water is in the earth but the fountain of light is in the Heavens Non nascimur sed renascimur christiani The web of godlinesse was never spun out of mans own bowels As none can see the Sun but by its own light so none can with an eye of faith see the Sun of righteousnesse but by the light of grace derived from him We are his workmanship saith the Apostle created in Jesus Christ unto good works His workmanship not only in our natural capacity as men as creatures and in our civil capacity as rich or poor high or low but also in our spiritual capacity as Christians as new creatures Secondly To me to live is Christ i. e. Christ is the pattern of my life my life is not onely from him but according to him Christ is the rule according to which I walk the copy after which I write As sin and disobedience is a resemblance of the first so grace and holinesse is a resemblance of the second Adam True christianity consisteth in nothing but our conformity to Sanctitas dicitur per quam mens scipsam suos actâ—â— applicat Deo So the Schoolâ—e and imitation of Jesus Christ And indeed as the child in generation receiveth from the parent member for member part for part and the paper from the press word for word letter for lettter and the wax from the seal figure for figure So in regeneration Christ is formed in the soul and it receiveth according to its proportion grace for grace One end of Christs incarnation and life in the flesh was to set an exact pattern for our lives in the spirit He left us an example that we shoeld follow his steps 1 Pet. 2.21 All the actions of Christ are instructions to a Christian His actions were either moral or mediatory In both the Christian imitates him In the former doing as he did exercising the same graces performing the same duties resisting the same temptations forbearing the same corruptions In the latter by similitude dying to sin as he died for sin rising to a spiritual life as he rose again to a natural life None indeed can parallel the life of Christ but every new creature imitateth Christ in his life he walketh as Christ walked Philip. 2 1 Joh. 2.6 The same mind is in all the Saints so far as they are regenerated that was in Christ the same will the same affections they love what he loveth they loath what he loatheth what pleaseth him pleaseth them what grieveth his spirit grieveth their spirits As the wicked are like their father the Devil unholy as he is unholy so the children of Christ are like their everlasting Father holy as he is holy onely with this difference in Christ there is a fulnesse in them a measure in Christ pureness in them a mixture Thirdly To me to live is Christ i. e. Christ is the comfort of
the word seemeth to imply that when they lost their primitive purity they willingly lost that habitation of spiritual pleasures But whether he will or no he shall be banished those coasts though he now dog the Saint at and disturb him in every duty he shall do it no more The accuser of the brethren shall be cast down neither shall his place be found any more in heaven Rev. 12.8 9. Secondly a Christian by death shall not only be freed from the evil of sin and defilement but also from the evil of suffering and chastisement SublataeÌ„ causaÌ„ toâ—itur effectus the cause being taken away the effects will cease Sinne is that great-bellied mother or rather Monster which conceiveth and bringeth forth all those losses crosses diseases disgraces sorrowes and sufferings whatsoever that befall the children of men though man may be the Butt yet sin is the mark at which the arrows of Divine displeasure are shot man weaves a spiders web of sinne out of his own bowels and then in intangled in it Wickednesse alone is the original cause of all we Lament 3.39 Rom. 6. ult But now at the death of a Saint the fountain of sin will be dryed up and therefore the streams of sufferings must be dryed up also The fuel being taken away the fire will go out of it self sin and sorrow were born do live and shall die together As sin is the original cause of all so it 's the final cause of most afflictions Sometimes they are for probation as we shoot at good armour that we may prove it and that we may praise it but most commonly they are for purgation to amend something that is amiss the fathers of the flesh chastize for their pleasure but the father of spirits for our profit that we might be partakers of his holinesse Heb. 12.6 the quiet fruits of righteousnesse blossome from the correcting rod bitter Aloes purges the worms winds and thunder clear the air frosts and showers whiten cloaths the husbandman useth the flail to separate the chaff and the refiner the fire to consume the drosse but when the wheat shall be clean there will be no need of the flail when the gold pure no use of the fire now saith the Apostle if need be ye are in heavinesse 1 Pet. 1.6 Mark now if need be now men have hard knots and therefore need sharp wedges now men have strong corruptions and therefore need strong corrections now the rod is as necessary as our daily bread chastisements are to teach men in Gods law Psal 94.12 to search and heal their spiritual sores but now at death the Scholar in Christs school will have perfectly learned his lesson and therefore there will be no need of a rod then the wounds of the soul will be perfectly cured and these plaisters will fall off of themselves Death will make him whole that he can sin no more and so no worse or so bad thing shall come to him There are three evils of affliction which I shall mention The first on the Name The second on the Body The third on the Soul From all which a believer shall be freed by death First Death will free the Saint from ignominy on his name Here if the world cannot make the christian wound his conscience they will be sure to wound his credit Elijah is counted the troubler of Israel Nehemiah a rebel against the King David the song of the drunkards and the scorn of the gluttons Psalme 69.12.35.16 Isaiah and his children for signs and wonders Isa 8.18 Jeremiah is a man of contention Jer. 15.10 The son of man a wine-bibber a glutton Paul a pestilent fellow and a mover of sedition Acts 24.10 the uprightest Saint is markt for an hypocrite in the worlds Kalender If they cannot smite him with their hands their arms are not long enough alwayes they will not fail to smite him with their tongues What a precise fool say they is such a fellow he dares not take up his cups as we do but could we see his heart it is as bad as the worst of ours he will do as bad or worse when no body seeth him he will not swear but he will lie I 'le warrant you He spendeth his time in nothing but going to Sermons and meetings and is as arrant a dissembler as liveth Such an one of the same Society was guilty of such a sin and they are all alike these are your professours Thus the corruption of their hearts breaks out at their lips and they most wretchedly wound even Christ through the sides of the Christian But heaven will not only wipe away all tears from the christians eyes but also all blots off from his name Upright Hezekiah in heaven is above the sound of cursed Rabshekah's tongue which was set on fire of hell Now holy David is got up that heavenly hill that Mount Zion he heareth not the railings and revilings of sinful Shimei The most spiteful scorner of them all cannot throw that dirt so high with which he bespatters the Saints reputation here below Secondly As death will free the christian from ignominy in his name so likewise from infirmities in his body Diseases cause death but death will cure all diseases In this life Job had his botches Hezekiah his boil David his wounds and sores the poor widdow her issue of blood one man wasteth away with a consumption like a candle till all the matter is spent Another laboureth under a continual ach that like the importunate widdow will give him no rest day nor night this man spends his dayes in pain that man hath wearisome nights appointed to him In some the bridle is taken off the fire and they burn with a Feaver in others the flood-gate is taken up from the water and they are like to be drowned with a dropsie The patient man complaineth my breath is corrupt my days are extinct the grave is ready for me Job 17.1 the upright man cryeth out My wounds stink and are corrupt my loines are filled with a loathsome disease In one the keepers of the house tremble with a palsie or lamenesse In a second the sound of grinders is low through weaknesse In a third those that look out of the windows are darkned through blindnesse In a fourth the daughters of Musick are brought down with deafnesse O what an army not only of moral but natural adversaries hath every man in his own bowels constantly set in array against him marching up sometimes one Physicians tell us that 2000 diseases annoy mans body whereof 200 affect the eyes sometime another as the Lord of hosts giveth the word of command So that indeed mans body is a spittle or an hospital for diseases But death will help all this as the blind man told the lame when they met at the stake Brother you may cast away your staffe death will cure us both the Physician of souls will by death heal all the diseases of the Saints bodies
death when thou lyest upon thy death-bed and art going out of the world thou mayst take thy leave of thy friends estate honour and delights in such language as this Farewel my dear wife children and all my friends farewel for ever I am going where lovers and friends will be put farre from me I must never never have any friend more but shall remain friendlesse to all eternity Farewel my house and Land my silver and gold farewel for ever I shall from henceforth and for ever be a beggar and though I beg but for one drop of water to coole my tongue when this whole body shall be in unquenchable flames I must everlastingly be denied Farewel my honours and delights farewel for ever I shall never more be respected or comforted confusion of face and easelesse pains are to be my endlesse and unchangeable portion Thus man thou wilt most miserably even out-live thy felicity and when thou comest to live indeed i. e. in the other world want all thy comforts and joys 2. Thou shalt lose by death all thy spiritual preferment It is now no mean mercy to thee hadst thou an heart to prize and improve it that thou enjoyest the Ordinances of God the means of grace many golden seasons for the good of thy soul that thou mayst sit at Gods feet and hear his voice out of Scripture fall down on thy knees and seek his face by prayer but know to thy sorrow death wil rob thee of all these Jewels Now thou hast the tenders of mercy the intreaties of the Minister the motions of the Spirit the invitations of Christ liberty to cast thy self down at the foot-stool of Heavens Majesty and to be as fervent and instant as thou wilt for mercy but then the gate wil be shut and there wil be no praying or hearing or preaching in the place whether thou art going Psal 88.11 Shall thy loving kindnesse be declared in the grave or thy faithfulnesse in destruction the interrogation is a strong negation There is no preaching of Gods clemency or fidelity either in the grave or hel All the Lectures read in the former are by worms of mans mortality and all the Sermons heard in the latter are of mans misery and Gods severity Reader I assure thee from the living God that though in this life thou art now and then bungling about a duty and giving God thy stinking breath a few cold lazy petitions which proceed from thy corrupt lungs thy cursed heart thou shalt do so no more after death As the Saints shall be above this mediate enjoyment of God so thou shalt be below it And truly hadst thou ever had Communion with God in a duty this losse would go near thee How amiable is the worshipping of God to a gracious soul he prizeth Ordinances because they are the means of it in this world above his estate and food or what ever is deare to him Psa 119.14 72 111. Job 23.12 Psa 84.1.2 3. And this priviledge he shall have by death to be employed stil about the same work of pleasing glorifying worshipping and enjoying God only he shall do it in a more excellent and more delightful way He continueth as it were in the same School death only removes him to an higher form or if you will death sends him from the School in which he was fitted and prepared to the University of heaven but O sinner thou must be deprived of this happinesse indeed now thou esteemest the Ordinances of God a burden as precious as they are to others they are tedious to thee The Church is thy Goal the Sabbath is thy ague-day the commands of Christ are bonds and fetters to thee Psa 72.3 The voice of thy carnal heart is when wil the glasse be out when wil the duty be done when wil the Sabbath be over that thou mayst follow the world Amos 8.5 Thou thinkest the prayer is too long the Sermon is too long the Sabbath is too long the duties are all too long wel be patient but a little a short time and thou shalt never be troubled with these long duties more The night is coming when there is no working Joh. 9.4 There is no enjoying Sabbath or Sacraments or seasons of grace no wisdome knowledge or device in the grave to which thou art hastening Eccles 9.10 Now the Minister exhorteth thee to cast away thy sins and come to thy Saviour to reject thy soul-damning lusts and accept of a soul-saving Lord The Father commandeth thee by his Soveraignty over thee and propriety in thee as thy Creatour The Son entreateth thee by presenting his bloody sweat and sufferings unto thee as he is thy Redeemer The Spirit stirreth thee to pity thy precious soul and to minde thine unchangeable estate to consider seriously in this day of Gods patience the things which concern thy eternal peace The Gospel is a Treasure of inestimable value freely offered to thee upon condition thou wilt but heartily embrace it and the easie yoke of Christ together The Word of God chargeth inviteth allureth beseecheth promiseth threateneth all these like so many Trumpets do loudly sound a retreat to call thee off from thy slavery to the world and flesh unto the glorious liberty of the Sons of God but thou art as deaf as the Adder and wilt not hear the voice of these heavenly charmes as hard as the Rock the waves of threatenings which dash unweariedly against thee stirre thee not the showres and dews of promises which fall on thee continually make no impression neither mercies nor judgements neither men nor God can prevaile with thee Well sinner think of it again and again and thy heart is hardened with a witnesse if it do not tremble to think of it the hour is approaching when thou shalt never have these tenders these invitations these means these motions more though thou shalt earnestly and uncessantly desire them and willingly accept of them if they could be granted thee after thou hast fryed as many millions of yeares in hell as there are stars in the heavens piles of grasse on the earth and sands on the sea shoar yet thy intreaty upon such an hard condition shall be denied then thou wilt befool thy self to purpose for staying til the day after the faire for not accepting when thou wast wel offered then mercy wil be mercy indeed then grace wil be grace indeed then the Gospel wil be glad-tydings indeed when by the want of them thou shalt fully know the worth of them Now God holdeth the Candle of his Word to thee and instead of working thou playest instead of working out thy own salvation instead of working the works of him that sent thee into the world thou playest the fool the drunkard the beast the hypocrite the Atheist wel thou shalt go into utter darknesse where those lights which thou now enjoyest will never shine Plutarch observeth of Hannibal he might once have taken Rome and would not afterwards he would and could not now
is the same man he was before only he hath a new endowment of the light of holinesse which he had not before Now thus the Spirit ever worketh where it dwelleth it is therefore called a river of living waters John 7.37 not a pond of dead but a river of living waters a pond will suffer dirt and mud to continue in it without opposition but a river of living waters purgeth out and casteth up its mire and dirt its foam and scum Isa 57.20 So the spirit of the world and flesh will let Atheism pride and unbelief to lodge and lurk in the soul without resistance unlesse it be a little from a natural conscience but the Spirit of God worketh out these gradually as generous wine worketh out lees and dregs The Spirit is also called fire Acts 2. Matth. 3.11 for as fire fighteth with the cold water that is over it and by degrees conquereth it and reduceth the water to its own likenesse of heat in some measure so the Spirit lusteth and fighteth against the flesh and by degrees overcometh the interest of it captivateth the soul to the obedience of Christ and conformeth the whole man in some measure to the Image of God Examine thy soul by this Doth the spirit within thee combat with and conquer thy corruptions Doth it enable thee to cast them away with shame and detestation Hath it turned the bent of thy heart and stream of thy affections after spiritual and heavenly things The waters of the sea as some write though by their naturall course they follow the center yet in obedience to the Moon are subject to her motion and so turn and return ebbe and flow So though thou by nature didst follow the lusts of the flesh the lusts of the eye and the pride of life yet in obedience to the Spirit dost thou now follow its motions Hath the interest of the Spirit an actual predominancy in thy soul above the interest of the flesh Canst thou say that the interest of the spirit and the interest of the flesh do often meet together on a narrow bridge where both cannot go forward together and usually thou sufferest the Spirit to go forward and the flesh to go back When two Masters walk together and a servant followeth after it is not easie to know to which of the two the servant belongs but when the Masters part the servant is discovered whose he is When relgiion and the world have their interests together thou mayst be hid but when thy credit and Christ thy pleasure and the spirit come in competition as they will very often thou mayst discover thy self clearly whore servant thou art Speak friend and let thy conscience witness whether it be thus or no thou mast deceive and thereby undo thy self but thou canst not deceive God for if the Spirit do not sanctifie thee the Son will never save thee Pharao's Court admitted of Frogs and Lice and Noah's Ark received unclean Beasts into it but no such vermine can crawle into the heavenly Court Into it can in no wise enter observe Reader in no wise any thing that is defiled or unclean Revel 21.17 These are the words of the true and living God Canst thou think that thou hast the Spirit of God and shalt be a gainer by death who art a servant of unrighteousness who hast vain-glory covetousness hypocrisie carnal-mindedness within thee and never mournest under them as one heavy laden with them nor longest after Regeneratio gratuitam coram deo justificationem individuo nexu comitatur nec ab ea separari potest etiamsi distingui debeat Polan Syntag. lib 6. cap. 37. nor usest diligently the meanes for deliverance from them Dost thou live a spiritual life that instead of being dead to sin art dead in sin and shalt thou arrive at heaven who walkest in the road to hell I assure thee a King will sooner admit dunghill-rakers and privy-cleaners in their nastiest filthiest pickle into his bed then God will take thee if thou be such a one into heaven No Heaven is for the holy and for them only 2. The Spirit of God is a praying Spirit it is called the spirit of grace and supplication Zach. 12.10 the spirit of adoption Rom. 8.15 and of his Son whereby they that have it cry Abba Father Gal. 4.6 As Christ in Heaven makes intercession for them without them Heb. 7.25 so the Spirit of Christ on earth maketh intercession for them within them God never had any still-born children The fathers after the flesh sometimes have dumbe children but the Father of spirits never had any such Mans invocation of God presently followeth upon Gods effectual vocation of him One of the first signes of spiritual life in Paul was spiritual breathing Behold he prayeth Acts 9.6 and it is observable that prayer is the Alpha and Omega the beginning and the ending almost of all his Epistles And David was three times a day Psal 55.17 nay seven times a day at this blessed duty Psal 119.164 yea he was so wholly employed in it that he speaketh as if he were altogether made up of it Psal 109 4. Et ego oratio Moller legit But I prayer give my self unto as it is read in our translations is added for explanation as the different character sheweth as if prayer had been his essential constitutive part Some write of Latimer that he would pray so many hours that he was not able to rise Nazianzen saith of his Sister Gorgonia that she prayed so much that her knees seemed to be grown to the very ground * Hierom. in rit Paul the Eremite was found dead kneeling upon his knees holding up his hands and lifting up his eyes * Euseb Constantine the Emperour would not have his effigies set up as other Princes had in his armour leaning but in a posture of prayer kneeling Thus all the Children of God are frequent at asking their heavenly Father blessing Quorum spiritus domiti sunt qui â—ese deo subjiciunt mendici spiritu â—unius in Mat. 5.3 Now ask thy soul Doth the Spirit of â—od bring thee often upon thy knees Art thou one of the generation of seekers Psal 24.6 Art thou one of Gods suppliants Zeph. 3.10 Dost thou know what it is to be poor in spirit It is the character of the worst of sinners they call not on God Psal 14.4 a man once speechless is nigh unto deâ—th to be a beggar and to live altogether upon the almes-basket of heavens bounty Is there a constant trade driven betwixt God and thy soul God sending down mercies and thou sending up prayers This is the daily Exchange Canst thou better live without thy daily bread then this daily duty When thy heart is big with grief whither dost thou go Is this thy greaâ— ease that thou mayst empty thy soul into Gods eares Are thy prayers fervent prayers Is this holy fire put to thy daily sacrifices Is thy prayer made without ceasing or
dayes 1 Kings 21 29. A pitiful humiliation it was God knew he lookt sadly like a Fox in a trap meerly to get out yet God takes notice of it and deferreth the judgement upon it If God set such a price upon counterfeit what will he upon true gold Fierce Esau relenteth towards submitting Jacob though he came against him ready and resolved to destroy him Surely then the God of compassions to whose pity and mercy the bowels of all the creatures are but as a drop to the Ocean who calleth those that goe from him will not cast away those that come to him Reader little dost thou think how much he longeth for thy conversion and humiliation Little dost thou know what kisses and embraces what robes and rings what mercies and merits what an heaven and happinesse what a God and Christ and Grace and Glory are all ready for thee and wait only for thy readinesse and preparednesse for them by thy humiliation for an aversion from thy deceitful corruptions Alexanders Macedonians having offended him laid by their Armes Plut. in vit Alex. put on mourning apparel came running in troops to his tent where for almost three dayes together they remained with loud cries and tears to testifie their remorse for offending him and wilt not thou do as much for offending God As thou therefore lovest the life of thy soul endeavor to get thy heart throughly humbled for thy sins take a view of thy sins in the word of God in the glasse of his law how in its nature it is contrary to his blessed nature and perfect law and for its effects it maketh thee obnoxious to all the threatnings of the word to all the vials of â—ods wrath to all the miseries of this life and to all the torments of hell for ever Consider while thou livest in thy estate of impenitency thou art a cursed sinner and if thou diest in it thou art a damned creature the hand of God which is lifted up in the commination and threatning will fall down in execution If the wrath of a King be as a messenger of death O what then will will the wrath of a God be As that Christian King of Hungary told his brother that sprang into his presence pale and trembling because of the Executioner and Deaths-man that had sounded his trumpet at his chamber door in the dead time of the night to call him away to execution O Brother thou hast loved me and never offended me and is the sight of my Executioner so dreadful to thee how then should I a greivous sinner fear to be brought to judgement before Jesus Christ Consider the day of the Lords wrath is coming and who shall abide it This terrible fire is kindled this horrible tempest is gathered and ready to fall on thy head every moment Do not put these things farre off as many do who thereby deprive themselves of the happy effects which these thoughts might produce A Cannon afarre off though never so great doth no execution men will not tremble and fall down for fear of it when once they apprehend it many miles off Things afarre off though very big will seem very small A Starre that is bigger than the whole earth seems no bigger than a Torch being many miles from us Look therefore on all that misery that is treated of in the first use as thy portion and as nigh to thee even at the very door like a Serjeant it waiteth continually to arrest thee and hale thee to the prison of hell There is not a night in which thou lyest down to sleep but this roaring Lion of the wrath of God lyeth down beside thee and is ready when thou art asleep little dreaming of it to rend thee asunder and tear thy soul in pieces In the morning when thou risest it waiteth upon thee dogging thee all the day long whatsoever thou dost and following thee like a blood-hound wheresoever thou goest thou mayest as soon flie from thy self as from it till thou art effectually humbled for thy sins the cause of it And be not insensible of it because it is invisible to thee The influences of the Sun are hottest among the minerals in the bowels of the earth where it is not at all visible not they sensible So the fire of divine fury is hottest where it is not visible nor the person sensible Though thou mayst see it as plainly in the Scripture as the Sun at noon day God is angry with the wicked every day Psalm 7.12 There is wrath prepared for the workers of iniquity and it will assuredly and speedily be inflicted if thou art not timely and truly humbled and converted I would also desire thee to ponder much the free grace of God which is discovered in the Gospel what bowels of compassion in the Father to give his Son what infinite affection in the Son to give himself for the reconciliation and salvation of his enemies It is probable the heat of this unknown love may melt thy frozen spirit This is the most ingenuous sorrow which is never to be sorrowed for which springeth from the consideration that thou hast sinned against so good so pure so perfect a God in conformity to whom and communion with whom all thy happinesse consisteth The Law indeed is of excellent use to open the sore to search the wound to make the Patient feel his need of and set a price upon his Physitian thus it is a Schoolmaster to drive the soul to Christ but winter fruits are more harsh and sowre when summer fruits are sweet and pleasant God taketh most delight in those tears and sorrow which are the fruits of hot love to his blessed Majesty And could I see them once in thee I durst joy thee of thy Babe of Grace the new Creation They are at least the kindly bearing throws of one in travail very near her hour of delivery as also often the after-paines A stroak from guilt from wrath broke Judas heart into despair A look from love from Christ broke Peters into teares Aspexit Christus flevit Petrus Ambr. That sap and moisture which in frost and snow lyeth hid and buried in the earth sheweth it self pleasantly in the fruits of the trees when it is called forth by the warmth of the Sun Even Saul himself will lift up his voice and weep when he seeth a clear testimony of the love and undeserved kindnesse of David Hast thou never beheld a condemned prisoner dissolved into tears upon the unexpected and unmerited receit of a pardon who all the time before was as hard as a flint The hammer of the Law may break the icie heart of man with terrors and horror and yet it may remain ice still unchanged But when the fire of love kindly thaweth this ice it is changed and dissolved into water it is no longer ice but of another nature Where the Sun is most ptedominant there are the sweetest Spices the richest Mines and the costliest Jewels Do
by his Lord Gen. 24. to provide a Wife for my Masters son I do here in the presence of the living God by commission from his Majesty tender thee the most honourable profitable delightful match that was ever offered to mortals It is the Lord Jesus Christ the Lord of life and glory the onely begotten of the Father the fairest of ten thousands to be thy head and husband hereby thou shalt have the King of Kings the Lord of heaven and earth for thy Father a Queen the Church for thy Mother the Saints those truly excellent noble illustrious ones higher then the Kings of the earth for thy brethren and sisters the Covenant of Grace in comparison of which all the gold of the Indies is but dirt and dung for thy treasure glorious Angels for thy servants the flesh of the Son of God for thy meat and his precious blood for thy drink perfect Righteousness which is more beautiful then the unspotted innocency of Adam or Angels for thy rayment a palace of pleasures a place of glory a building of God an house not made with hands but eternal in the heavens for thy habitation And all this only upon these termes that thou wilt be a loving faithful and obedient Wife which the poorest beggar in the country expects from his wife that thou wilt heartily give up thy self and all thou hast to his service and glory and this he desireth also for thy good and benefit that he may make thee a more excellent creature and render thee more acceptable to God and more capable of his dearest love and eternal embraces as the rain is sent up from the earth in thick and foggy vapours but the heavens return it in pure and silver showers so though thou givest an unbelieving hard earthly heart unto Christ he will return it unto thee again believing tender heavenly such an heart as shall be more pleasing both to God and thy self and for this he is pleased though ten thousand Suns united into one are but darkness to him so great is his glory to condescend to become a Suiter to thee to beseech thee to accept of him who knoweth thy portion to be misery and beggery who seeth thy person to be full of ugliness and deformity who gaineth no addition to his happiness by thine acceptance of his love nor suffereth the least diminution by thy refusal Well what sayest thou to this match Art thou heartily willing to take Jesus Christ for thy wedded Husband to protect and direct thee to purifie and pardon thee to sanctifie and save thee to guide thee by his counsel and afterwards to receive thee to glory And wilt thou here in the presence of the Lord and before thy conscience which is as ten thousand witnesses promise and covenant to obey him universally to love him unfainedly to resign up thy self and all thou hast to his disposal unreservedly What sayest thou Art thou willing or no Take heed of dallying in a match that is so unquestionably and infinitely for thy advantage Believe it thou shalt not have such offers every day Doe not stick at any of his Precepts for he can require nothing but what is equal excellent and honorable doe not trifle or defer it if thou lovest thy soul for this may be the very last time of asking If thou wilt deal kindly and truly with my Master tell me or if not tell me that I may return an answer to him that sent me Gen. 24.49 These four directions which I have laid down already are without question the whole of Christianity and that soul shall be certainly saved by whom they are uprightly practised yet there are two special means which God hath appointed for the enabling the soul to perform them which I shall speak briefly to and for method sake joyn them altogether Five Directions Attendance on the Word Fifthly If thou wouldst attain this spiritual life be much conversant with the Word of God be often reading it meditating on it but especiall frequent it in publick where it is preached by losing one Sermon for â—ought thou knowest thou mayst lose one soul Death at first entred into the world by the ear Gen. 3. and so doth life Faith comes by hearing Rom. 10.17 thou seest in the Gospel that Faith and Repentance are this spiritual life Mark 16.16 Gal. 2.20 and thou mayest see as clearly that they are both the fruits of the ministery of the Word For Faith that fore quoted place Rom. 10.17 is full and for Repentance that of Acts 2.37 speaketh home When they heard these things they were pricked to the heart mark When they heard these things The Word of God is an hammer with which God is pleased to break the stony heart and a fire wherewith he melteth the hard mettal Jerem. 23.29 In this respect it is that the Minister is called the Father of some Converts namely those whom he begetteth through the Gospel 1 Cor. 4.15 Joâ— Isaac a Jew was converted by reading the 53. of Isaiah Junius by the first of Johns Gospel Augustine by the 13. of Romans I will never forget thy precepts for by them thou hast quickened me David Psal 119.93 There is a resurrection of souls at this day when Ministers lift up their voice like a trumpet Isai 58.1 Acts 2.37 as well as there shall be a resurrection of bodies at the last day by the Trump of the Archangel This is the net which God is pleased to cast into the sea of the world and wherewith he harh caught many a soul three thousand at one draught Acts 2.41 Spiritual life is the gift of God as well as eternal the gift of all grace is of grace but ordinarily of his own will he begetteth souls by the word of truth Jam. 1 18. If thou wilt have Wisdomes dole thou must wait at Wisdomes gate for there it is given Prov. 8.34 Grace is the law written in the heart and usually the ministry of the Word is the pen wherewith the Spirit of God writes it That is the bed wherein the children of God are begotten Cantic 1.16 That is the school wherein the Disciples are taught of God and learn the truth as it is in Jesus The Ministers Commission doth abundantly evince this I send thee saith God to Paul to open the eyes of the blind and to turn men from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to the living God God indeed is a most free Agent and can work when and how he pleaseth but it hath pleased him to make the Gospel of Christ his own power unto salvation Rom. 1.16 and it pleaseth him by the foolishnesse of preaching to save them that believe 1 Cor. 1.21 Abana and Pharpar Rivers of Damascus to the eye of sense may seem better then all the waters of Israel but Jordan can cleanse and heal when those cannot because it hath a divine precept and promise annexed to it Nay observe how God is pleased to dignifie his Word
men come to be prickt at the heart Acts 2.37 That thou must believe or perish and how shalt thou believe on him of whom thou hast not heard Rom. 10. As ships will ride a long time in a road-steed when they might be in the haven for this end that they may be in the winds way to take the first opportunity that shall be offered for their intended voyage So do thou ride in the road of Gods Ordinances waiting for the gales of the Spirit thou knowst not how soon that wind may blow on the waters of the Sanctuary and drive the vessel of thy soul swiftly and land it safely at the haven of happinesse of Heaven Direction If thou wouldst attain this spiritual life be frequent and fervent at the throne of grace Prayer that the God of all grace would infuse grace into thee and breath into thy soul the breath of this spiritual life As Abram pleaded for Ishmael Gen. 17.18 O that Ishmael might live before thee so do thou for thy soul O that my soul might live before thee And â—s the Ruler for his son Lord come down quickly ere my soul die yea ere it die eternally Go to God with a sense of thy own unworthiness and iniquities that though thou comest to his Majesty for the greatest favours yet thou art lesse than the least of all his mercies acknowledging that thou hast sinned hainously against heaven and before him and art unworthy to be called his son Confesse thy original actual heart life sins with their bloody aggravations and intreat him to pardon and purifie thee O with what humility reverence and self-abhorrency should such a guilty prisoner approach the Judge of the whole earth Arraign accuse and condemn thy self and thy sins if ever thou wouldst have God to acquit thee Pray also with a sense of thy own impotency and weaknesse That though there be a necessity of humiliation if ever thou wouldst escape damnation yet thou canst as soon fetch water out of a rock as teares from thine eyes or sorrow from thine heart for thy sins till the wind of the Spirit bloweth those waters will never flow It is God that must give to thee a poor Gentile repentance unto life Non minus difficile est nobis velle credere quam cadaveri volare Beza Confess p. 22. Acts 11.18 That thou must believe or thou canst not be saved yet thou canst as easily cause iron to swim as thy soul to believe in the Son of God Faith is the gift of God Phil. 1.29 Zeph. 8. It is as hard a work to believe the Gospel as to keep the Law perfectly Nothing lesse than omnipotency can enable the soul to either As thy first birth and generation so is thy second birth and regeneration from the Lord. Men and meanes may be instrumental and subservient but their efficacy and successe dependeth on God As Protogenes when he saw a line curiously drawn in a Painters shop cried out None but Apelles could draw that line so when thou seest the new Creation thou mayst say None but a God could doe that When thou hast through the strength of Christ wrought thy heart to some sense of thy weakness and unworthiness then look into the Scriptures and fetch arguments from Gods own mouth weapons from his own Armory whereby thou mayst prevail with him and overcome him Beseech him to consult his glorious Name and gracious Nature mind him that he is the Lord the Lord God gracious merciful long-suffering abundant in goodness and truth forgiving iniquity transgression and sin Exod. 34.6 Tell him that he delighteth not in the death of sinners that he taketh more pleasure in unbloody conquests in the chearful services than in the painful sufferings of his Creatures That he had much rather have trees for fruit than for the fire Say Have mercy upon me O God according to thy loving kindness and after the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out mine offences Psal 51.1 O thou that art rich in mercy for the great love wherewith thou lovest souls quicken me in Christ that by grace I may be sanctified and saved Since thou delightest in mercy be pleased Lord to delight both thy self and thy servant by extending thine hand of mercy to pluck me out of this bottomlesse depth of misery Intreat God to consult his own Honor as well as his gracious Nature Mind him that if he condescend to convert and save thee he shall have the glory of his patience in waiting thus long to be gracious the glory of his providence in causing all things to work together for thy good the glory of mercy in pitying and pardoning such a greivous sinner the glory of his justice in that noble satisfaction it shall have from the death of his Son the glory of his power in bringing such a rebellious heart into subjection unto Jesus Christ Intreat his Majesty to consider that he may pardon and cleanse thee through Christ without the least diminution to his glory nay that far more revenues will come to his crown from thy salvation then from thy damnation That the forced confessions of them that perish as of Malefactors upon a wrack do not sound forth his praises so much nor so well as the joyful hearty acclamations of his saved ones Say Lord if thou suffer me to continue in my filth and pollution and never wash me by the blood and spirit of thy Son and suffer me to perish eternally thou art righteous but Lord if I perish I shall not praise thee thy glory will rather be forced out of me with blows as fire out of a flint thou delightest to see poor creatures volunteers in thy service The damned do not celebrate thy praise Psal 30.9 they that go into the infernal pit give thee no thanks The living Psal 88.10 11. Isa 38.19 the living they shall praise thee they that live spiritually and they that live with thee eternally O what Hosanna's and Halelujah's what honor and glory and blessing and praise do they give to the Lord and to the Lamb that sitteth upon the throne for ever O let my soul live and it shall praise thee Thine is the kingdom and power do thou work within me by thy grace and thine shall be the glory Desire God to consider his own promise as well as his praise Urge his own word That they that ask shall receive that seek shall find that knock shall have heaven opened That if men know how to give good gifts to them that ask how much more will the Father in heaven give his holy Spirit to them that ask That he will circumcise the hearts of men and women to love him Deut. 30.6 That he will put his fear into their hearts and they shall never depart away from him Jer. 32.40 That he will write his Law in their hearts Ezek. 31.33 Go in to him when thou art full of heaviness as Bathsheba did to David and say 1
eyes to see him Thus the joys of a Saint are invisible to the wicked because they are inward spiritual joys though they are joys unspeakable and glorious Austines confess They have such joy as thou art not to intermeddle with Prov. 14.10 They have meat to eat which thou knowest not of Their life is an hidden life Col. 3.3 and their comforts are hidden comforts their secret meals fatten their souls and their bread eaten in secret how pleasant is it The kingdom of God which is this spiritual life consisteth not in meats and drink but in righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost Rom. 14.17 And besides it cometh not with observation Luk. 17.20 the world taketh no notice of it It doth not consist in the laughter of the face in the smiles of the brow but in the tranquillity of the mind solid contentment in the brest Christ takes his Spouse apart from the crowd of the world and then gives her the sweetest kisses the dearest embraces yea her very fill of love Many a loving visit hath the Saint from his Saviour when Christ came in at the backdoor the neighbors neither saw when he came nor when he went away A true Christian hath the most heart-chearing wine though he hangs out no bush maketh no shew of it in the world the wealthy Merchant that is worth thousands doth not cry his commodities up and down the City The parlor wherein the spirit of Christ entertains the Christian is an inner room not next the street for every one that goeth by to smell the feast the stranger doth not meddle with his joy Prov. 14.10 Christ and the soul may sit at supper within Mr. Gurnal Arm. 2 part pag 343. and thou not see one dish go in nor hear the Musick that sounds so sweetly in the Christians ears Perhaps thou thinkest he wants peace because he doth not hang out a sign in his countenance of that peace and joy within Alas poor wretch may not the Saint have a peaceful conscience with a solemn yea sad countenance as well as thou and thy companions have a sorrowful heart when there is nothing but fair weather in your faces Whether they have the greatest comfort or no do thou judge Sure I am there are none in this world that have so much ground to be comfortable as they have They have the most delightful company they walk with God they suppe with Christ their fellowship is with the Father and Jesus Christ his Son which is the onely good fellowship 1 Iohn 1.3 They have the most delightful food they eat of the bread that came down from heaven and drink of that love which is better than wine Psal 36.8 They are abundantly satisfied with the fatness of Gods house and made to drink of the rivers of his own pleasures and are bidden welcome with eat O friends drink abundantly O beloved These are exceedings indeed but if it be not their own fault they have them often besides their every hours fare of a good conscience which is a continual feast They have the most delightful Musick they hear the joyful sound of the Gospel of peace the glad tidings of pardon adoption salvation and so may rejoyce in hope of glory many a time surely their hearts are warmed and their ears ravished at the hearing of the affection which Christ beareth to them and the benefits he hath bought for them They have the most delightful lodging they lie all night between Christs arms in the chamber of the great King They have the richest mercies the special love of the Father the precious blood of the Son and the divine graces of the spirit when others have onely the blessings of the footstool of the left hand such giftless gifts as one calleth them as may consist with an eternal separation from God they have the mercies of the throne of the right hand the blessings of his own children and such as do accompany salvation No wonder that they sit under Christs shadow with great delight and his fruit is sweet unto their taste Can. 2.3 The child of God by vertue of a good conscience in the midst of the waves of affliction is as secure as that child which in a shipwrack was upon a plank with his mother till she awaked him then securely sleeping and then with his pretty countenance sweetly smiling and by and by sportingly asking a stroak to beat the naughty waves at last when they continued boystrous for all that sharply chiding them as if they had been his play-fellows O the innocency O the comfort of peace of conscience Dr. Stoughton It is likely indeed that when they wander from Christ they may come home by weeping-cross as out-lying Deer are full of fear and therefore t is observed seldom fat but they run the waies of Gods commandments with enlarged hearts And what ever be the cause of their sorrow whether their own sins or thine or others or the afflictions of the church whatever it be their mourning is better then the carnal mirth And this I dare undertake for them that in their most disconsolate condition they shall not change with the most prosperous Prince in the world that is out of Christ Alas the comfort of a sinner as it is but short like the crackling of thornes under a pot so it is but shallow skin deep at most like a sudden storm of rain which wetteth the surface of the earth Caeterae hilaritates non implent pectus sed frontem reâ—mittunt Sen. epi. 23 but never sinketh to the root their joy may smooth the brow but cannot warm the breast their looks may be sometimes lively but their hearts are alwaies heavy For there is no peace to the wicked saith my God Isa 57.20 Their mirth is like some juicy plumbs which have stones with a bitter kernel The stateliest and best accommodated houses of unsanctified men I is not the great cage that maketh the bird sing nor the great estate that bringeth real comfort are but like the nests of Wasps where there may be curious combs but no honey many outward mercies but no true inward mirth no sweetness when the voice of joy and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous Psal 118.15 They onely have the strong consolations Heb. 6.18 The joy unspeakable and glorious 1 Pet. 1.8 The peace of God which passeth all understanding to garrison their hearts and minds through Christ Jesus Phil. 4.7 As they have more afflictions than others the disciple of Christ must take up his cross so they have more consolations than others and their soul comforts are not seldom the sweetest when their bodily crosses are greatest as the sweetest Roses grow nearest the most stinking weeds although the blind world see them not As a man standing saith a Divine upon the sea-shore seeth a great heap of waters one wave riding upon the neck of another and heareth loud roarings thereof but though he seeth the waters
riches and honor Her ways are ways of pleasantness and all her paths are peace She is a tree of life to all that lay hold upon her and happy is every one that retaineth her Prov. 3.13 14 15 16 17 18. ANd now Reader I have done this large Use of Exhortation which is of such infinite concernment to thy precious soul but what thou wilt do or what use thou wilt make of it I know not Could I have told what other holy bait to have laid which had been more likely to have caught thy soul it is probable I should have laâ—d it I appeal to thy conscience whether tâ—ere be not unspeakable weight and unquestionable truth in the particulars which are laid down Well what sayest thou to them and what effect have they wrought upon thee Art thou resolved through the help of heaven speedily and diligently to practice the directions which I have from the Almighty God injoyned thee Is it not a thousand thousand pities that such endlesse matchlesse happinesse should be so gratiously offered by God and so unworthily neglected by men that an empty perishing world should be so eagerly pursued and heartily embraced when the unsearchable riches in Christ the Image of the blessed God eternal weight of Glory are basely undervalued and wretchedly despised Good Lord what teares of blood are sufficient to bewail this monstrous unthankfulness Friend if thou art truly resolved to obey the counsell of God thou wilt have cause to blesse that Providence which called me to this task and I may rejoyce in thee and thou in me at the day of Christ But if thou either delayest the work till thou art more at leisure or dalliest about it doing it as if thou didst it not I am sure the greatest wrong will be to thy self for behold thou sinnest against the Lord and be confident thy sins will sooner or later find thee out I come in the next place to my last Use which will be of consolation If they who have Christ for their life shall have gain by their death what comfort is here to the new born Creature Here is wine indeed to make glad the heart of every one that is holy Reader art thou sanctified and alive in Christ then thou art freed from all the misery which is mentioned in the first Use as the portion of the ungodly I may say to thee as Gryneus when he had been reproving and threatening sinners would turning to the Saint say Bone vir hoc nihil ad te Good man all this is nothing to thee Though they are losers thou shalt be a gainer by death Come but with the mouth of faith and thou mayst suck much honey from this combe thou mayst draw much milk of consolation from this breast to thee to die shall be gain Surely here is enough to ballast thy soul and keep it steady in the most tempestuous condition and to ballance and weigh down the greatest the heaviest affliction Hierom comforted the Hermite that was in a wildernesse sad and pensive Meditare coelum tam diu non eris in eremo If thou hadst hope only in this life thou wert of all men most miserable but because thou hast hope beyond this life thou mayst be of all men most comfortable Should such a man as I fly Nehem. 6.11 Should sucha a man as thou fear that art heir to a Crown to a Kingdom Luke 12.32 Fear not little flock it is your Fathers pleasure to give you a Kingdom In thy greatest losses this may support thee that death will be thy gain by giving thee possession of a life which will make amends for all If an heathen could say It is unbecoming a Roman spirit to cry out I am undone while Cesar was safe sure it is more uncomely for a Christian to complain as if he were undone when his soul is safe his eternal estate is secure For thy help I shall digest this Use into this method briefly First to shew thee against what it is comfortable Secondly wherein it is comfortable For the first It is comfortable first against the opposition of the world The world will hate thee because thou art not of the world John 15.19 She is a Paradise to her children and lovers but a Purgatory to aliens and strangers Whilst thou art in the stormy sea of this world thou art a ship bound for the Streights He that goeth towards the Sun shall have his shadow following him but he that goeth from it shall have it flie before He that goeth towards the Sun of Righteousnesse shall be sure to have these shadows these afflictions at his heels Infinite Wisdom seeth fit to imbitter the breasts of the creatures to wean thee from them Trouble upon earth is one legacie which thy Saviour hath left thee In the world ye shall have trouble John 16. ult The Souldiers were to have his garments Joseph was to have his body His Father was to have his soul He had his crosse left and that he bequeaths to his Disciples But be of good chear he did not only leave thee his crosse but hath also made thee heir to a Crown He never lookt over the threshold of Heaven Bish Hall Heaven upon eâ—rth Sect. 14. that cannot more rejoyce that he shall be glorious than mourn in present that he is miserable Oppose thy future felicity to thy present misery thy happinesse at death to the hardships thou meetest with in life thiâ— will be the way to counterpoise the temptation and to keep thee from fainting in tribulation whilst thou lookest not at the things which are seen which are temporal but at the things which are not seen which are eternal 2 Cor. 4. I have read of one Giacopo Senzaro an Italian who having been long in love and much crossed about his match filled a pot full of black stones only one white stone among them and being asked the reason answered There will come one white day meaning his marriage day which will make amends for all my black dayes So whatsoever poverty nakednesse hunger cold pain shame losses thou undergoest here in this world how many soever thy black dayes are of trials and troubles of persecutions and opposition thou mayst say there is one white day of death one long day of eternity coming which will make amends for all It was a brave speech of Luther when he was demanded where he would be when the Emperor should with all his forces fall upon the Elector of Saxonie who was the chief Protector of Protestants He answered Aut in coelo aut sub coelo either in heaven or under heaven Why shouldst thou be discouraged at any losse considering thou hast a treasure in heaven a more enduring substance At any disgrace considering thou art heir to a Crown of glory At any pain or sorrow when thou art entitled to fulnesse of joy and pleasures for evermore No storm should disquiet thee that shall shortly enjoy an everlasting calm What a
of Jesus Christ at death will quite dry up that issue of corruption Death will give thee a Writ of ease from all those weights and sins which do so easily beset thee Thou shalt be without fault before the Throne of God Rev. 14.5 Will it not indeed be a brave world with thee in the other world when thou shalt have as much holiness as thy heart can wish or hold If God should grant thee such a request upon earth that thou shouldst have as much of his Image and of his Spirit as thou couldst desire wouldst thou not think thy self the happiest man alive I am confident thou wouldst and also that nothing lesse than perfect purity would be thy prayer Well death will help thee to this When I awake I shall be satisfied with thy likenesse Psal 17. ult Now thou hast enough to stay thy stomack but then thou shalt have a full meal When the Israelites went out of Egypt towards Canaan there was not one feeble person among them When the Christian entereth into the true Canaan he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David nay as the Angel of the Lord before him When thy frame of nature shall be ruined thy frame of grace shall be perfected and raised to the height of glory 4. It is comfortable against thy dissolution To thee to die is gain death will be thy passage into eternal life Thou needst not fear death as a foe it will be one of thy best friends How did this hope of happinesse at death hold up the Martyrs heads above water and carry them through those boistrous waves of violent and cruel deaths with the greatest serenity and alacrity of spirit Xenophon Agesilaus King of Sparta used to say that they which live vertuously are not yet blessed persons but they had attained true felicity who died vertuously What is there in death that thou art so afraid of it Wilt thou fear a Bee without a sting Dost thou not know it had but one sting for Christ and Christians and that was left in Christ the head whereby now though it may buz and make a noise about their ears yet it can never sting or hurt the members The waters of Jordan though tempestuous before yet were calm and stood still when the Ark was to passe over If thou hadst been banished many years from thy dear Relations whom thou lovedst as thy own soul and from thy rich possessions and comforts which might have made thy life pleasant and delightful into a place of bondage a valley of tears a prison where thy feet were fettered with irons and thy face furrowed with weeping Mors non vitamrapit sed reformat Prudentius wouldst thou be afraid of a messenger that came to knock off thy shackles and fetch thee out of prison and carry thee to those friends and comforts And why art thou afraid of death which cometh to free thee from thy bondage to Satan sin and sorrow and to give thee present possession of the glorious liberty of the sons of God Art thou afraid to be rid of thy corruptions of Satans temptations of the worlds persecutions Art thou afraid to go to â—aints where are no sinners to Christ without his cross to the full immediate eternal fruition of the blessed God then why art thou afraid to dye and dost not rather desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ knowing that while thou art present in the body thou art absent from the Lord 2 Cor. 5.6 Calvin in loc Jâ—el was offended at one that in h s sickness prayed for his life Well the best of it is thou art more afraid then hurt It is well observed by a judicious expositor that the Periphrasis of death mentioned John 13.1 where it is called a departing out of the world and a going to the father doth belong to all the children of God it is to them but a going out of the world to their dear and loving father And questionless this was that which made the Saints so desirous of death Basil when the Emperors Lieutenant threatned to kill him said I would he would for then he would quickly send me to my father to whom I now live and to whom I desire to hasten Calvin in his painful sickness was never heard to complain but often lifting up his eyes to heaven to cry out How long Lord How long Lord Plutarch in vit It is reported of an heathen Epaminondas that when he was wounded with a dart at Mantinea in a battel against the Lacedaemonians and told by the Chirurgions that when the dart was drawn out of his body Dicique beatus Ante obitum nemo c. he must needs dye he called for his Squire and asked him Whether he had not lost his shield Non est timendum quod nos liberat ab omni timendo Tertull. he told him no whereupon he bade them pull out the dart and so died Surely Christian thou hast more cause to dye with courage when thou hast not lost thy God nor thy soul nor any thing that was worth the keeping 5. It is comfortable against the death of thy friends and relations which dye in the Lord. To dye is gain if it be their gain why should it be thy grief nature will teach thee to mourn but grace must moderate that mourning We may water our plants but must not drown them We may sorrow but not as they which have no hope least we sin When Anaxagoras was told that both his sons were dead he boldly answered the messenger I knew that I begat mortal creatures The people were enraged and perplexed at the death of Romulus but were afterwards quieted and comforted with the news which Proculus brought That he saw him in glory riding up to heaven So when thou art sorrowing for the death of thy child or husband or father or mother or brother or sister that sleep in Jesus thou shouldst hearken to the news which faith brings that it saw them filled with joy mounting up to heaven and there enjoying rivers of pleasures and a weight of glory and surely if after such news thou shouldst continue weeping it should be for joy Friend this text containeth choice sweet meats for thee to feed on at the funeral of thy dearest godly friend Lugeatur mortuus sed ille quem gehenna suscipit quem Tartarus devorat Hier. I suppose if thy relation died out of Christ thou hast not a little cause of sorrow and probably that was the sharp edge of the sword which wounded the soul of David for the death of Absolom that he died in his sins his fear was that his son died not only in rebellion against the father of his flesh but also against the father of spirits But when thy relation dyeth in the Lord thou hast surely more cause to rejoyce that thou ever hadst such a friend or relation who shall to eternity be employed in the chearful
man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God And Hebr. 12.14 Follow holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. Consider Friend this is the Word of the true and living God and this Law this standing Law of Heaven is like the law of the Medes and Persians which cannot be altered not one iota or title of it can possibly go unfulfilled Math. 5.18 Darest thou think that the God of truth will be found a lyar for thy sake as he must be if he save thee in thy sinful unconverted state I tell thee the God of holiness and justice will send millions of such carnal wretches as thou art to hell there to suffer the vengeance of the unquenchable fire before he will stain his honour in the least No he is more tender of his glory then so though thou carest not how much thou tramplest his honor in the dust by the wilful breach of his Commands yet he is exceeding jealous of his great Name and when his very being is engaged for the accomplishment of his Word he will not ungod himself to glorifie thee in an unsanctified condition and therefore do not delude thy soul in presuming that he that made thee will not damn thee for he saith himself that unless thou art new made and hast that true understanding to fear his Majesty and depart from iniquity He that made thee will not save thee and he that formed thee will shew thee no mercy Isai 27.11 I hope therefore thou art fully convinced that it highly concerneth thee to be night and day with the greatest diligence imaginable labouring for this spiritual life when thine everlasting comfort in the other world thine eternal life dependeth so much upon it Art thou rich hearken to this word of counsel from God look after these durable riches Prov. 6.18 thy earthly riches are not for ever Prov. 27.24 though thy heart possibly is more set upon thy houses and hoards then upon heaven yet thou must take thine everlasting leave of them ere long when these unsearchable riches in Christ which I am perswading thee to mind out-live the dayes of heaven run parallel with the life of God and line of eternity Prov. 8.18 Nay till thou livest this spiritual life all thy wealth is want all thy glory is ignominy all thy comforts are crosses yea curses to thee Prov. 1.32 Psal 69.22 All thy outward comforts like the Rainbow shew themselves in all their dainty colours and then vanish away or if they stay with thee till death then they die with thee Oh how hath the Moon of great mens plenty often been eclipsed at the full and the Sun of their pomp gone down at noon Through the corruption of thy heart they prove but fuel for thy lusts on earth if thou shouldst die having only this worlds goods they will feed the eternal fire in hell It is storied of Heliogabalus that he had silken halters to hang himself with ponds of sweet water to drown himself in and gilded poyson to poyson himself Truly more hurtful are the worlds trinity riches honors and pleasures to them that have great estates in the world but no estate in the Covenant Poyson worketh more furiously in wine then in water and so doth corruption many times bewray it self more in plenty then in poverty It is sad that thou shouldst not be led to God by that which came from God But O how lamentable is it that thou shouldst Jehu like fight against thy Master with his own Souldiers like the dunghill the more the Sun shineth on it it sends forth the more stinking savour The Poet feigned Pluto to be the god of riches and Hell as if they had been inseparable Homer that thou shouldst by the riches which his Majesty hath given thee only have this cursed advantage to be the greater Rebel Many good works hath Christ done for thee for which dost thou stone him John 10.32 for which of them dost thou stone him out of thy house by oaths or drunkenness or gaming or by atheisme and irreligion or at least by putting him off with a few short cold formal prayers and that but now and then neither Many good works hath he done for thee for which of them dost thou stone him out of thy heart by letting the world and the things of the world have the highest seat there the throne thy chiefest esteem warmest love and strongest trust What sayest thou is it not thus and is this to be led by his goodness to repentance Oh consider thy bodies mercies are holy baits laid by God to catch thy soul He tryeth the vessel with water to see whether it will hold wine do not like the foolish flie burn thy self in this flame of love turn not his grace into wantonnesse but let the kindnesse of God be salvation unto thee thou shouldst by those cords of love be drawn nearer unto him and by those bands of mercies be tied closer to his commands How shouldst thou gather if the streames of creatures be so sweet what sweetnesse is there in God who is the Fountain If he be so good in temporals surely he is better in spirituals and best of all in eternals How unsatisfied shouldst thou be with all these outward gifts which may consist with his everlasting hatred and resolve with Luther not to be put off with the blessings of his left hand Valde protestatus summe nolle sic ab eo satiari Melch. Aâ— in vit Luth. of his foot-stool Thou hast the more cause to look about thee because few of thy rank are truly religious a little godliness will go a great way with great men though of all men they have most obligations from God see James 2.5 God chooseth the poor of the world rich in faith and heirs of his Kingdom And Christ telleth us It is easier for a Camel to go through the eye of a needle then for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Matth. 19.24 Our Saviour indeed doth not speak of an impossibility but of the difficulty of it and the rarenesse of it Job unfolded the riddle and got through the needles eye with three thousand Camels but it is hard to be wealthy and not wanton too too often are riches like bird-lime hindering the soul in its flight towards Heaven a load of earth hath sunk many a soul to hell and the inriching of the outward occasioned the impoverishing of the inward man A rich man is a rare dish at heavens table Blessed be God there are some but surely few rich of those very few that shall be saved 1 Cor. 1.26 The weighty burden in a vessel though it consisted of the most precious commodities hath not seldom caused its miscarriage when otherwise it had arrived safely at its desired haven As the Moon when she is at the full is farthest from and in most direct opposition to the Sun so t is the temper of most in thy condition to