or see us die as one going to sleep O meditate on these things now while the glasse runs and hath at least some sands in it that it shall never repent thee to have soundly repented nor to have graciously lived and orthodoxly believed to have self-denyed for Christ taken up his Cross Maâ— 16 2â— Maâ— 19. â—8 Phil. 1.21 followed him in the regeneration to have been the servant of Christ to have lived to Christ dyed in Christ But then will every tongue say not O that I had lived longer but O that I had lived better O that I had sinned lesse and believed more O that I had prayed more Mar. 9.24 been more in duty more in Christian communion conversed more with the Scriptures been more in the promises studied more the covenant of grace sanctified the Lord's day more taught and better educated my family c. So shalt thou never repent any good but rejoyce that ever thou hadst any gracious breathings and wilt say O welcom death and blessed bee my God and Father who now calls for his child and servant I come I come Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart c. farewel my body and you my friends take this body of mine which I so long governed so ill to your dispose and Lord take my soul into the arms of thy mercy since now thou callest me according to thy word So much of the third viz. our holy and solemn meditation of and conference with death 4. The fourth is to set all things in order for an happy death here comes in many things very considerable 1. The soul must be set in order as thy understanding by saving illumination to know the things that belong to thy peace Luk. 19.42 thy will in order to be a sanctified will in its desires dominions and endeavours thy affections in order to fix them upon their right holy objects thy faith in order patiently to wait for the due accomplishment of all the pretious promises which in Christ are made over to a sanctified soul no more of setting the soul in order having said so much already 2. The body must be set in order 3. The estate must be set in order 1. The body is a sinfull mortal decaied naturall body Rom. 6.6 subject to a thousand mâ—lâ—dies and miseries which must be mortified and crucified of its reigning domineering power and all the organicall parts must be subj cted unto Jesus Christ till when the body is not in order to dye he that will dye happily must keep a daily funerall of his transgressions errours and sinful miscarriages towards God self and men that albeit they may have a kind of slavish being in us yet they must have no dominion over us 2. The members of the body must becom the meÌ„bers of Christ Rom. 6.12 as the eye to see the tongue to speak 1 Cor. 6.15 the hand to work the foot to walk for Christ and all the parts to suffer with Christ before we can be in order to dye 3 The body must be kept as a chast virgin for Christs use 1 Cor. 6.15.19 and the holy Ghosts use whose Temple it is wee must be sanctified bodies as well as sanctified souls but the dear servants of God have much ado with their bodies to subdue tame and bring under their untruly members of which Saint Paul did sorely complain and said to will is present but to perform that which was good hee found not Rom. 7.18 The reason was because his unregenerate paâ—t took so great advantage from and by the inordinate pravity of the body which is become so prone to serve the mind and will in every sinfull motion within and like tinder so naturally proclive to catch at any temptations and allurements to sin from without 1 Thes 5.23 that the blessed Apostle Paul does pray that the Thessalonians bodies as well as their spirits and souls be sanctified throughout and preserved blamelesse unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ 4. The body as well as the soul must be in covenant with God the Father Son and Holy Ghost before it can be in order to die but then though death may kil yet death cannot hurt the body for God is the Saint God and father in death and when the body lies reposed in the grave Psal 116.15 Gen. 50.25 Exod. 13.19 Jos ult 32. precious in the Lords sight is the death of his Saints and God sets a great price even upon their bodies and bones though the Saints themselvs in their sufferings have a low estimate of their bodies which I think hath so steeled and resolved them to under-go and cheerfully to wade through the bloody persecutions of most cruell and butcherly Neroes knowing the Lord God his covenant-goodness even unto their bodies should they be burnt to ashes or torn with wild beasts as multitudes were served in the primitive times since Fox Martyrol Again the Lord Christ is their head even in the grave and they be his members upon which he also sets a great price so as when the soul departs to God who gave it even then the bodies of the Saints have after a sort a principle of life within them do but sleep when they bee dead do belong to Christ by covenant whom he wil raise up Eccl 12.7 Isa 26.19 Mar. 9.21 1 Cor 11.30 chap. 15.20 Eph. 1.19 by that very exceeding greatness of power whereby his own mortall body was raised up and not onely awaken them but introduce their own souls and receive them up to himself to be for ever with him in glory Col. 3.4 Nor is it possible that any one member of Christ Ps 34.20 can loose one muscle nerve artery bone or sinew one eye one limb or one hair of the head but shall arise a compleat beautifull and well-featured body however his or her body was mangled and deformed here before or at the time of death and buriall and since for the bodies in covenaÌ„t to be united to Christ a perfect body according to the Apostle a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ Eph. 4.13 Nor will Christ suffer one part never so little to be wanting for Christ must account for our bodies to his Father who of terrestiall must make them celestiall of corruptible 1 Cor 15.41 42 43 44. incorruptible of dishonorable glorious of weak powerfull and of natural must make them spirituall bodies 3. The holy Ghost is in CovenaÌ„t w th our bodies whose work it is and will be to fil those old mansions with such a plenitude of the spirit as those glorified bodies shall be capable of Ps 16.9.10 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in hope Prov. 7.27 and at present do live in hope of though they groan a while with the rest of the creature so then the body must be in Covenant with God before it is well ordered to lye down in
dy Ibid. 4 Hee lades them with sweet apprehensions of infinite love 133 How to entertain the approach of death 134 And death it self in the article of death 135 136. Whether it be sinfull to fear death 137 Ans Not simply unlawfull 138 Basely to fear death a sin 138 Who lead an evill life must needs fear death Ibid The Saints fear death and others but from divers principles 139 It 's not improbable but we maâ— enjoy relations after death 142 How to shut up our own eyes and bind up our own jaws in death 143 4 Exhortation Let not friends grieve over-much for them that dye in the Lord. 144 Friends may weep a while but not too long ibid. 145 Friends may use laudable ceremonies about the dead 146. Friends may be at cost with the dead ibid. 147. Friends may keep sad mourning seats Ibid. Rules of advice to living Friends 1. To mourn with moderation 149. 150. 2. With timely pacification 151 152 153. 3. To be satisfied with the goodness of God yet continued to thee who survivest 154. 4. To be comforted again 156. 5. Our mourning not without a good mixture of joy 158 159. 6. Labour an holys acquiescence in the al-suffiency of thy Lord God 180 161 162 163. Imprimatur EDMUND CALAMY The Author's Letter to Sir ROBERT HARLEY about the beginning of his long sickness Honorable Sir AS I do much bless God for the Religious stedfastness in such vertiginous times when so many reeds have been shaken with every wind so I am confident you will ever bless God for that your house was built upon the Rock and for the excellencies of Christ and of his attractive loves to your soul who made you sick of love after the more full injoyment of him who is a head of fine gold and a Cluster of Camphere the Lord your righteousness the chief of ten thousand who hath invited you to repentance unto life and to more daily communion with his excellency Pardon my boldness Gracious SIR possibly God will use my little Talent to warm your heart with the shining love of Jesus Christ so peerless so sweet so chast so full so unchageable so adequate and magneticall in all his Mediatoriall works upon your soul I say upon your soul so miraculously saved by the Lord and pulled out of the suburbs of Hell so unexpectedly so undeservedly so freely in the day of your souls first love espousall to his blessed self Time was Noble SIR that your Honour walked in the way of your own heart bathed and rolled in a worldly Paradise of princely favour when your thoughts were too much I presume taken up about additionalls with which to enamell your present state with worldly contentments whose emptiness together with your Christlesseness the God and Father of all your mercies discovered in his own time to that your pretious soul and withall did let down some beams and glimpses of the unum necessarium more necessary then to be born to live to be fed and clad I mean Jesus Christ and him crucified when heavens infinite mercy caused the day to break and the shadows to flye away presently upon which you must confess with godly Junius statim mihi alio facies apparuit when you then heard with other ears understood with another intellect saw with other eyes spake another language and with a new tongue read the Scripture with another spirit and understood with another sense and understanding yea and acted by other principles then before old things then vanished away all things became new But how I answer by that power of God that exceeding greatness of power which raised Christ from the dead and set him at the right hand of God SIR thus you came to know Jesus Christ and him Crucified which is above all knowledge especially to know our selves to be Crucified with him Oh! that is wisedom indeed and knowledge most transendently excellent for it will make a man wise to salvatioÌ„ Besides thus to know Christ and thus to know him for our selves is of most excellent use to us at present since it is not onely an informing and speculative knowledge but a conforming and reforming a practicall and operative knowledge which works mightily on the unregenerate part perswading that also by degrees to bee Crucified with Christ and to live more intirely by the faith of the Son of God who loved us and gave himself for us Pretious soul this life by faith is life indeed the present life naturall is a death to this life but the believers spirituall life that is a life purchased at the dearest rate viz. by the most unvaluable blood of Christ It 's to live in God the Father spiritually to live in Jesus Christ by the mysticall union and by the sanctifying Spirit of God breathing this life into dead souls and quickening our dead dry bones enabling impowering us to cry Abba Father by the Spirit of his Son and loosing the tyed tongue to say from our own particular interest O Lamb of God which takest away my sins all my sins the sins of all my liâ—e nay all my other mens sins all the sins of my vile nature nay my sins of the first Adam and all this blessed Jesus as freely as ever the rain did fall or the Sun did shine never to impute any one of them to me but acquitting and absolving thy poor creature meerly for thy mercies sake to justifie me for ever before the eyes of thy glory nor is this all O Father of mercies says the pardoned soul but thou dost also richly engratiate thy poor servant to be the beloved Spouse of thy dearest Son and to confer that grace of Adoption to bring me nigh to thy self by the blood of Christ yea to confer sanctification on mee that I might also partake of thy divine nature of a Briar to make me a sweet Rose of a Lyon a Lamb of most deformed defiled abominable within and without to make mee lovely comely fair as the Moon beautifull as the Sun so to take me into thy most holy Covenant with thy self and to give me a propriety in all things in heaven and earth Thus life is mine and death is mine the world is mine things present and things to come all is mine I am Christ's and Christ is Gods a very strange Paradox a very large Inventory yet no larger then the New Covenant in which God hath said I will be your God and you shall be my people that 's proof enough for qui habent habentem omnia habent omnia here is a Bee-hive of the sweetest honey much beloved in the Lord before your the effectuall calling like the wandring Bee your honour went from flower to flower from one tree to another and found but little sweetness if any at all and what ever it was you were content to forsake that too for Christ but then you said as Jacob in another case I have enough my son Joseph is yet alive
In his declining days his Father of mercies exercised him with sore afflictions of bodily infirmities spirituall combates and conflicts and soking and grinding distempers of the stone in the bladder with Apoplexies and Palsie and other infirmities of age but O the sweet and invinceable patience O the humility the holiness contentation and wise moderation of himself and sweet composedness of his spirit He was naturally of an hasty dispositon but his conquest over such his infirmities those who waited much on him and others who much visited him do and must testifie that the Lord gave him a great measure of Christian patience meekness and self-deniall with that totall resignation of himself unto the will of his heavenly Father that indeed he was changed into another man and was of another spirit a good while before his change Near the Sun-set when the shadow must be long and his life short his sences of seeing and hearing seemed to have been renewed especially his hearing which had been much decaied for many years that surdity or privation was wonderfully restored and quickened to the great admiration not only of friends and relations visiting him but to the comfort of himself and all attendants about him reading and speaking to him enjoyed the benefit of another Patriarch to hear his gracious words which did daily improve to his dying day the losse of whom is very great and much bewailed not onely in his family and relations but in the Church of God yet so it pleased God This servant of the Lord had much of heaven on this side heaven whereby his bitter portion given him under sore afflictions and strong conflicts had much sweetning in them the various turns oâ— providence and the amazâ—ng alterations of Church and State made him live more upon God and less upon the creature when his Castle at Brampton was besieged and taken when his sweet and gracious consort yet of happy memory was taken to mercy and to rest from her labours when his children were taken prisoners his goods given to spoilers and robbers his family exposed to the cruell mercies of exasperated enemies and carried away captives his lands sequestred and all his revenues extinct yet even then good Sir ROBERT HARLEY assured his believing soul that nothing was slain dead lost spoiled and taken from him of all his proprieties which might have been better to him then the gain which this pretious soul found without them hee would long for nothing which hee found that the Lord thought good to deny him still he found stronger arguments to ballast his religious soul then to be overturned with such contrary winds the just shall live by his faith under dark and bloody providences The little which himself his had left them at that time he was very thankeful for he did want the rest with content which made him very rich whom the sword and cruell oppressor had made very poor Now much Honoured in the Lord and happy Son to such a Father after such a deliniation of so many specialls never to bee buried our eyes and hearts are towards you who do live to succeed such a president of grace and virtue our daily prayers to the Lord are for you and your posterity that the Lord who gave you such a Father will also give you to be always correcting and amending the copy and history with a wise and understanding heart to walk in his godly footsteps that you may as fair excell him in all wisedom as Solomon did good old David and will please to write on your heart and on your life in great capitall letters on a table of pure gold Holiness to the Lord that you may ever see and enjoy the Lord's covenant-goodness continued to sons and daughters of your own flesh and blood from generation to generation which is and shall be the daily prayer of Your most affectionate servant in the Lord T. W. From my house in Kingssland June 13 1658. When at deaths Gate my soul I do commend Into thy hands Salvation be mine end Deo Gloria Amen TO THE READER Christian Reader SSome have written Institutions to a christian life as Calvin Herlenius some of the emendation of life as Richardus Hampoll in his Speculum Spirituale others not a few De vita activa contemplativa as Ludolphus Saxonicus and the school-men but the right manner of dying well and the gracious encounter with death in its approach and the happy conquest in the article of death hath been very seldome heard of which gives me encouragement to cast in my mite into this treasury to make holy Simeon my happy president and indeed herein aestuebat ille senex beatissimus whose breathings of spirit did wax hot whil'st hee fixed his believing eye upon his Christ in four respects viz. as he was his peace his salvation his light his glory in the first he looked on him as his Mediatour in the second as his Redeemer in the third as his guide and teacher in the fourth as his crown of rejoicing In this Treatise you have Simeon's humble confession his faith unfained his blessed hope his constant love ravishing expectation under which hee doth happily repose himself till his departure out of his prison house of clay which he assuredly knew would not be long This Book was penned now and then a sheet as the Authors leisure from other studies permitted and were presented unto an aged eminent Servant of the Lords Sir ROBERTH HARLEY Knight of the Noble Order of the BATH being God's prisoner and confined to his Chamber by reason of manifold weaknesses and distempers of body with which the Lord pleased to exercise him for diverse years before his death being utterly disenabled to wait upon God in his publick Ordinances therefore among other mercies he gladly entertained these remembrances from a Minister of Christ who was very much his servant in the Lord the most of the papers were somtimes read to him in his Chamber by the Author himself which papers have bin since his death gathered up and now composed in this little Treatise for the use and benefit of such as do desire to live and dye blessedly as Simeon did Therefore judicious Reader accept of his good wil who hath indeavoured to pre-dispose prepare thy anxious soul for a blessed separation from the body and with good Simeon to depart in peace Thus I commend thee to God this Book to thy close perusal reading throughout hoping the Lord will please to make it very instrumental to thee to advance thy more happy comfortable dissolution and change which is the highest aim and utmost end of him who subscribes himself Thy Servant in the Lord's Work T. W. ERRATA in the Lines of the Book Page 2. Line 9. for giving read given pag. 2. lin 10. after people add p. 3. l. 20. for Elegie read Elogie lin 10. for off r. os l. 23. f. of r. off p. 14. l.
up of such condemned ones into the cruell hands of Satan for immediatly-after judgment will succeed an everlasting exclusion from God from Christ Mat. 25.41 46. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Deum non videre omnia gehennae supplicia superabit Bern. Isa 30.33 from the heavenly Jerusalem and from eternall glory together with a finall resignation of them into the merciless hands of evill angels to dragg them into that burning Tophet which the breath of the Lord like a stream of brimstone doth kindle 3. Corollary This commends matter of great consolation to all Christ-seeing Simeon's in sundry perticulars as followeth Death is a conquered foe dispoiled of his power Hos 13.14 1 Cor. 15.57 and weapons to hurt us At the first sight death looks upon us with a pale and gastly face but upon more judicious thoughts pale death hath no hurtfull weapon in his hand therefore in death the godly wise doth through Christ insult over death and say O death I fear thee not O welcom death and long looked for blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath made death so hurtles or rather friendly to me and now farewell honours riches pleasures lands possessions and inheritances farewell husband wife children and all my relations below farewel thou ruinous and infirme body of mine in which till bowell-compassions covered me all over with a mantle of richest grace I walked among the dead in destroying waies after the course of the world Mat. 8.22 Luk. 15.13 Prou. 6.18 Prou. 2.18 Eph. 2.2.3 and after the spirit that workes in the children of disobedience But now God hath look'd on me in a time of love and said unto me live Eze. 16.6 Hos 2.19.20 and espoused me to Jesus Christ and therefore I am glad of death and that my body be dissolved til my soul and body shal meet and never part again a branch Death is comfortable because Christ is with us David feared not the vallie of the shaddow of death Ps 23.4 because his God was with him Hosea 2.15 This vallie is like that of Achor to the people of God which preceded their entry into the land of promise where they tasted the first fruits of the land of Canaan for death borders upon eternall life at the end of this dark vallie is light and glory and thy God who owned and guided thee thither must bee unfaithfull if hee should leave thee Ps 71.18 when thou art old or liest down in the grave Old Policarpe he had better learned Christ for he had so oft tried him in other promises that he now dares confide him in this This may further be illustrated by thy union to Christ who is the Saviour of thy body and by that compleatnes of Christ s mysticall body Eph. 5.23 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Joh. 17.24 which may not want one of his members but every one of those whom the Father hath given to him must be with him and behold his glory which the Father had given him as our Lord Christ prayes John 17.24 Saint Paul would be dissolved to be with Christ Thus then that Christ is with the saints in death and for ever here is matchles comfort This consolation is considerable in the earnest of his spirit branch which God giveth to his Simeons Gal. 5.22 as the first fruits of everlasting glory The saints of God do in their spiritual life much live upon the graces of the spirit which are the earnest penny of that which is behind in the covenant of grace Now what is the earnest in comparison of this full summe Numb 13.24 what were the grapes pomgranets and figs which the spies brought to the goodnesse of the land of promise no more is grace here compared with that exceeding and eternall weight of glory 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. Cor. 5.5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ver 6 Graines and scruples carry no proportion with talents this was the ground of the Apostles willingnes to die he hath given us the earnest of the spirit therefore we are alwaies confident knowing that whiles we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. We are confident I say and willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. * 4 Branch Glory honour immortality and everlasting pleasures at God's right hand are sure to be conferred at the death of every blessed Simeon according to the capacity of the seperated soul all which saith Peter is prepared 1 Pet. 1.4 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 5. Branch reserved for thee in heaven as our Lord himselfe doth also tell us by saint John I go to prepare a place for you Let Pagans Infidels those that die out of Christ fear death but blessed Simeons have a cornucopia of comforts to feed upon for after the many stormes tempests and tossings up and down Act. 27.14 with the Euroclydon winds of this present world death brings them into a safe port and harbour when they shall say each one to his soul returne to thy rest O my soul for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee And each one to his body Ps 116.7 lie down be content sweetly repose and rest from thy labours But many will aske If a man die shall he live again Q. Job 14.14.10 as Job Man dieth and wasteth away and giveth up the ghost and where is he Unto which question holy Job himself makes the answer First A. from a comparison a tree in the winter seeming dead in the ground Job 1.4.8 yet through the sent of water it will bud and bring forth boughs like a plant Secondly Job believeth that God doth hide his saints for a time in the grave to remember them ver 13. to bring them forth in their set and appointed time But thirdly to make up the comfort God will most gratiously v. 15. and mercifully change them as I shall afterwards shew he will call to his saints in the grave dissolved into thousand atomes of dust they shall hear his trumpets and Arke-Angels voice and shall come forth to the resurrection of the just And lastly thy living again is a work of the Lord 's own desire as conducible to his own glory the glory of his Son's kingdom and the glory of the saints immortality who died willingly under so blessed a hope Titus 2.13 of so happie a resurrection to all whom lying in the chambers of death doth the Lord speak by his Prophet saying but somewhat allegorically thy dead men shall live together Isa 26.19 with my dead body shall they arise awake and sing ye that dwelt in dust For thy dew is as the dew of herbs and the earth shall cast out the dead Branch 6. All blessed Simeons must consider that their deferred happiness comes sure at last like a full vintage possibly thou maist waight and look long for
and father doth ordinarily fit his children for death in their sickness presenting to them the unloveliness and vanity of all things below the blessed interest which the Saints do enjoy in their Christ the happy change which they do make who dye in the armes of their Jesus and that such shall for ever be quit of all sinfull society yea of sinfull flesh no longer to abide among dead men nor among the tombs of dead ones shall never have cause to hang up their harpes upon Babylons Willows tree Ps 137.2 never be interrupted in singing our Hebrew song and therefore doth our gracious Father in sickness and otherwise open the narrow hearts and deaf ears of Simeons souls and then speak to them saying come my pretious ones suffer me now to dispose of you let me new mould you and transfigure you for your disease and so dear heart I do First make thee weary of thy body of death weary of the worlds blandishments and painted glory and weary of thy sinfull selfe Secondly I do sanctifie every pain and grief every crosse and trouble and make them become sanctified mercies Ps 131.2 whiles I do wean thee to be lesse in love with things below nay I cause that every decay of thy naturall strength every dimnesse of thy eye every dulnesse of thy ear every weakness and sicknesse of thy natural body shall tend to such a blessed change that at last the soul and body are made willing to depart for a time to attain unto Phil. 1.22 and enjoy a glorified cure Thirdly I do not only prepare thee to this submission but I do also make thee desire and long to dye I do so spiritualize and order thy soul that sicknesse shall be as welcome to thee as health death as life to thee who livest upon God in God and to God Dost want health of body I do satisfie thee with health of soul art near to death be it so then thou art nearer to life even a glorious blessed and eternall life sick man I am thy Lord God and I do assure thee by thy interest in my self through my son I am better to thee then ten healths as Elkanah was to Hannah then ten sons 1 Sam. 1.8 I am better to thee then many lives thy life here was but a breath or rivullet of life but in thy death thou art admitted to live for ever in him Joh. 14.6 Ps 36.9 who is life it self and to thee the fountain of life Fourthly in sickness the Lord speaks to his holy ones to be of good chear from the deep meditation of the love of God shed abroad in their hearts by the holy Ghost Rom. 5.5 Joh. 1.16 from the fulness al◠sufficiency of Jesus Christ their dearest friend their Lord King who coms leaping skipping over the mountains to solace himself in and with them whom he had so wonderfully delivered from the dens of Lyons Cant. 2.8 Cant. 4.8 and mountains of Leopards or what else hath been formidable to them Come look on me and to me lean and rely on me pour out thy soul into my bosome Isa 45.22 Mic. 7.7 who will assuredly give her sweet repose untill the great day of my second coming Cant. 8.5 Act. 7.59 when thou shalt be received soul and body to be for ever in mansions of eternall glory Cant. 3.11 to keep a most triumphant Jubilee with the Lord for ever Mal. 3.17 Act. 3.19 3. In death wee must submit to our Lord Joh. 14.2 3 and that in two things In the approach Act. 7.54 c. and point of death Precious soul in the approach of death Heb. 11. 2 Chron. 6.42 Ps 25.6 Ps 119.49 Psa 22.8 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 7.25 act faith in the Lord Jesus as Stephen did and as those Martyrs did faith will plead thy covenant-interest and perswade to roll thy self upon the free grace of God so fully represented in the promises faith bids thee look on thy Lord and saviour interceding thy cause at heavens throne Set hope on work to take faster anchor-hold on Jesus Christ Psal 18.2 Deut 32.4.31 2 Sam. 22.47 Ps 62.2.7 Ps 89.26 Ps 39.13 the rock of thy salvation Set prayer on work and pour out thy soul saying O Lord spare a little till I may recollect my self and bee sweetly composed to rejoyce in the approach of my my change Lord give me to welcome death with all ready entertainment as Gods messenger to deliver me from my prison Ps 142.7 Job 4.19 and house of clay wherein my celestiall soul the espouse of Christ is confined and imprisoned and say O Christ I come Luke 16.22 Lord Jesus send some of thy blessed Angels to receive carry my soul into Abrahams bosom as one of the fathers doth personate a dying Saint O holy trinity Father Son and Holy Ghost which in unity of nature art one the self-same God into thy hands I do commend my spirit into thy hands O blessed Saviour my King my priest and my Prophet do I recommend my self unto thee sweet Jesus do I a dying servant of thine come who camest into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief unto thee blessed Lord who wast conceived and born of the virgin Mary sufferedst diedst was buried and laid under the power of death Acts 1.24 for me to alleviate my death and make it stinglesse and curs-lesse who wast raised up from the dead didst miraculously ascend art now set down at thy fathers right hand for me to come again at the end of the world to be judge of all men Angels even to be my judg to justifie absolve me before all the world and to invest me a poor and miserable creature with that very glory which thy humane nature hath now in heaven and which thy self hadst with the Father before the world was into thy hands gracious redeener into thy hands O eternall spirit do I recommend my self who dost even ravish my heart by applying and sealing all the Covenant-goodnesse and gracious promises of life and of salvation even to me even now about to breath out my last breath of life Thus dying soul in thy submission un-thy Lord God set faith hope and prayer on work Quest The learned have a question whether the Saints in death do fear death having cōmission in some cases of persecution in one City to flye unto another and Christ saying Mar. 10. go not into the way of the Gentiles and into the Cities of the Samaritans enter ye not Act 9.25 and Saint Paul escaped out at a window at the fear of death and Christ himself often shunned the Scribes and Pharisees and Rulers who sought to kill him Joh. 7.1 1 King 19.3 so did David shun Saul and Elias the wicked instruments of wicked Ahab and Jezebell Answ To all which I answer that 't is not simply unlawfull to
fear death nor to avoid it's snares for death of it self is not good nor is it naturall to us but cruell and horrible but basely to fear death rather then to glorifie the name of God in our sufferings this is a great sin to bee afraid to dye after an evill life and out of Christ to such death is the terrible of terribles such cannot bee well willing to dye but when God shall in the way of his good providence call us to dye either by a naturall death or to seal unto his truth under persecution to dye a violent death then we may welcome death and the instruments of death as Historians say Saint Andrew did Salve crux pretiosa susci pe nunc Discipulum cúm priùs sustinueris Magistrum Thus M. John Philpot embraced the stake in Smithfield who with a gladsome Spirit said I kindly salute thee precious cross be content to bear me the Disciple who hast formerly born my Master every Simeon is carried above the apprehensions of naturall and morall men in death and hath very grand considerations neither basely nor sinfully to fear death and therefore subscribes unto her with heart and hand Answ 2. The fear of death in the Saints and the fear of death in others are very diverse the one is acted by sinfull-self whom such an one seeks to preserve for fear of greater wrath the other is acted by gracious self who seeks to know the minde of God in his death to subscribe to it and to serve divine providence as in life so in death whom if the Lord shal recover or deliver he gives himself to God again if the Lord hath determined death shall take place hee resigns up soul and body with an holy contentment Mat. 26.39 under the good pleasure of his heavenly Father Let Pagans and Infidels who never believed who never feared God fear to dye or despair in death because they dye without hope Eph. 2.12 Collos 1.20.21 Eph. 1.10 because they have no faith nor do lay hold on that reconciliation which Jesus Christ hath made between the Lord and gracious souls but let Christians rejoice and be glad ever giving thanks unto the Father of mercies Col. 1.1.2 who hath made them meet to be pertakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light Which inherirance for scituation is the Empyrean heaven far above all heavens where is Christ himself to entertain and glorifie all those who sleep in him where is nothing but glory for all such poor souls dying in the Lord as the King of Glory to be with all vessels of glory to accompany us thrones of glory to sit on an eternal wait of eternal glory 2 Pet. 2.1.11 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 An enterance shall be administred to you abundantly or according to the originall richly Phil. 1.23 to put on crowns of glory to wear a kingdō of glory to possess here the soul of the departing one cries out in a blessed ecstasie I have enough blessed Lord I come I come having so abundant an entrance made for me into celestiall triumphs blessed be God who hath made me thus willing desirous rather to be absent from the body and to bee present with the Lord where I am assured to find peace without intermission or perturbation health without sickness plenty without want wealth without poverty and everlasting life without death Of which holy City said Austin when shall I come into thy golden streets when shall I see and enjoy the heavenly society of blessed souls and that glorious Jubilee Fain I would come to fruition but Oh how am I detain'd anon will death come behold she stands at the door and knocks bid her come in that I may bid her welcome to whom I am ready to answer as Rebekah did Gen. 24. to her old near and dear relations who were so loath to part with her I will go with the man so say I even withlong-looked-for death my harbinger and friend Oh death I willingly go along with thee whom my Lord hath made so necessary and serviceable to me in my happy translation Acts 10. for me thinks I see Heaven open as Peter in his vision and the son of man like as Stephen did see him standing at the right hand of God Oh my soul thou art in a rapture divine to contemplate the things in heaven which are so unspeakable and ful of glory True I shall in death be taken from my deerest friends but let not that retard my souls willingnesse to dye for it s not improbable but I may know my gracious friends in heaven since our divine knowledg there shall not be diminished but enlarged hence some conclude we shall joyfully know the Patriachs and Apostles of our Lord and this seems the more rationall because Peter and James Mat. 17.13 and John at the transfiguration knew Moses and Elias whom they knew not before so shall the sun of righteousness irradiate the Saints with the celestiall beams of his transcendent glory The last thing in our submission in the point of death is to shut our own eyes and to bind up our own jawes when the departing soul utters her last words blessing God for that land of promise which like Moses shee sees at a distance Deut. 34.4 Jos 23.6 8 11.14 so Joshua about to dye shuts his own eyes exhorting the people to fear and serve the Lord so did Stephen who calling on the name of the Lord fell asleep so did Simeon gathered up disposed and prepapared himself most sweetly singing Lord now lettest thou c. Our blessed Saviour doth as it were shut up his own eyes and bind up his jaws in that he sweetly submitted himself to the hand of death saying Lu. 23.45 Father into thy hands I do commend my spirit and so do all wel prepared souls take care to dye under an holy resignation of their bodies to the grave for a time of their departing souls into the hands and bosom of Jesus Christ who is our Reuben to take care of our Benjamin that is Gen. 42.37 of our immortall souls to convey them safely unto our Fathers house Thus of the third Exhortation which is wisely to submit unto the Lord God in every estate in our health in our sickness in the approaches of death and and at the point of death 4. Exhortation 4. Exhort To friends not to grieve over-much at their departure who dye in the Lord. It is lawful commendable it is just and honorable to have sad thoughts at the losse of such friends If the very Egyptians mourned for old Jacob seventy days that with a great sore lamentation Gen. 53. 1 Sam. 15.35 2 Sam. 13.37 2 Chro. 35.24 if Samuell mourned for Saul and David shall not we much more mourn when the Saints are taken from us All Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah Surely then it is not onely naturall and morall but it is religious
us as we them being made like to Christ's most glorious body Thou then who hast been long a mourner gather up thy spirits God hath provided thou shalt not want thy friend himself will make up all to thee so far as is good for thee as he did to Job before his hand is not straightned he can raise up better friends and compose thy spirit with an holy contentment Ambros stantem lego flentem non lego as the Father says he did the spirit of the virgin Mary who standing by the crosse of Christ was not seen to let fall one tear Sixtly and lastly be perswaded to quit thy surcharged heart of all sad disquietting thoughts for immoderate grief may not bee continued without the sin of muttering and murmuring against the all-wise providence of God which is high rebellion against his wisedom and dignity as if thou poor shallow creature knewest better then he what was or what had been best go to God in faith cast thy selfe down before him humbly believingly for there 's enough in God to make thee whole go to him in humble prayer commend thy case absolutely to him and engage thy self determinately to bee at his appointment in this thy present condition and say Lord I am in thine hand do by me thy servant and mine as shall se em good in thine eyes And lastly acquiesce sweetly in the sufficiency and al-sufficiency of thy Lord God And this is the fourth exhortation wherein we had the obsequies of friends mourning for them that dye in the Lord in seven particulars and rules unto mourners in six particulars Thus have I endeavoured according to my weak measure and small talent to raise up and revive departed Simeon that in him I might set before you a gracious servant of the Lord who lived holiâ—y and dyed happily and left a sweet savour behind him unto succeeding generations that in ages to come the people of God may walk in the way which he had proved and hold by the golden line of Simeon's faith till they depart in peace and their eyes do see their salvation as Simeon did which the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ vouchsafe unto us of his everlasting love and infinite mercy Amen and Amen FINIS In obitum Illustrissimi viri ROBERTI HARLEY Equitis honoratissimi ordinis Balnei MUsarum vertex obiit fidúmque Minervae Palladium patriae gloria fama togae Quem culmen sibi quem coryphaeum agnóve togati Quem sibi legerunt omnibus Alpha libris Pauperibus quorum tenuis sors esse negabat Edoctos 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 utrumque dedit Nec cessat propriis de vectigalibus haustis Flaminibus stipem larga dicare manus Quin nummis puduit perituris parcere major Cui proventus opes non habuisse fuit Cumque ipso navem quisquam conscendit eandem Cui virtus fuerat cui cynosura fides Eximium hinc meritus titulum non ille creatus Sed proprio fuerat munere factus eques Quippe suas sumpsit solâ virtute secures Ipse sibi Consul fascis ipse sibi Quem nec honor nec seduxit commissa potestas Sed regere populum novit imperium Quotquot Jacobo numerabat rege senatus Anglia te vivo Carole quotquot erat 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Senatoris toties excepit haeres Successórque fuit continuò ipse suus Hunc duo Postremi tantúm exclusere senatus Et solùm canâ fronte Senator erat Tandem obiens cecinit Servum dimitte salute Vitâ quae tecum condita Christe fuit Plenâ mente fide possis ut dicere rursus Vel nasci Christum vel Simeona mori 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉