am bold to advise you how you shall behave your selves when it comes Out of love to your souls I advise you what to do in the day of Jacobs troubles First have the mark of mourners on your foreheads let me beg it of you if you have not that mark on you in the day of Jacobs troubles without doubt the Devils black mark will be found on you at the last day In Ezekiel 9. v. 4.5 all that had not this mark on them were the persons destinated to destruction When the overflowing scourge comes when the destroying Angel goeth upon his circuit he is not to spare man woman nor childe but those that had this mark upon them even those that cried out for the abominations done in the land Read that text Now mark the difference that God and the world puts upon such mourners in Sion God puts a mark of preservation upon such as the world puts a mark of destruction seditious humorsome keeping a whining fasting and mourning behave your selves well in the day of Jacobs troubles get the mark of mourners on your foreheads let not God see that you are a careless people let not God that sees this Congregation this great number of people have cause to say that you are a careless company care not for your own sins nor for the sins of others care not for the wrath of God though gray hairs be here and there upon us you know it not care not for the Churches misery though Jacob be under the hatches and the Church like to be grownd to powder thou canst trudge about the world and endeavour to preserve thy Estate but carest not for the wrath of God nor the miseries of the Church Thou art not one of those persons that behavest thy self well in the day of Jacobs troubles I tell thee if the sins of a Nation be nothing to thee the judgements of a Nation shall be something to thee Remember that a messenger of Jesus Christ a poor dying worm who is just now leaving you told you thus much that if the ungodliness prophaneness sensuality blasphemy and atheisme of a Nation be nothing to thee then the judgements of a Nation shall be something to thee Either mourn for sin or mourn for woe and sorrow Oh! do you mourn for the wickedness that is done in this Land though sinners make sport of it and please themselves in it and look upon it as part of their glory that they can go to Hell quietly let me beg it of you all and leave it as my counsel with you to get the mark of mourners on your foreheads let it appear that the Angel may take notice of thee and mark thee when the overflowing scourge shall pass through the land Really there is hypocrisie in Professors on both hands in times of the Churches prosperity and in times of the Churches adversity the Devil may tell thee that thou art sincere though thou takest no notice of the Churches troubles nor mournest for it be not deceived thy heart is not right in the sight of God if thou carest not what becomes of his Church thou hast had a hand in their sins have a hand in their sufferings Thou hast helpt to bring sorrow to the Church by reason of thy sin Oh bring tears of godly sorrow to help to quench the flame that sinne hath kindled Secondly would you behave your selves well in the time of Jacobs troubles keep your selves pure from the reigning sins of the times wherein you live I speak not of any particular time but when God is angry with his Church let it be now be it when it will it then becomes Christians to keep themselves pure from the sins of those times In Revel 18. v. 4. hearken to that text of Scripture thou carnal complying temporizing and time-serving Professour I heard a voice from heaven saying Come out of her my people and be not partakers of her sin lest you are partakers of her plagues When mens sins are filling apace when the Ephah is near full keep thy self pure from the sins of the times lest thou be made partaker of the plagues of the times Consider what are the sins of such times if there be prophaneness superstition impiety malice against Religion sensuality impenitency and see little else but wickedness of this dye and nature touch you not one of them keep your selves pure I am giving you counsel as for my own life if I were dying on my sick bed as God knows how soon I may according to the measure that God hath given me of his free Grace I could not give you better counsel Oh that I could deliver it with that authority that I ought Purity is a condition of the Covenant 2 Cor. 6.18 He will be to you a Father and you shall be to him Sons and Daughters if you will come out from such uncleannesses A word to the wise is enough and according as God furnisheth you with his Spirit learn to behave your selves well in the day of Jacobs troubles keep your selves pure from the sins of the times Thirdly Feel the sorrow of the Church if the Church be nothing to thee Christ is nothing to thee and if Christ be nothing to thee thou art an enemy to Christ and thou mayest profess thou beleevest in Christ and hopes to be saved by Christ but if the Church be nothing to thee thou art but a dead Member a wooden Leg a glass Eye an artificial Tooth You must be either friends or foes to Christ if friends then friends to his Church if thou doest not gather with him thou scatterest and if thou takes not a common interest with the Church of God thou art but a false friend to Christ if thou dost not feel the Churches pain thou hast none of the Churches Spirit if a finger or a toe suffer the whole body is sensible Thou hast none of the Spirit of Christ if thou doest not feel the sorrows of the Church Woe be to those that dwell at ease in Sion very few great men are like good Nehemiah who was of the Kings Court and in great favour with him and ailed nothing yet his heart was full of sorrow for the Church of God insomuch that the King saw by his countenance that he was troubled and Nehemiah made use of the opportunity and rested not till he had accomplished his design for the House of God Men that have a great estate and in great places many times are the greatest enemies to the Church of God and they are ready to forsake Christ like the rich young man in the Gospel which you may read at your leasure In Amos 6. ver 6. read your doom there if the Devil do possess some of you with prejudice I profess seriously Brethren it is in love to your souls I speak read that 6. verse of the 6. of Amos poor Joseph lay by the heels the Irons entered into his soul But those that took their pleasure and was not
only ask thee one question Art thou content to have no part in the happiness of the Church hereafter if thou separatest thy self from the Church Militant I tell thee in the name of my Lord and Master thou shalt be separated from the Church Triumphant hereafter Wouldst thou stand at the right hand of the Head of the Church and be owned as a Member and be glorified for ever with the Church why then here feel the Churches sorrow and cry mightily to God that he will arise and have mercy on Sion But if thou doest not here feel the Churches misery nor cry to God for deliverance thou must be separated from the Church hereafter And thus have I done with this general counsel learn to behave your selves well in the day of Jacobs troubles in four particulars Get the mark of mourners on your foreheads Keep your selves pure from the reigning sins of the times Feel the sorrows of the Church And cry mightily unto God that he would have mercy I now come to the 13 and last general counsel that I have to leave with you and that is Be you all truly wise Once more I say my last general counsel unto you is O be you all truly wise It is not an outward wisdom I would counsel you to but it is a spiritual wisdom a true wisdom Oh learn it it will do you good to all eternity Once more hearken to a few counsels from your departing friend which contains the substance of the greatest wisdom in the world and I am heartily willing to leave them with you as my farewel be truly wise take good counsel in these following particulars First View truth lose not true wisdom let not the god of this world blinde thine eyes any longer thou that hast a dark head here and doest not see the saving truth thou mayest be blinde for ever hereafter Do not lose the blessed Gospel the sight of Divine Beauty this is but a world of shadows stocks and straws and butter-flies Oh get a sight of the world to come think read hear meditate that thou mayest behold the beauty of Truth be much in hearing be much in reading read good Books meditate on them the less opportunity the ear hath the more opportunity the eye should have darkness is the Devils kingdom he is the prince of darkness and deeds of darkness are done in the Devils kingdom get out of it into the glorious Gospel of Light view Truth and study it Secondly Follow the light of it first see it then follow it people are apt to think they are in a good way when they are in a bad when you view Truth and have seen Divine Beauty then follow light or else turn so miserable that Infiniteness it self cannot get thee out of it If thou disobeyest Conscience thou runnest upon the point of the sword Conscience is that which is a discerner bread is bread and grain is grain but the goodness of it is better distinguished by being brought to the light Sin is sin but bring it to the light of Conscience it is clearer discerned thou that art a drunkard against thy Conscience a swearer a profaner of the Lords Day a reviler of his people c. and dost it against the light of thy Conscience what canst thou say for thy self at that day of account when this Book shall be laid open among the rest and all thy deeds of darkness discovered Thou that in matters of Religious Worship doest any thing against thy conscience runnest upon inavoidable misery and woe and thou shalt finde bitterness in the end Thirdly Live in the practise of self-deniel Oh take heed of the Flesh and the Devil so much as thou art ruled by these thine enemies so far thou settest thy self from the enjoyment of God for if self-pleasing be not counted by thee to be thine enemy and self-denial thy friend thou art out of the convoy of God what then will be thy end Live crucifying of thy flesh or thou shalt be crucified by it Fourthly Live in the sight of and dependance on the Father Son and Holy Spirit live in the sight thereof continually so long as thou art out of the sight of God so long thou art open to all dangers Depend upon the Father for giving upon the Son for purchasing upon the Holy Ghost for conveighing all good unto thee express thy dependance by thy earnest prayers to God for all good tugging and striving for thy life express thy dependance by a hanging and relying faith upon thy Saviour resisting all temptations resolve to live in the sight of and dependance on Father Son and Holy Spirit Fifthly Live in a good air keep good company a soul that is in evil company is in Hell whilst amongst them or else will go to Hell with them There is nothing more healthful to the body then to live in a good aire a bad air destroyes the health so doth bad company destroy the soul resist temptations thou must part with God or with evil company therefore forsake bad company resist temptations at first rising if thou dost not watch the first beginning of temptations to sin all thy vows and promises will vanish as dew before the Sun Sixthly Exchange temporal joyes for eternal be assured of it the world will leave you this garment the covering of it will fade therefore whilst the colour is any thing good get a better and more enduring part with the worlds contents for spiritual joyes this you are to do by daily mortification diligent edification and be sure to restifie thy sincerity towards God make good friends of the unrighteous Mammon that when you fail they may receive you into everlasting habitations Luke 16. Make friends with your estate lay it out upon christs poor Members really the world is going away apace Heaven and Earth is changing and waxeth old there are joyes everlasting Oh then exchange temporal joyes for eternal Seventhly Fill thy self with religious pleasures expect and overlook its cares if thou wouldest be truly wise do this the heart must have its joy either temporal or spiritual would you trample over the world then rejoyce in the Lord and again I say rejoyce Oh be truly wise let God Heaven and the Holy Spirit continually fill thy soul with religious joyes sweetness and beauty which will banish thy cares and dangers if thou art religious expect troubles but overlook them and cast thine eyes upon that joy that is in thy soul that thou art out of the reach of Satan and his instruments being under the safe conduct of Omnipotency who will undoubtedly bring thee safe through all to himself Eighthly If thou lovest life let death dwell in thy heart God knows how soon we may all dye now I am going away and am not to speak any more unto you except God finde out a way beyond our expectation I would therefore leave that counsel that may do you most good and make you truly wise Remember to have death alwayes
forth we know not how soon death may beat up our quarters and storm our castles the next messenger that knocks may be the messenger of Death let us therefore be serious and betake our selves to soul concernments Let us consider Sabbaths were not made for nought to please an itching ear or unruly fancy but to save our souls O Lord make us diligent and careful at this time to receive spiritual good from thee Put us into thy Covenant carry us safe through this world bring us out of a natural condition give sincerity to souls that groan under hypocrisie give us a heart to know thee the Lord our Righteousnesse do saving good to us this day our last dayes are not the least but of the greatest concernment the desires of our souls unto thy Majesty is that it may go well with us at those two last great dayes of Death and Judgement O that our dying dayes and dooms dayes may be delightful and pleasant dayes to us We are but seeming Actors in a play in this world we are but a shadow how soon are we gone and our Habitations shall see us no more O Eternity Eternity Eternity that our souls must shortly launch into a vast ocean where there is a great account to be given how we have behaved our selves in this life Oh grant that we may so provide for that day that we may render our account with joy and not with grief O Lord to whom shall we go thou hast the words of eternal life make us like thy self partakers of thy Divine Nature deliver us into the mould of thy word thou knowest the condition of us let thy Word reach us all Oh Lord run up thy Sword to the Hilt in the hearts of all impenitent Sinners make thy Word sharper then a two-edged Sword O Lord thou hast done good by thy servants in their departing from us do good at this time amongst us Oh let thy strength be put forth to the conviction humiliation enlightning and converting of many a Soul this day Our strength is but small we cannot be so importunate with thee as our hearts doth desire thou knowest our state and wants do exceedingly for us above and beyond what we are able to ask or think O Lord thou art willing to do us good thou professest thou takest no pleasure in the death of a Sinner what then should hinder in all the world but a secret unwillingness in our hearts to come over to the Lord Jesus Christ For his sake by this last throw of the Administration of thy Grace let some poor fouls that sticks and stayes long in the place of bringing forth be born to Jesus Christ at this time Although this be the last Sermon in an ordinary way that ever thy unworthy servant is like to preach in this Congregation let it be a quickning Sermon an effectual Ordinance sanctified by thy Spirit to convert many and many a Soul work like a God work like thy own self let the power of the Lord be seen in the weakness of thy Servant Lord shew mercy unto all carry on thy glorious Churches design let not the gates of Hell prevail Let not the rod of the wicked alwayes rest upon the back of the righteous stand by thine in this hour of temptation though they be but weak in grace yet they have a strong God O support them and let the name of the Lord be great in the midft of them In much mercy look on these sinful Nations Oh bless our Sovereign Lord the King in his person and in his Relations thou that knowest all things doth know that it is the desire of our souls that thou wouldest bless him with a competency of Spiritual Temporal and Eternal Glory Oh make him a King after thy own heart we are resolved to wait on thee who knoweth what a day may bring forth what a God can do to the terrour and astonishment of all his enemies Let them see that the Kings heart is in the hand of the Lord and he can turn it as pleaseth him and make him the choicest instrument of thy Glory and the good of thy Church that ever was Thou art a good God in great faithfulness dost thou afflict us let us learn our lesson quickly deliver us from dulness and security Lord we pray thee let instruction and correction go together thou doest appear in thy Providence as a God that art going about to sit upon the Tribe of Levi even that is most precious as a Fullers fire c. Oh take away the dross that they may offer to God acceptable service It hath been much upon the thoughts of some of thy People that God had a scourge for the Ministry because of their failings and defects send thy Spirit with thy Rod we look upon the dispensation as corrections for Sin humble Ministers for their Defects and People for their Sins We look upon it as matter of Thanksgiving and so have cause to bless thy Name that thou countest any of us worthy to bear a testimony of thy Name Lord whatsoever thou takest from us in this World make it up with the Emoluments of another World with the Incomes of thy Grace that shall make us more glad then when their Corn Wine and Oyl increaseth We have spiritual wants and it is nothing but spiritual remedies that will cure us Oh be thou nigh unto us in all that we shall call upon thee for Oh look upon all in affliction upon those that have begged our Prayers the Lord be merciful to them lay no more on them then thou shalt enable them to bear those that complain of unprofitablenefs under the means of Grace Lord convince them convert them turn their hearts take away the stony heart and give them a. heart of flesh take away the old rotten disposition and give them a soft and flexible Be in the midst of all Congregations this day met together in the faith and fear of the Lord we beg that thy servants who have had the seal of their Ministry may now at their departure prove powerful Instruments in thy hands of saving good to their people Oh let them destroy more lusts more temptations beget quicken and raise up in the hand of thy Spirit more Sons and Daughters unto the Lord this last time then in all their lives before Be with us in this Congregation prepare our hearts to handle thy Word which is able to save our souls give us suitable affections proportionable abilities both in Soul and Body Do thou the work thou shalt have the glory Let Satans Kingdom at this time lose a little ground that those who are yet in a Christless condition may now make up the match between Christ and their poor souls And for those who have given up themselves to Jesus Christ and yet have back-slidden from him let them this evening be recovered and give up themselves to Jesus Christ in an everlasting Covenant and and in a day of Confession take a part with God and side with a power of Godliness against all things that hinder Carry thy servant through his work at this time remove corruptions give in grace let not thy word come as a slight thing but with a deep and serious impression upon every one of our hearts and all for Jesus Christ his sake but dear Redeemer To whom with thee and thy Blessed Spirit be ascribed as is most due Kingdom Glory Power and Praise now and to all Eternity Amen FINIS