and I must now die which also came to pass for she could not be delivered XI After Doctor Winters return into England he with his Wife came to London and for a month sojourned in Doctor Drakes House In which time his second Daughter fell sick of the Twisting of the Guts She had two able Physitians Doctor French and Doctor Cox She lay in very great torture from Munday till Saturday night and the Doctors had very little hope of her Life On Saturday evening Doctor Winter came in and meeting with her Sister asked how she did Her Sister answered she thought that now she was very near unto death For that the Doctors having prescribed something to be given her in a Spoon her teeth were so set that her Aunt and she had much ado to open them to put it into her mouth But said she Sir what do you think of her Give me said he a candle that I may go into my chamber and anon I will tell you whether she shall live or die When he came down she met him at the foot of the stairs and asked him what he thought of her now He answered Your Sister will live And going up into her Chamber he spake to his Wife and bid her to use all means possible for her recovery For said he she must not dye this time His Wife begged of him not to be so confident for that she was very near unto Death and no hopes of Life remained Yet he told her Mother and Aunts that she should recover and live His Wife was much troubled at it notwithstanding all her former experiences But the next day signs of her recovery began to appear and within a little space she was perfectly well Some other instances might be given but these may suffice as evidently demonstrating that the Lord is a Prayer-hearing God That never saith to the seed oâ— Jacob Seek ye my Face in vain Probably the incredulous World will not believe these things to bâ—trueâ— but judge them rather to be Romances and fancies than realities But there are so many Consciencious Persons and of Good credit yet living who can and will attest the Truth of them that there is no place left to distrust or doubting among those that are sober and judicious Amos 3.7 Surely the Lord God will dâ— nothing but he revealeth his secret unâ—â— his Servants the Prophets John 16.23 Whatsoever you shall ask the Father in my Name He will give it you v. 24. Hitherto have you asked nothing in my Name Ask and ye shall receive that you Joy may be full A Letter written by Doctor Winter to a Gentleman desiring of him a short and plain account of what was necessary to the Person that would be saved THough many things in Scripture be required of a Christian which he is bound to observe not to â—â—tain any Truth in unrighteousness for whosoever pâ—rsisteth in any sinful course against his light of Conscience without remorse and hearty sorrow for the same sinneth fundamentally Rom 1.18 For the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against aâ— ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness Yet there are not many things in themselves absolutely necessary to selvation without which no man can be Saved These God in much mercie hath set down in holy â—â—itt that the meanest and weakest Christians may understand Luke 19.42 If thou hadst known even thou at least in this thy day the things which belong unto thy peace c. From whence 〈◊〉 may observe that a man may know many things â—â—d yet not know the thing which concerns his everlasting peace The understanding is the first that lives and the last that dies I say then 1. First It is absolutely necessary that there be a work of illumination and conviction and that a clear full particular and through work be upon the understanding which must be renewed and sanctified as well as the will John 16.9 when the Spirit is come he will reprove the world of Sin because they believe not on me Eph. 4.23 And be renewed in the Spirit of your minds so that the soul see sin to be the greatest evil in the world and Christ the greatest good the only excellent and desireable thing Psal 73.25 Whom have I in Heaven but Thee and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee Philip. 3.8 Yea doubtless and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered to loss of all things and do counâ— them but Dung that I may win Christ In the the young man in the Gospel failed for though 〈◊〉 came running to Christ yea kneeled down to him Himself being a Ruler he thought he had kept the Commandments from his youth he thought he saw aâ— excellency in Christ else why went he away sorrowful yet because he saw a greater excellency in the world and Embraced that rather than Christ 〈◊〉 perished Mark 10.17 Luke 18.18 2 Secondly It is necessary that the heart be broken Psal 51.17 A broken and a contrite heart O God thou wilt not despise A broken heart is the sound heart the oyl of Grace is poured into the broken Vessel as first the heart must be broken with hearty sorrow for sin as sin as it is a breach of the Law and Command of God 1 John 3.4 Whosoever committeth Sin Transgresseth the Law for Sin is the transgression of the Law We must grieve for Christ Crucified by and for us Zech. 12.10 They shall look upon me whom they have Pierced and they shall mourn as one mourneth for his only Son and shall be in bitterness for him as one that is in bitterness for his first-born Till Sin is bitter to us Christ will not be sweet to us Again he must be broken down 2 Cor. 10.5 That all the strong holds of Sin be tumbled down and all those high thoughts and strong imaginations be laid low that those invincible forts of sin be level'd and the will subdued to the will of Christ Again thirdly the heart must be broken through that the heart be contrite Psal 51.17 A Contrite heart O God thou wilt not despise The heart must be as it were shivered in pieces and melted before the Lord not like an Earthen Jugg that is broken indeed but the pieces remain hard as before and thus it was with Pharaoh King of Egypt Again fourthly its necessary the heart be broken from Sin as well as for sin it s called Repentance from dead works Heb. 6.1 He that doth not break off his former sins and bid adiew to them no more to act sin and live in sin as farmerly cannot expect to be saved in the day of Christ 1 Pet. 2.24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the Tree that we being dead to sins should live unto righteousness 3. Thirdly It s necessary that we should be emptied of all self righteousness so that
all the claimes that Justice would make and when Satan verily thought he had dispatched him out of the way He being buryed and that as a malefactor so that either he should not rise at all or not in glory and reputation among men now Christ riseth in despight of Hell and the Father gives him glory 2 Pet. 1.17 That our faith and hope may be in God and therefore Christ expresseth a dissatisfaction and discontent at them for their unkindness and unthankfulness as if he had said Time was when you were glad to know any thing that concerned me when you hung upon me and whatever I said to you was a Law and catertained with greediness Why then are ye so backward now Are my merits ere a whit the less Or are you not sensible of your need that you are so slow of heart to believe in me your everlasting Redeemer Now consider what Christ spake to them He speakes to you for all Scripture is writt for our Learning and though Christ will not condemn you yet he may and he doth it seems upbraid you and such upbraidings and frowns of Christ are or should be as much as death yea Hell it self to a believer as Hell was before we believed For the Conscience is mâ—n wounded by way of Gods special love as a Friend than by his hatred as an Enemy If it were possible for a man to be thrown out of Gods armâ— of Love into Hell Hell would be more to him than any other For this made Christs sufferings so great because he was so infinitely beloved of the Father as alwaies lying in his bâ—some Consider what I say as Christ takes it ill that we should question his Love so of all sins he will bear with none less than that of Vnbelief The Disciples had many failings but he upbraids them with no sin so much as Unbelief as being of all sins the most grievouâ— to him therefore as you would make Conscience of any other sin see that you make Conscience of this namely of not believing in the Son of God 1 John 3 23. Consider further why were these doubtings of Thomas and the Disciples â—ecorded but to strengthen our faith they doubted of the Resurrection of Christ that the world might not doubt and t is observable that Thomas doubted more than all the rest therefore he bore a more eminent testimony to Christ than they did crying out My Lord and my God being the first that â—wned Christ as God Go you and do likewise Trust perfectly in the grace of the Lord Jesus and to encourage you remember 1 you have his Word for salvation and that Word to us surer than that voice from Heaven This is my well beloved Son hear Him 2 Pet. 1.19 And the Earth shall sooner reel than the Word and Promise of God fail 2 You have his Covenant the sure mercies of David Jer. 31.3 17. If Heaven above can be measured and the foundations of the Earth searched out beneath I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that which they have done 3 You have the Attributes of God for you the Pillars of Heaven yea the Pillars of God and are not these sufficient to support your soul There is not one Attribute of God against you but all for you yea Justice it self so that you may plead with God not only in point of mercy but of Justice also for Christ hath satisfied for all your sins therefore with reverence be it spoken God cannot in justice require the same debt twice of your Surety and of you also see Rom. 3.2 4 You have this attested by the broad Seal of Heaven namely the Sacrament and Privy Seal of the spirit called the Earnest of the Spirit against that day and then there will be no need of that Earnest when we have the purchased possession but his Earnest shewes you that he is in Earnest not in Jestâ— and Gâ—d will not assuredly lose his Earnest which is pare of the bargain and confirms it to you 5 Consider all the glory of the Father 〈◊〉 upon Christ was that our faith and hope might be in God the Jews slighted Christ 〈◊〉 him but had they seen him in glory they would have believed on him 6 Christ should not discharge his office if he should not reâ—eive such as you and do you think that Christ will be unfaithful to his Father or to poor souls that come unto God by him I tell you the Lord hath made two sorts of Promises 1 of Faith John 6.37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me namely by Faith 2 To Faith as it Follows in the same verse and he that cometh I will in no wise cast out 1 Of the Church 2 Of my heart 3 Of Heaven Therefore make a venture and cast your soul on him who will not sail to keep safely that which is committed to his trust And let me tell you farther we are the Embassadours of Christ to treat with sinners in Christs name upon his own terms and therefore if you come in upon the terms of the Gosspel out of the sense of the poverty of your spirit and close with Christ as seeing an excellency in him above all the world so as to give your self to him and never to part with him I say then that Christ is bound and must of necessity make good what his Embassadours have propounded and concluded in his name in whose name according to the contents of your Letter and the former knowledge I have had of you I do declare as a Minister of Christ that all your sins are forgiven you and therefore I charge you that you rowle your self upon the Lord the burden is too heavy for you to bear but what you cannot bear that rowle upon the Lord and know assuredly though we be unfaithful yet he abideth faithful and cannot deny himself the Promise is made to the truth and not to the degrees of grace Lastly if you persist in unbelief consider how grievous this is to Christ forget not what was said before that Christ upbraided the Disciples and doubtless the anger of Christ was never greater than the offence nor the reproof unsutable unto the fault therefore chide your soul Why dost thou cast down thy self O my soul Why art thou disquieted within me still trust in God who is the help of my faces that is who saves eminently perspicuously so that a man may see Salvation in the face If all that I have said will not prevail know I have your Hand and Seal against you and must needs witness against you in that day but I hope better things of you that the Bowels of Christ will melt you and his arms open'd upon the Cross allure you to run to him who never rejected any that came to him and do you think that you shall be the first As to that Query What is the lowest degree of faith I answer some say the lowest act of faith is to see a possibility of mercy but if I should say so I should exclude many a precious Saint out of Heaven I say then the lowest act of faith is to put a high estimate upon Christ as the chiefest of ten thousand Cant. 5.10 So as to cleave to him and not to part with him for ever though the soul see no probability no not possibility of mercy this is poverty of spirit the lowest round of Jacobs Ladder To make this plainâ— suppose such a Maid hath strong affections to such a Person but he is otherwise inclined yea ingaged so that there is no possibility of obtaining him yet there is true Love The Case suits with many a soul that cannot see any possibility of enjoying Christ yet Loves him dearly could be content to begg with him why here is true Love and therefore faith for faith worketh by Love Wherefore I say look after Christ with a wishly eye with a long look and you shall be saved Isa 45. For the prayers made toward Christ the living Temple are heard as well as the prayers that are made in the Temple though they cannot evidence their union with Christ My Dear Friend I commend these lines to you The Pin of the Dyall points at the hour of the day but cannot tell what a Clock 't is unless the Sun shine unless the Lord shine upon your heart you can see no light of grace or comfort The Lord create the fruit of the lips peace which I begg for you Pray for me still as I desire to do for You Your assured Friend S. W.
so with much earnestness of spirit looking up towards Heaven he begged of God that the words of a dying man might make a deep impression upon the hearts of his Hearers And that as God had made him an Instrument of converting many Souls unto him in his Life so he would bless what he had now spoken that some one Soul might be brought to Jesus Christ by this his last Sermon Then he proceeded to further Heavenly discourses and Instructions quoting sundry Texts of Scripture for the proof of what he spake naming the Chapters Verses and words of the Texts which he opened and explained out of the Originals with that acuteness and strength of words with that zeal and fervency of spirit as was admirable so that he drew tears from the eyes of all that were present whether young or old And left any there present should think that his understanding and memory were grown weak oâ— that he was overcome through the abundance of Revelation which he had the night before to let them know that he had spoken to them the words of truth and soberness and that with a perfect understanding of what he spake he made this Narrative following He told them the manner of his education in Religion from his childhood and of the vanity which did attend his youthful daies and where and how God did appear to him for his Conversion at twelve years of his age and of the assurance which God had given him as is before related that he should be an Instrument of converting many Souls to God As also of his proficiency in learning from that very time He farther declared with tears trickling down his cheeks that he had many and many a time A faithfull Pastor in private before he went to Preach put God in mind of that Promise so made unto him and earnestly besought him to make good that Promise by giving a blessing to that Word of his which he was then going to deliver that some Glory might redound to his holy Name thereby To which his Prayers God had often been pleased to give a gracious Answer and to let him know it by the Conversion of some by those Sermons One of his Relations then present fearing that his Spirits would be weakened and spent by that his continued discourse desired him to repose himself for a while To whom he replyed with much earnestness and strength of voice No His Zeal were I sure that this should be my last night as indeed it proved and the last Sermon that I should Preach I would continue it two hours longer Adding that he was not afraid of Death And turning his Head backward he said Death is a Coward he comes behind me His Triumph He dares not look me in the Face And farther he said The Devil hath oft assaulted me in my Life time But God stoâ—d by me and give me strength to resist him so that he could never hurt me All that day following he lay in Heavenly Contemplation and Raptares His Raptures often breaking forth in Praises unto God for Jesus Christ And would sometimes desire his Wife and other Friends to tell him whether he were in the Body or out of the Body for he could not tell And a Minister being the in the House he desired that he might be called in and when he was come he propounded the same Question unto him who answered That he was in Life and among his Friends on Earth and therefore in the Body To this he replyed It is true and therewith rested satisfred and desired the Minister to pray with him which he did accordingly His Wife told him that some Friends present hoped that he might yet live To which he answered Can a Dead man live Will God work Miracles Shortly after he said God is doing great things in the world and he much bewailed the sad condition of the Church of Christ c. In the afternoon The power of Death finding Death to approach he often cryed out O the power of Death Not that he feared it for it shrunk from him but he found such a Power in Death as none could know but those that were under it He wished that his Sons had been present that they might see what the Power of Death was and what it was to die He desired also that some Neighbours of the Town might be called in that he might Preach his last Sermon to them And indeed to this very time his spirits speech and memory continued very active and strong About four a clock in the afternoon his Wife and his Wives Brother and Sister standing by his bedside asked him how he did He answered Very Weak Adding That he was going to Jesus Christ Death not to be feared Bid them not be afraid of Death with which words he put forth his hand and said Brother Sister Take Death by the Hand Be not afraid Death is a coward He flies from 〈◊〉 They found that his Hands were cold and Clammy whereby they perceived that he grew near to his end And himself not long after feeling that the dissolution of this earthly Tabernacle was now approaching lifting up his eyes towards Heaven he cryed out Câ—me Lâ—rd Jesus His blessed Death And presently with a smiling countenance he added Art thou Câ—me And so he breathed out his laâ—â— Thus Reader 〈…〉 through the more considerable passages of this blessed mans Life and Death Pause here a while and take a view 〈◊〉 all again and then surely thou canst nâ—â— but wish though it is desired for thee that it may be from a better Principle than was in Balaam Let me die the Death of this blessed man and let my last end be like his But in vain shak thou wish for this if the pattern of his Holy and Exemplary Life be neglected by thee It is Storied that a person of a loose Life that hearing what a comfortable end St. Bernard made said to his companions I would willingly die like St. Bernard but I would live like you It s too certain that many are of the same mind but as it is impossible but that an holy Life should have a blessed and happy Death Mark the perfect man and behold the Vpright For the end of that man is Peace Psalm 37.37 So it is as impossible in an ordinary way that a loose and wicked Life should have any other than a miserable and uncomfortable Death though some delusive fadeing flashes of seeming comfort they may sometimes have yet are but as a blaze of Thorns that is suddenly extinct For God himself hath said it There is no Peace to the wicked Isa 48.22 And again The wicked are driven away in their wickedness But the Righteous hath Hope in his Death Impius dum spirat sperat Sed Justus cum exspirat sperat The wicked Hope while they live with a vain ungrounded Hope But the Righteous hope when they die with a lively and well-grounded Hope that never
diseases were both recovered by Luthers Prayers Sozomen saith of Apollonius that he never asked any thing of God in all his Life which he obtained not Blessed is he that hath what he will and wills nothing but what he should The Persons of Saints saith a Reverend Divine are like secret pledges of common quiet and their mediations are a Shield to the Earth against the wrath of Heaven We have many examples in Scripture of the power and efficacy of Prayer and lest any should think that those were extraordinary and that the like are not to be found in our daies take notice of these instances following I. When Mr. Winter in his younger daies was cast out of his living his first Wife having many Children fell into great grief and perplexity fearing that the and hers would come to want Mr. Winter was much troubled to see his Wives discontents and thereupon plyed the Throne of Grace for cure thereof and one day as he was riding abroad and crying earnestly unto God about this matter he thought that he heard a voice saying unto him Because thou hast not spared thine estate for my glory neither thou nor any of thine shall want At his return home he told this to his Wife with Joy saying That he would not for all he was worth want that comfortable answer to his Prayers II. When an Order was sent to Mr. Winter from the Parliament to go with their Commissioners into Ireland his Wife was very unwilling thereunto and some of their near Relations came on purpose to disswade him from it himself also was very fearful of the Seas In this his great streight he retired into his Study as his usual manner was in the like Cases and there with much earnestness he spread the matter before God craving 〈◊〉 guidance and direction therein And the Lord was pleased to set it upon his spirit that he should go and be carryed in safety thiâ—ner and there become an Instrument of converting many Souls to God When he had declared this to his Wife and Friends they acquiesced and resolved upon that Journey And according to this gracious Promise of God though they took Shipping in the midst of Winter and went with a Master that was not very well acquainted with those Seas yet they found the Seas Calme and their passage so speedy that whereas some other great Persons went out before them and with a more experienced Master yet they arrived in safety about four and twenty hours before them insomuch as the Captain of the Ship said That in his whole life he had never known so speedy and calme a passage before III. Not long after Mr. Winters coming into Ireland he went with the Commissioners unto Kilkenny in which place Collonel Jones his Wife fell very sick of the Yellow Jandise and some other distempers For which cause her Husband called together some Ministers and other Friends to spend some hours in prayer unto God on her behalf Mr. Winter was the last man that prayed but before he began he went to her and asked her Whether she had Faith to be healed She answered She thought she had Then he went to prayer and wrestled exceedingly with God for her recovery And when he had done he went to her and advised her to be careful and diligent in the use of all good means for the recovery of health adding That she should live and not die at that time At this saying his Wife and her Sister were much troubled telling him in private that they had rather have given much money than that he should have spoken so confidently of her recovery among so many Anabaptists Fearing that if this words proved true they might be confirmed in their Enthusiastical conceits if otherwise then that they might take occasion to scandalize his Person and Ministry but he again affirmed that she would not die of that sickness Yet after this she continued very weak for a month or moâ—â— Her Doctors gave her up for a dead woman whereupon Mr. Winters Wife again blamed him for his confident saying that she must live To which he smilingly answered Well she is not yet dead At length her disease so prevailed that she lost the use of her senses and her Servants weeping about her said now she iâ— near death indeed The Saturday following as Mr. Winter sat at dinner a messenger came to him from Collonel Jones to tell him That if he would see his Wife alive he must come away presently for that she was now a dying At this Mrs. Winter was much troubled because of her Husbands former confidence in premising her Life But Mr. Winter made no great hast to be gone saying That he well knew when God answered his Prayers and when noâ— After he had dined he went to the House where he found the Collonel sitting by her ready to close her eies so soon as breath departed out of her body for so she had enjoyned him in the time of her health She lay speechless and without sense not answering nor moving her eyes though her Husband and Mr. Winter called unto her whereupon her Husband thought that she had lost her hearing Mr. Winter desired that he might pray with her but her Husband refused saying that she was sensless and had been a dying all that morning Mr. Winter again urged that he might pray with her No said the Collonel it is to no purpose She is now a dead woman And Mr. Winter urged the third time that he might pray saying Her life is yet in her and so he went to prayer which he performed with much earnestness and with many tâ—ars When Prayer was ended Mr. Winter â—oing to her Bedside she looked upon â—â—m and with a smiling countenance â—â—id O! See the fruit of Prayer O! â—â—e the fruit of Prayer Set me up and â—â—ve me something to eat I am cured but not by Doctors Only Free-Grace and Prayers have prevailed with God for me They asked her what she could eat She answered any thing They gave her some bread and butter of which she did eat pretty heartily Then did her Husband send for her Doctors But she bad them not to provide any more Physick for her saying She would take none For she would not dishonour God and wrong Prayer so much by which she was now cured as to take any more Physick nor could she be by any means perswaded to it On Munday following in the afternoon Mrs. Winter heard that Mrs. Jones was walking in her Garden which she wondring at went to see her and found her there So soon as she saw Mrs. Winter she went to meet her and said Oh! See the fruit of Prayer Mrs Winter blessed God for her recovery whereupon She said My Doctors would bâ—â— me take some more Physick of them Bâ—â— it is God that hath cured me and he 〈◊〉 shall have the praise of it I will take nâ— thing of them They shall not say the they have cured me For God