Eternity Perfection infinite but that poor we With mind heart mouth acknowledge and confess His glory as he doeth it express In all his Works and in his holy Word And in the face of Jesus Christ our Lord And that in eating drinking in each thing We do God's Glory we may still design But surely it is wonderfully sweet To see Gods Glory and man's good unite In these same acts by which they glorifie The Lord they do enjoy his company And these same acts which do unite the soul Unto the Lord his Glory do extol By acting Faith and hoping in his Word They praise the Grace Truth Power of the Lord By acting Faith they in their heart receive The Lord to dwell in them great peace they have Whose mind and heart upon the Lord is staid Of evil tidings they are not afraid When they themselves most quietly do hide Under the shade of his wings and abide In the most secret place of the most high What harm of evil can to them come nigh Munition of Rocks doth them secure Their bread and water are to them made sure God with broad Rivers them surrounds that so No Ship nor Galley can against them go Since in them God is Glory and a wall Of sire about them surely they have all Glory within their mind and heart to fill A fire without to guard them from all ill How can they but be safe who have salvation For VValls and Bulwarks for their preservation The more they trust the more they glorifie God and his wondrous loving kindness see Which he to them hath greatly magnified Within a city that is fortified No outward force disturbeth their solace When they thus guarded see and taste his grace Love doth at once the Lord himself embrace And glorifies his goodness love and grace While we above all things the Lord do love We in our heart set him all things above While we desire him and do in him joy We move to him and God himself enjoy Yea every act whereby we glorifie The Lord in it we do the Lord draw nigh And God to us Thus are his servants blest For all their service is their interest Christ from himself servants sent not away His word is come follow me with me stay If any serve me let him follow me And where I am there shall my servant be Since Christ is foremost sure the way is right Since he 's the way the Leader and the Light The way is safe take courage talk no more Of fear and danger since God is before The way is pleasant it 's a sight most sweet To see the steps of Jesus lovely feet And to walk in them in them to walk on Since our fore-runner in these paths hath gone Tho he be gone before yet he is near He 's on the front and also on the rear And still on thy right hand thee to uphold Yea in thy heart to make thee humbly bold As he walks in them this of them is crav'd That they walk in him as they him receiv'd It is his promise to be with them still That they be still with him is his good will. Thus all the service he to them commends To Glory Union and Communion tends Their Master's Service is their interest In glorifying God they 're truly blest This is thy chief end God to glorifie And to enjoy him to eternity Come to the Mediator Jesus Christ In him alone the Lord with man's well-pleas'd Come unto God by him though thou be'st lost He will thee save unto the uttermost Come take himself and take his fulness all Deny thy self follow upon his call Follow him fully follow him with delight His yoke is easie and his burden light His holy Ordinances are most sweet His Rod is needful and his Cross is meet All service he requires is reasonable All Rods and Crosses needful seasonaable It 's only for a time if need there be That trials come in great variety And though they sadning be yet they are blest And tend to Holiness Praise Glory Rest Come come thy service all all thy distress Is for God's Glory and thy Happiness Now since by God the Father and the Spirit Thou art from sin and torments infinite Called to come through Christ the living way To Fellowship with God which lasts for aye Behold by whom from what through whom to whom Thou called art all calls on thee to come The Spirit and the Bride say Come let all who hear Say Come and let them come who thirsty are Here is Life's Fountain whosoever will Of living water freely take thy fill That all who hear may come Lord draw that we May come and run and follow after thee Come with thy Grace and Glory speedily Lord Jesus come Amen So let it be FINIS Twenty Five CONSIDERATIONS OF THE PAINS prepar'd for SIN After this Life WITH A SERMON Preached on Acts VII 60. I heard a voice from Heaven saying unto me Write From henceforth Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord even so saith the Spirit for they rest from their labours and their works follow them Rev. 14.13 LONDON Printed for Richard Butler in White-Lion-Court in Barbican 1688. Twenty Five CONSIDERATIONS OF THE PAINS prepared for SIN After this Life I. AMongst all the means which God useth towards the Children of Men to move them to this Resolution whereof I treat the strongest and most forcible to the common sort of men is the consideration of Punishments prepared by him for rebellious sinners and transgressors of his Commandments Wherefore he useth this Consideration often as may appear by all the Prophets who do nothing else almost but threaten plagues and destruction to Offenders And this means hath often times prevailed more than any others that could be used by reason of the Natural Love which we bear towards our selves and consequently the Natural Fears we have of our own danger So we read that nothing could move the Ninevites so much as the foretelling them of their imminent destruction And St. John the Baptist John the 5th Matth. the 3d. altho he came in a simple and contemptible way yet preaching unto the people the terror of Vengeance to come and that the Axe was now put to the Trees to cut for the fire all those which repented not he moved the very Publicans and Soldiers to fear which otherwise are people of very hard metal who came unto him upon his terrible Embassage and asked what they should do to avoid these punishments II. After then that we have considered of Death and of God's severe Judgment which ensueth after Death and wherein every man hath to receive according to his works in this life as the Scripture saith it followeth that we consider also of the punishments which are appointed for them that shall be found faulty in that account Hereby at leastwise no other consideration will serve to induce Christians to this Resolution of serving God For as I have noted before If
back And not their face to thee and thus forsake The Spring of living waters and in vain Dig Cisterns which no waters can contain To love the loathsome lying in their blood To overcome their evil with thy good Of these who sought thee not lo thou art found Where sin aboundeth Grace doth more abound O wonderful that thy delights should be With Sons of Men from all Eternity Since thou art Love thy love must wondrous be For all is wonderful that is in thee Thy love most High doth far surpass in height The highest reach of Men or Angels sight It s endless length no finite eye can see For it is from and to Eternity But O the depth past diving Who can sound How low Love stoops O lowliness profound That the most High who cloathed is with light To which none can approach should from the height Of Glory which doth Heaven of Heavens transcend Unto the lower parts of Earth descend To take up fallen Man yea to take on Frail Humane Nature So that now the Son Of God is Man the Word is Flesh and thus Behold God is become like one of us In likeness of Man's sinful flesh God sent His own His only Son with this intent That he for us an Offering should be And bear our sins in 's body on the Tree All we like wandring sheep had gone astray The Lord on him did our transgressions lay The blameless Lamb dies for the Sheep who stray And did restore that he took not away He who is blest did bear the curse that we Who cursed are in him might blessed be He who knew no sin was made sin for us That we in him might be made righteous The Prince of life did die that so the dead In sins might by his death be quickened He taken was and bound to set us free He was condemn'd that we absolv'd might be He quietly did stripes and wounds endure That by his stripes he all our wounds might cure The trouble of his Soul his Agony Procur'd our Peace and Soul's Tranquility His Soul was exceeding sorrowful That we might joy that our joy might be full He was forsaken of his God that we Unto God's prefence might have access free His blood was shed Justice to satisfie To purge away all our iniquity His flesh is meat his blood is drink indeed On which poor hungry thirsty souls may feed He 's God and Man a Mediator meet To make the Peace and God and Man unite The fullness of the Godhead bodily Dwelleth in him what then can wanting be He 's full of Grace and Truth that empty we May from his fullness have compleat supply To us a Child is born a Son is given To us he came di'd rose and went to Heaven He 's all for us all who obey his call Shall find all in him who fills all in all In him is all that needy souls require All their salvation all their desire Why stayest thou O my soul Canst thou refuse What sayest thou What pretend'st thou for excuse Thy call is clear thou maist yea thou must come Thy Soveraign calls God faithful is by whom Thou called art unto Communion And Fellowship with Jesus Christ his Son. The Son invites thee spreading out his Hands He shews himself cries knocks and waiting stands Ho every one who thirsteth come he cries Come come he double triple multiplies Come unto me hear and your soul shall live Come weary souls I rest to you will give The Spirit says Come whosoever will Take living water freely drink thy fill Thus thou must love or hate come or rebel And all who hate Christ love Death Wrath and Hell. All who despise his Love revenging Wrath Shall them pursue unto Eternal Death Thus thou hast heard his voice now lift thine eyes Behold him who Behold behold me cries Behold the true God who is over all God blest for ever consubstantial With God the Father God's own only Son The Father 's daily delectation The brightness of the Father's Glory bright His Person 's express Image light of light Immanuel that 's plainly God with us God-Man One Person Great and Gracious The Lord of Lords the Prince and King of Kings The Sun of Righteousness who in his wings Hath Healing yea hath Life for he 's the Light Of Life who gives unto the blind their sight The great High-Priest who by the Eternal Spirit Offered himself a Sacrifice compleat All in him lovely is in him is all That lovely is All Good we should him call He 's God yet Man and near of kin to us Most High yet lowly Great yet gracious We sent not for him yet behold he 's come Think who he is who cometh and to whom He had no need of nothings who are less Than nothing Fullness comes to emptiness We made the breach we sinned yet his Grace Prevents us seeks our love intreats for peace This Plot of Love the Gospel doth reveal God was in Christ the world to reconcile Unto himself and then a Ministry Of Reconciliation we do see Intrusted to his Messengers of Peace To publish and make Offers of his Grace If we his Messengers slight and abuse We God himself despise slight and refuse He who despiseth them doth God contemn Since God himself beseecheth us by them Again my Soul consider thy estate While thou from Christ continues separate Lo thou art blind naked miserable Thou canst not help thy self but Christ is able To help and save even to the uttermost Those who are self-destroyed dead and lost His Name is Jesus He did get that Name Which speaks salvation because he came To save his people from their sins and from The dreadful everlasting wrath to come His Name is Christ that is to say anointed For he to save is fitted and appointed As it 's his Office so it is his Joy To save the lost and Satan's works destroy If thou art poor wouldst thou do him a pleasure Come with thy emptiness unto his Treasure Where thou wilt find Riches unsearchable Fine tried Gold and Substance durable Thy eyes are blind come unto him for he Hath Eye-salve which doth make the blind to see Art thou asham'd of thy vile nakedness Here 's fine white Raiment perfect Righteousness Thou art a Fool of wisdom destitute Like a wild Asses Colt a stupid Bruit Lo he is wisdom and is wisdom made Unto the foolish who no wisdom had Thou art by Nature darkness of the Night He is that light which maketh darkness light Thou errest and wandrest going still astray He is the truth the leader and the way The way of life the true new living way By which unto the Holiest come we may And by the blood of Jesus which makes peace With confidence may access have to Grace The true the faithful witness the Amen Is given for a leader unto men A just Commander and a gracious Guide From strangers on the Earth he will not hide But open up the Scripture clear
find A hiding place to hide him from the wind And they whom a tempestuous storm doth beat With pleasure to a covert make retreat Tho thirsty when in a dry place they see Rivers of waters thither they will flee If travellers see a great high Rock stand In a Sun burnt and scorched weary land Tho they be weary yet they mend their pace To find in its cool shadow some solace The drowning man longs at the Rock to be The chased man into a strength doth flee Yet all these things when they together twist Are but meer shadows when compar'd with Christ He is the Truth true Light true Life true Food A refuge from all ill He 's all that 's good To buy this Pearl all things are wisely sold For it 's a treasure that cannot be told Riches unsearchable in Christ do meet In this one Pearl all treasures are unite Earth's Riches upon which poor worldlings dote Tho they appear to be yet they are not They are uncertain yea uncertainty And certainly they will make wings and fly They are but shadows when they seem to stay And are found nothing when they flee away These many things to nothing do amount When in Death's shadow men cast the account Oft-times in life these Riches take their wing When death is come they signifie nothing Except to vex the rich they cannot free From death nor him in death accompany But here true wealth riches unsearchable Eternal riches substance durable With many things vex not thy heart or head Since in one Pearl all good is treasured Rest not in hear-say come himself behold And thou shalt see much more than hath been told Buy without price or money O! cheap rate And calculate for our poor mean estate Sure it 's free grace which hath this match made Where all things good may be for nothing had Put to thy hand fear not thou maist be bold Since he himself commands thee to take hold Since sweetness better by the taste than eye Or ear is known O come and taste and see How good the Lord is eat that which is good Fatness and Marrow soul-delighting food Drink wine that 's well refined on the Lees Drink poverty away and miseries Be filled with the Spirit do not fear Lest thou exceed there is no excess here Drink thirsty soul and drink abundantly He who drinks most liveth most soberly This drink doth not the sence and head confound It clears the eyes makes mind and judgment sound It doth not pervert but right the heart And from all evil to all good convert They reel not for the Spirit doth them lead They safely go their paths are stablished Their Mirth 's not madness it is solid pure Ends not in sadness but doth still endure They who are filled with the Spirit rejoice Make melody to God with heart and voice They Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs do sing Give thanks to God through Christ in every thing These Joys begin the perfect melody Which is above come taste and sing and see Ah carnal wretch who knows no other Feasts But such as common are to men with beasts Who seeks no better meat nor better drink Than what corrupts and turns to filth and stink Thy belly is thy God thy glory shame Thy pleasure is the shadow of a dream Which goes in coming when it comes it goes And leaves a filthy stain upon the soul It leaves a sting for thy vexation And guilt which binds to condemnation Thy momentary mirth thy pleasures vain Brings on most real and eternal pain Thy fill is emptiness thy mirth is madness The laughter of a fool that ends in sadness Thy fleshly lusts tho they seem to delight Against thy soul most fiercely they do fight Their fond embraces are death's cruel grasps Their seeming sweetness is the gall of Asps The money 's spent for that which is no bread But is the bane whereby thou' rt poisoned Thy labour 's spent for vexing vanity Which doth torment but cannot satisfie When wilt thou come unto thy self and say Ah! I am famished I pine away With hunger I am cheated poisoned I feed vile lusts by them I 'm murthered I hear of bread indeed and bread to spare And of a Feast where all things ready are Since I am called shall I not make haste And run before I die But Oh! the Feast And the Feast-maker are just at my hand Before the door tho closed he doth stand He knocks and doth me lovingly invite Since he 's so near alas shall we not meet If any man what ere he was before My voice hear and to me open the door I will come in and sup with if he Poor thing have nothing he shall sup with me These are his words if I had ears to hear Lord open them give me the hearing ear Since Lord thou art so near do not depart Stand not without ah shall a door us part Make the King's Keys or since thou' rt not for breaking Right the split lock it is of thine own making I have it split it will not budge nor gee For any thing that can be done by me Lord thou canst mend it put thy hand within Open my closed heart thou know'st the gin When David's Key in thy Almighty Hand Doth open none can shut or thee withstand Come in O mighty one and dispossess Satan and Lust which do my soul oppress Of thy own goodness Lord the Feast provide Enlarge my heart and my mouth open wide And fill it for both hunger and the fill Proceed from the good pleasure of thy will. Without thee I am nothing nothing have And nothing good can think will do or crave Unless thy Spirit help my infirmity And grace perfect all that concerneth me I cannot come except that I drawn be Draw me O Lord and I will come to thee O wretched sinner cry for mercy cry When Christ the Son of David is so nigh Blind Bartimeus heard that Christ past by He takes the tide and doth for Mercy cry Many did think his crying a disgrace And charged him that he should hold his peace But he the more did lift his voice and cry O Son of David mercy have on me Jesus stood still he thought it not a shame To be thus call'd but answer'd to his Name The Beggar being called made no stay But in his haste did cast his Cloak away He seeks for sight obtaineth his request He came in faith in love he follows Christ Let nothing which Devils or Men can say Scare thee cast all impediments away Since the great Master calls make no delay Turn a deaf ear to all who him gain-say Do as the woman of Canaan did From whom Christ tho retir'd could not be hid She crieth out Have mercy on me Lord Christ hears her cry but answers not a word And when he speaks his words discourage more Than did the silence which he kept before I am not sent but to Israel 's lost sheep Says
you may see The laws of God most holy and most high Whose Will 's the rule of all holiness Of love and mercy and of righteousness These pure commands light to the eyes impart They 'r right and good and do rejoice the heart Receive them in thy mind since they are light And since they 'r good make them thy hearts delight Great peace have they O Lord thy law that love Nothing to them a stumbling-block shall prove Would you read Proverbs much sence in few words The Scripture Proverbs plenteously affords In Scripture rare Epistles you will find Where to his Friends Christ writes his heart and mind And as their case requires so he in love Sometimes commends and sometimes doth reprove Would you read news here 's news both great and true Good tidings of great Joy and ever new That God was manifest in humane flesh Will be for ever wondrous news and fresh He is the same to day and yesterday And is the same for ever and for aye His love 's the same it never waxeth old His blood 's still fresh his vertue grows not cold He 's white and ruddy still his beauty rare Doth never fade no age can it impair His locks are black no grey hairs there are seen His Marriage bed continues ever green All earthly things do languish and decay The fashion of the world doth pass away These things are nothing else but shadows fleeing Which seem to be and have no solid being But Christ is truth and new creatures true Old things are past lo all things here are new These things fade not with time they grow not frail They are eternal and shall never fail New creatures wax not old they never die Newness of life lasts to eternity New are their hearts their spirits minds and sense Their acts are acts of new obedience Their way is new as light it shines alway Still more and more unto the perfect day These creatures new have a new secret name And a new City New Jerusalem A new Heav'n and new Earth which far excell This World for there all righteousness doth dwell New various fruits they gather from the tree Of Life and drink new wine perpetually Eternal draughts of Light Love and Joy While God himself they fully do enjoy Ah Fools who seek for needless Novelties To feed fantastick Curiosities Of precious time so prodigally lost Your brave new nothings will not quit the cost Search for the new things that are great and true And of this labour thou shalt never rue These news thy soul to wondering will raise And yield sweet matter of new Songs of praise Art thou dispos'd to sing apply thine ear In scripture thou a joyful sound shalt hear Of Psalms and Hymns and Songs Spiritual Which make a melody celestial No Poet now can such Composures write For the great Maker did these Songs indite They came from Heaven and by a heavenly strain They lift the soul from Earth to Heaven again There are high Songs made touching the great King Who hath pre-eminence in every thing There are most stately Songs of acts divine Sweet Songs of Love which better are than wine Here mournful Songs and Songs of joy and gladness And here are Songs compos'd of mirth and sadness The Psalm begins sometimes with sighs and tears And sad complaints of dangers and of fears But while the Psalmist sings the grief and fray Evanish and are sweetly sung away These fingers travel much aloft to raise Their hearts and tongues to highest Notes of praise They call for help invite the creatures all In Earth Seas Air the Hosts celestial But all the praise that creatures can afford Is far below the praise due to the Lord. This rent will never fully payed be Through all the Ages of Eternity But they who ever praise are ever blest In restless praise there is eternal rest Unto the word the Lord subjoined hath The Sacraments for to confirm our Faith That as we hear so we may clearly see Christ and his Grace presented to our eye In Baptism behold Christ doth apply His Blood and Spirit us to purifie To purge away our guilt and filthiness To give us holiness and righteousness Be pure and clean and of a holy frame Since thou wast washed in God's holy Name Unto the holy One the holy Three Thou offer'd wast should'st thou not holy be Think never shame holiness to avow Glory to stand to thy Baptismal Vow Abhor the filthy lusts of Swinish Hogs Disdain to cast what 's holy unto Dogs Watch fight against all worldly lusts and evils Resist unclean lying and murthering Devils Be strong in God and in his power of might The War is holy and the Cause is right Put on Gods armour stand stand do not flee Upon the Captain always fix thine eye He is the Captain of Salvation Cleave unto him and thou shalt surely win For he hath given to all thy Foes the foil Come after him and gather up the spoil He will thee feast in midst of all thy fight Cover thy Table in thine Enemies sight A Banquet in the fight expect thou may Since Christ Love's Banner doth o're thee display O! let it not be ever said of thee That from Christ's Colours thou away did flee Christ and his fulness in the union-feast We may both hear and see smell touch and taste By these same ports were Satan Death and Sin Enter'd Christ Life and Righteousness come in Adam did hear take smell touch taste tâ—â— fruit And was transform'd to a vile mortal Brute He is the Living the Life-giving Bread Here is the meat indeed the drink indeed Under the shadow of this true Apple tree Sit down it 's Fruit to thy taste sweet shall be This tree of life this true and noble Vine Yields Grapes which bleed true life a life divine Christ would be broken that he might be bread And that the dead might live he would be dead He would bleed out his life that we might drink Life in his blood remember him and think Still of his Death and in his Temple still Think of his Love and of his latter Will. Thou who art willing Christ himself to take And all his fulness no more scruples make For as the bread thou eat'st and as the wine Thou drink'st belongs to thee so Christ is thine As food the empty body satiates And life and strength recruits and recreates So Christ to souls doth full contentment give He is their strength and life by which they live If he dwell in thee thou shalt filled be With all Gods fullness most abundantly And thou shalt live not thou but rather he Who is a quickning Spirit shall live in thee Faint not when to great works thou hast a call In Christ who strengthens thee thou maist do all Thou wilt him find life giving strenthening food The living Spring of all that 's truly good Prepare thy self for this great holy Feast The King himself observeth every guest He who