Catastrophe or conclusion all men that sée it shall say that it is Gods doing Q. But why doth God punish sometimes with visible and manifest punishment some euill doers and not all A. First God is an absolute Lord and his will is iustice it selfe and therefore wee must rather reuerence and adore Gods iudgements then rashly to require a reason of them for shall an earthly Prince disdaine to be accountable to his subiects concerning all his procéedings and shall a Master of a family scorne that his seruant shall exact an account of him how much more will the diuine Maiesty refuse that his actions and counsels should bee called into question Secondly a few punished are a purgation for and a warning to the rest so that it is a mild iustice towardes many which séemeth cruelty to a few Thirdly if God should visibly and manifestly punish all euill doers then nothing would bée thought to bée reserued to the last iudgement and if none should bee here punished men would thinke that either there were no God or at least no iustice and prouidence Q. How shall Gods children in the execution of publike iudgement iustifie the equity of Gods proceedings or practise patience when they temporally smart for the sinnes aud idolatries of their fore-fathers A. Many wayes they are to stay and comfort themselues First to speake properly God doth punish the idolatry and sinnes of the children and not of the parents for if they tread in the footesteppes of their parents and doe not repent of their sinnes it standeth with Gods iustice no longer to put off their correction Secondly though in the vniuersall deluge and in the destruction of Sodome and in the sacking of Cities the very Infants perished with their Parents yet wee must note that they were not sinnelesse and innocent before God but borne and conceiued in sinne the children of wrath subiect to euerlasting damnation Thirdly albeit God correct good men for the bads sake inuolue them in the common calamities of warre famine pestilence shipwracke fires c. yet these afflictions are rather preseruatiues then punishments for as Physitians doe by bitter medicines preserue and restore a mans health so God doth turne the punishments that they haue deserued into a medicine a trial a preseruation Fourthly Gods children though they resist sinne and wickednes yet they in hearing Gods word in praier and in the performance of the duties of pietie iustice charity faile and are vnperfect and therefore they cannot say that God offereth them any wrong if they with the wicked be included in the same outward and publike euils as Jonathas Iosias c. were Fifthly we are all of vs the children of rebellious and traiterous Adam who hath tainted our bloud and forfeited his and our estate to God almighty there is a chaine of faults reaching from Adam to vs which though wee repent of yet God may in his iustice punish the remainders of them in our posterity Sixthly there is if not alwaies a deriuation of speciall fins from the forefathers to the posterity yet there is a deriuation of punishment and therefore God doth afflict herein the Parents and their posterity as one body Seuenthly as in one and the same person a fault committed in youth is iustly punished in old age So God in kingdomes empires persons doth punish old and inueterate sinnes for they are before God ioyned together by an outward fellowship both in time and parts Lastly if wee will bee heires to the commodities and rewards which are due to our ancestors it is no reason that we should refuse their burdens and afflictions CHAP. IX Heauenly Meditations and Conclusions against generall and particular persecution Question WHat is persecution A. It is the state and condition either of the Church in generall or of any member in particular whereby the one or the other in Gods euerlasting counsell and dècrée are appointed and marked vnto diuers dangers troubles for the name of Christ and for righteousnes sake Q. Is not the Church of God at any time or in any age wholy rooted out and subuerted by the enraged violence of persecutors A. No for first God will alwayes reserue to himselfe a people that shall serue him yea and some that shall openly and publikely maintaine and confesse his truth in one place or other Secondly as in the time of Elias there were 7000 holy worshippers of God that neuer bowed their knées to Baal and yet they were not visibly known to the enemies and persecutors so God hath a latent Church sometimes and the church is faine to flie into the wildernes and that partly that she should not be corrupted partly that she should be preserued from the enemies rage malice Lastly it appeareth by the diuers things to which the Church is compared and resembled that shee neuer ceaseth to bee nor is euer wholy extinct for it is compared to a shippe tossed with waues and surges but not sunke to Moses Bush burning but not consumed to a City daily besieged but not taken or wonne to the moon which is soone eclipsed and often in the waâ—e but yet often renued to Noahs Arke tossed in the waters but not drowned and to a woman in trauell whom the Dragon séeketh to deuoure together with her child and yet both are preserued Q. For what ends doth God suffer his children to bee persecuted A. First that holy and pure doctrine might bee maintained otherwise all would in persecution disclaime and forsake it Secondly that the graces of his children should be encreased and exercised and that they like spices pouned in a morter and like swéet wood burnt in the fire should yéeld a more sweete swell Thirdly that they by their constancy in the profession and defence of the truth might be distinguished from hypocrites who like Sodome apples if a man crush them fall into chaffe and like vnto spunges wet in the water which if a man presse them let out all the liquour contained in them Fourthly God will haue his children to denie themselues and their own abilities and to depend wholy vpon his power and promises for their strengthning or deliuerance Fifthly hée will hereby make them so many lights and guides to direct the blind world in the roade way to Heauen Lastly GOD will hereby increase their reward and glorie in heauen Q. Who are Gods instruments herein A. Satan and wicked men in the world namely Tyrants Heretikes Atheists Q. Why doth God in the punishment and persecution of his children vse the ministerie of wicked men A. First to shew his absolute and vnlimited liberty for hee is a free agent and he may correct his children by whom he will For as a naturall Father doth sometimes make the Schoolemaster or one of his seruants the instruments to correct his sonne though hee perhaps is not ignorant that they may intermingle their priuate affections
forsake the assemblies and fellowship of the Saints in the vse of the word prayer and Sacraments were neuer well rooted in it â—or had they beene no wind or tempest could haue ouerturned them they were onely Meteors or blazing starres soon extinct but not true starres for then they had continued in their firmament and no night of afflictions could haue put them out for if they had béen of the Church they would haue continued in it 1. Joh. 2.19 Apoc. 13.8 Secondly they neuer receiued the loue of the truth and were neuer soundly grounded in the principles of Christian faith and therefore they were apt to be seduced with the poiâ—on and efficacy of errour For as the fire burneth nothing but that which is combustible and apt to bee consumed so heresie infecteth none but such as neglect the means of knowledge or that denie the power of godlinesse in their hearts and liues Lastly God will by their reuolting take an occasion the more iustly to damn them and to trie and make known the constancy of his children who neuer doe wholy or finally fall away from faith Q. What duties are wee to performe to preuent an apostasie in our selues A. First because eminent persons by their fall like oakes beare downe all things that lie in their way let vs beware of their company and communication Secondly let vs beware of the beginning and occasion of Apostasie and for our direction herein pray for the spirite of reuelation and strength and in no wise neglect the ministerie of the word sacraments Q But how shall a nouice a weake Christian perswade himselfe of the truth of his sincere profession when hee seeth and heareth that sundry learned men die in defence of Idolatry and Popery A. First no Heretickes though they dy in defence of errors are martyrs but all Papists are heretikes for the obstinate maintaining of iustification by works inuocation and adoration of Saints and Angels worshipping of images and especially of their breaden God denying the sufficiency of the canonicall Scriptures are so many heresies Ergo Iesuites Seminaries and popish Priests that are put to death by the Christian magistrate are no martyrs Secondly Non poena sed causa facit Martyrem they that bâ—are the Crosse and follow not Christ are no Martyres of his and therefore most damnable is the condition of Iesuites Seminaries who die for treason and not for truth and not for testimony of a good conscience but for the wilfull trangression of Christian Lawes Thirdly their suffering is of no account before God for they want charirity which appeaeth in this that they are vtter opposites and aduersaries to the Gospel of Christ and the sound professors of it Fourthly they being no true members of the Church of Christ but rather incurable persecutors of it and being slaine out of the Church doe not winne the crowne of their faith but the reward oâ— their felly Lastly true Martyrs ascribe all the glory of their redemption and saluation to Gods mercy in Christ onely but popish martyrs glory in their owne works though neuer so vile vnperfect they make them expâ—atory for sinne and to me â—t saluation Q What vse are we to make hereof A First wee must distinguish and rightly iudge betwéene true martyrs and false ones which wee shall be enabled to doe by obseruing these rules following First true martyrs die in defence of the substance of pure religion but false martyrs suffer and die in defence of error heresie and idolatry Secondly true martyrs at their execution shew sorth singular patience in their words testimony behauiour but false martyrs either are outragious and impatient or at least by Art doe stupifie and dead their flesh that it may become insensible of paine Thirdly true Martyrs die holily couragiously ioyfully without all feare and doubting of the truth of their cause or of the certainty of saluation but popish martyrs die many times irresolued and astonied Fourthly true and Euangelical martyrs are holy chaste innocent feruent in praier and diligent in their ciuill and Christian callings but the like cannot be verified of the popish martyrs Lastly God at the death of true martyrs hath sometimes wrought strange and wonderfull works as to speake when their tongues haue béen cut out and to be vntouched of the fire albeit oile were put into it but in the popish martyrs no such accidents haue fallen out Secondly let vs sée and be resolued by Gods word that our cause is good and for Christ then let vs suffer as coÌ„fidently yea much more comfortably and happily for the truth then they for Antichrist and superstition knowing that our end shall be blessed Q. When factions diuisions schismes grow and preuaile in the Church what are we to iudge of that Church and how is a Christian then to arme himselfe A. First wee must remember that where the truth many times most â—lourisheth there Satan laboureth to make rents and diuisions and to sow tares amongst the good wheat Secondly the Church of Corinth was a notable Apostolicall Church and yet there were many factions in it Thirdly wee must not separate our selues from such a Church except it erre in the fundamentall points of faith and true religion but we must herein comfort our selues that this schisme is without heresie Fourthly as long as there is error in iudgement and péeuishnes in affection wee must looke for nothing else but schisme Fifthly schismatikes that depart from the communion of the faithfull and from the participation of the body and bloud of Christ indanger their owne soules Lastly God permitteth diuisions factions and schismes in the Church that the faith and loue of his children might be tried now their faith is tried whiles they stumble not nor suffer themselues to be seduced and their loue and charity is tried in admonishing them that are the authors and occasioners of these sidings schismes diuisions Q. What vse are we to make hereof A. If wee be men in authority wee must betimes striue to roote out and remoue out of the Church whatsoeuer may iustly minister an occasion heereof Secondly Ministers must by doctrine and writing note and confute those diligently which cause diuision and offences contrary to the doctrine which they haue receiued and auoid them Rom. 16.17 Secondly if wee be but priuate persons we must beware of pride and selfe-conceitednes lest we rashly condemne a true and notable visible Church for defects and imperfections in the doctrine and practise of discipline or Church policie and so without sufficient cause make a rent from the same and hereby disturbe the common peace for we must not depart from it vntill it depart from Christ. Lastly we must by praiers sutes supplications teares and amendment of life labour to procure better reformation in Church and Commonwealth and if we cannot attaine it when wee would then let vs in the meane be a discipline to our selues and execute it amongst
rooted in the heart and it continueth for euer Lastly it causeth vs to loue looke and long for the life to come Q. How a man must imprint and ground these meditations in his heart A. Hee must abstaine from all impiety and vnrighteousnesse and practise the duties of holines and righteousnes for God will reueale his secrets to the humble and to them that feare him Psal. 25.11 Gen. 18.10 Secondly hee must be frequent and feruent in the holy vse of the Word Sacraments and Prayer for hereby faith and hope are wrought maintained encreased Q. Why doe Gods children die seeing that their sinnes are not imputed to them and the image of God which consisteth in the knowledge of the sauing truth and in true holinesse and righteousnesse is repaired in them A. I answere first though sinne bee not imputed to them and so they cannot be condemned for it yet all sinne is not wholy taken away Secondly regeneration is onely in this life begun and in dayly progresse Thirdly God will haue the godly to die the temporary death as well as the wicked that they acknowledging the seuerity of Gods anger against sin may learne to hate it Fourthly that they may lay downe the remnants of sinne and the adherâ—nt miseries And lastly that they may haue experience of the power of God who raiseth vp the dead Q. Whether that death may be desired and wished for A. It may not simply and absolutely be desired for it is an euill and against nature and therefore not to be desired but conditionally we may lawfully desire death Q. In what respects may it be desired A. In two respects principally First as it is a way and means to deliuer vs wholy from the burden bondage and slauery of all sinne and to free vs from all the maladies and miseries of this wretched life Secondly as it is a meanes and instrument to bring vs to the manifest and glorious vision and sight of God to the immediate and euerlasting fellowship and communion of the whole Trinity the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost Q Whether that a Christian may lawfully desire life A. Yes in some respect namely iâ— we desire to doe further good before wée die and make the glory of God the end and scope of our life for God will bee glorified in vs so long as we liue in this earthly Tabernacle And therefore euery man must obediently walke in his calling vntill it shall please God to remoue and translate him hence and hee must rather séeke to honour God and do seruice to his Church then respect his heauenly aduancement Ob. But the longer that we liue the more we multiplie sinne and offend our God and therefore wee may not lawfully desire life A. The Argument is not good For first Gods children sinne not wittingly and willingly nor make a trade of sinne as wicked men doe Secondly their sinnes are couered and not imputed vnto them Lastly the good that they be examples and instruments of is much more pleasing and acceptable to God and to good men then their infirmities and imperfections are distastfull Q. What is required that a man may die well and blessedly A. Two things First a preparation against death Secondly a right disposition in death Q. Is preparation against death necessarie A. Yea for first we must néeds die for sinne hath deserued and procured it and God thereupon hath imposed it Secondly in what state soeuer the day of death leaueth vs in the same state the day of iudgement shall find vs. Thirdly this preparation cutteth off and preuenteth much sinne in vs which wee would otherwise designe and commit Fourthly death is our enemy and our last greatest enemy and therefore we must by faith in our Lord Iesu labour and striue to subdue quell him Lastly this is our last iourney and if we dispatch it happily and according to Christ our Captaines direction it will forthwith after our death conuey vs into heauen Q Wherein doth this preparation consist A. In sundry meditations and duties Q. What must wee principally meditate vpon A. First we must before hand thinke on our latter end and not foolishly accuse old age or nature for death commeth is inflicted from God Secondly me must betimes thinke on on the right composing and ordering of our liues namely whether that wee haue ceased to doe euill and haue done what good we could for otherwise death will ouertake vs we wil wish that we had done it when it is too late Luk. 13. v. 35. Thirdly we must know that Christ hath abolished eternall death and made our temporary death an entrance to the Father Fourthly we must contemplate and muse vpon the glorious resurrection of the body which will much comfort and refresh vs. Lastly we must cast our thoughts vpon that most excellent and eternall waight of glory reserued for vs in the heauens which doth infinitely surpasse and ouerway all temporall afflictions whatsoeuer Q. What duties must the sicke man performe in generall A. Thrée duties First towards God Secondly towards his neighbour and lastly towards himselfe Q. What duties is he to perform towards God A. He must séeke to be reconciled vnto God and for this end he must repaire and renue his faith and repentance partly because many times in temptation hee looseth somthing and partly because hee daily slippeth or committeth new sinnes which require a new act of faith and repentance Secondly he must constantly confesse Christ and proclaime and publish how many wayes God hath beene good to his soule and body Lastly hee must by the eyes of faith view contemplate looke vpon Christ the brazen serpent and then death shall neuer sting him Q. Why must hee performe these duties towards God A. Because ordinarily sicknesses paines and diseases are sent and inflicted of God for a punishment and for our reformation and amendment as most clearely appeareth in many places of holy Scriptures Lament 3.39 Math. 9.2 Joh. 5.74 Q. What seruices oweth the sickeman to his neighbour and what duties is he to performe towards him A. Hee must performe all duties of piety loue and righteousnes and Magistrates and Ministers must not onely commaund and exhort their people subiects hearers to listen to and obey sound doctrine and Christ his blessed Gospell but also they must by all possible means endeauour that they after their death may leaue them in as holy and happy estate as they found them Act. 20.28 2. Pet. 1. v. 5. Q. What duties is he to performe to his wife children family A. First he must aduise and perswade them to constancy and to obedience of the sauing truth for his words spoken at such a time leaue the greatest impression in the minds of them that heare him Secondly he must for the peace of his owne soule and for the preuenting and cutting of many néedlesse suites and contentions in law that might arise after his death in equity
their tenâ—s about them and to preserue their soules and bodies from the power and practises of Satan and his instruments namely so far forth as is expedient for them Q. How may a man be certified that he is in the couenant of grace A. By a liuely faith applying to himselfe the sauing promises of God in Christ and by the fruits of it in true repentance and obedience Q Deliuer some generall restauratiues and remedies against the practises of witchcraft A. They that are annoied by witches and the practises of withcraft must practise thrée duties First they must note that sinne is the true and proper cause of it as may appeare in Saul vexed with an euill spirit in Hymeneus and Alexander for their pestilent errors giuen vp vnto Satan and in the incestuous Corinthian 1. Cor. 5.5 And therefore they must neuer rest vntill that they haue found out this sinne and withall wounded and slaine it Secondly they must shew forth by hearty praier and fasting their faith whereby they rely on Gods méere mercy and herein they must pray absolutely for the pardon of their sinnes but conditionally for deliuerance from the hurts and torments of witches and sorcerers for they are but temporall euils Lastly they must comfort themselues in this that the diuell and his instruments are but Gods executioners who directeth their practises to his childrens good and that he being a most wise God and a louing father in Christ will not suffer them to be tried and exercised aboue their ability but will in his good time either in this life or in the end of this life by death eternally deliuer them and put them in present possession of euerlasting ease and happinesse Q. What is possession A. It is when the diuell is manifestly present either in the whole body or in some part of it so that he hath the power and gouernment of it As for examples sake when he possesseth the instrument of the voice as the tongue and withall maketh the party possessed to speake strange languages which formerly he neuer either heard or vnderstood and when he causeth the party possessed to giue notice of secrets and of things done farre off Q. Whether is there any possession in thâ—se daies or no A. Though possession by euill spirits is in these daies of truth but rare and of few noted yet there is and will be such And this the Writers of the Centuries doe record to haue fallen out in euery age and frequent experience in our own kingdome doth also confirme it Secondly the causes of possession namely sinne as the meritorious cause of it and the demonstration and execution of Gods iustice as the finall cause cease not for sinne is as rife yea more raging then euer heretofore and God is as iust to punish sinne as at any time and then why should there not be possession an effect of it Thirdly the proper signes and symptomes of possession namely lowd crying of the party possessed renoing of his body and his lying dead at the point of his dispossession are in these daies descried and obserued and why is there not then the thing signified Lastly the ordinary meanes of expelling Satan namely praier and fasting remaine and why not possession Obiection Q But the miraculous and extraordinary gift of eiecting euill spirits out of the possessed is now altogether ceased Ergo there is now no reall and bodily possession A. The argument followeth not for though possession in our daies be farre more rare then in Christ and the Apostles times the miraculous gift of casting them out by miracle be ceased yet there is an ordinary course remaining and left to the Church namely praier and fasting and not without good reason for there is no temptation but God hath prouided a remedy for it and much more for such an extraordinary affliction â—nd hereupon when the Disciples of Christ hauing iointly receiued power and authority to cast out diuels and when they assaying to cast out Satan out of one of the Scribes sonnes and because satan yéelded not at first and they beganne to doubt of the sufficiencie of their authority they had no successe for the gift of miraculous faith was for the time interrupted hereupon Christ referreth them to the ordinary meanes namely praier and fasting Obiection But God hath made promises to his children that Satan shal haue no power ouer them A. All temporall blessings whereof this is one are promised with condition namely so farre forth as may stand with Gods good pleasure and the good of his children and not otherwise but it is his decrée and for his childrens profit sometimes to be bewitched and annoied by Satans instruments Q Whether those that were vexed by euill spirits in the time that Christ liued on the earth or in any age sithence were onely obsessed and outwardly tormented by Satan or possessed by the substantiall inherence of him in their bodies A. No doubt they were tormented both waies Touching obsession there is no question and touching possession it is apparant by these and the like arguments First by a distinct voice heard out of the person possessed differing from his owne naturall voice Secondly by the speaking of the hardest languages which the party possessed neuer formerly vnderstood Thirdly our blessed Sauiour Christ cast out a diuell out of a man and bad him enter in no more Fourthly the vncleane spirit being gone out of a man and finding no test elsewhere purposeth and endeuoureth to returne into his house from whence he came Ergo he was formerly in it Lastly a few words satisfie men not conceited or contentious the experience of most ages and the iudgement of the most Orthodox Diuines proueth it Q. Whether that Gods children may be at any time or are in these daies possessed by euill spirits A. Yea truly first in these outward things al may fall alike to the good bad Secondly Satan by Gods permission had power ouer the blessed body of our Sauiour Christ and transported it from place to place viz. from the wildernesse to a wing of the temple in Ierusalem Thirdly Satan infected Iobs body with lothsome and pestilent botches and boiles yea and ouerturned the house wherein Iobs children were vpon them and so crushed and squéesed them in péeces Fourthly holy and blessed Paul was buffeted by satan Fifthly a daughter of Abraham was troubled eightéene yéeres with a spirit of infirmity for Satan so bowed her that she could not lift vp her head Sixthly the woman of Canaan her daughter was vexed with a diuell Seuenthly the child of a true beléeuer was by satan possessed Eighthly the experience of all ages and times more or lesse verifieth and iustifieth the truth of this assertion Lastly fatherly and temporary chasâ—isements yet remaine but possession is to Gods children but a temporary fatherly chastisement Q. What generall comforts and directions are there against possession A. First