Law to doe them Quest 4. Good Lord if this bee true then what a miserable case are all wee in beeing wicked and cursed creatures Answ Truely our state indeede is wretched and damnable and but that God of his infinite goodnes hath prouided a salue for this sore we should vtterly perish and then were 1. Cor. 15. 19. we of all men most miserable Quest 5. Do you beleeue then that there is a salue for so grieuous a wound and a remedy for so great a mischiefe Answ Yea verily I firmely beleeue and know it or else I could not with so cheerefull and patient a minde beare this crosse which God hath now laid vpon me Quest 6. I pray you what remedy is there against the sting of sinne and the curse of the Law Is there any thing in the world that can pacifie Gods wrath and mooue him to such mercy as may cause him to take away this deadly curse and giue vs a blessing Answ Yea God bee thanked that there is I can tell you so much though I be not Booke-learned yet I haue heard it and I doe vndoubtedly beleeue it because Gods Word doth teach it That when there was no means to be found for man to be saued neither in heauen nor earth it pleased our heauenly Father of his meere mercy to send his only begotten Sonne Rom. 8. 3. into the world to the end that all that beleeue in him should not perish but haue life euerlasting So that that which was impossible to the Law in as much as it was weake because of the flesh God sending his owne Sonne in the similitude of sinfull flesh and for sinne condemned sinne in the flesh I doe therefore beleeue that this Sonne of God Iesus Christ hath quite taken away the curse of the Law Col. 2. 14. and nayled it vpō the Crosse Quest 7. These are good words indeed and generally spoken to all sinners but how can you apply this to your selfe Answ Because I know assuredly that I am Christs and haue the testimonie of the Holy Ghost in mee comforting mee and bearing witnes to my Spirit that I am the child of God and therefore may boldly cry Abba Father Gal 4. 6. c. Quest 8. Then I perceiue if you bee thus faithfully minded as you do professe that you are not afraid to dy neither is death so dread full vnto you as it is to many in these sinfull dayes Answ Although indeed death seemeth detestable to the most part of men especially to impenitent sinners and such as haue the wealth of the world at will Yet notwithstanding I see no reason why any wise man should feare that which cannot be auoided but rather all things considered aright they haue cause to couet it with the holy Apostle Saint Paul who desireth to be loosed and Phil. 1. 23. to be with Christ which is best of all because death is the doore to eternall life for we connot liue for euer but first we must dye And therefore the godly man after he is mortified heere by crosses and griefe of sicknes may cheerefully sing and say with the same Apostle Christ is to mee Phil. 1. 21. both in life and death aduantage And most comfortable to a good conscience is that sentence of Ecclesiastes A good name is better then a Eccl. 7. 3. good oyntment and the day of death then the day that one is borne The Preacher spake not this without booke nor without reason for then we change sicknes for health woe for wealth transitorie vanities for perpetuall ioyes and earthly trash for heauenly treasure c. Quest 9. You are in the right of it and haue hit the naile on the head in this point keepe you there and my life for yours But because I finde you in answering both wise and willing it incourageth mee to bee bold in questioning Doe you beleeue all the Articles of the Christian Faith which the true and Catholike Church doth hold at this day and all other Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be the very and liuely Word of God the foode of your soule and the perfect way to eternall life and that there is sufficient matter contained in them to establish your minde and conscience to saluation according to the consent of Christs Apostles in the Primitiue Church Answ I constantly and vnfainedly beleeue all this you haue said to bee true and grounded vpon the Word of God as vpon a sure foundation which shal neuer faile nor fall And therefore it is called the Word of Life the Word of Rom. 3. 16. Grace the Word of Truth and the power of God to Saluation to euery one that beleeueth Quest. 10. Doe you detest and abhor all Idolatry Heresies errors schismes innouations and opinions which in any point do dissent or disagree from this liuely Word of GOD and the ancient Catholike and Primitiue Church Answ As these enormities of themselues are detestable and damnable euen so I do from my very heart detest and abhorre them all and most ardently I imbrace the Truth of Gods Word with all due reuerence to the same as to the heauenly will of GOD therein specified and reuealed to vs by his Seruants the Patriarks and Apostles of God and his Sonne Christ Iesus our Sauiour the Head of the Church And I am desirous to die a member of the same Church beeing the bodie and Spouse of Christ Quest 11. And do you euen in heart reioyce to liue and die in this Christian Faith and in the vnitie of this true ancient Catholique and Apostolique Church militant heere on earth which is and shall be the Communion of Saints the triumphant Church of God in Heauen Ans I reioyce in nothing so much for I know that out of the Church there is no saluation or safetie Those in old time that were found out of Noahs Arke being a Type of the Church perished by water but they which are not of the Catholike Church of Christ shall be tormented in Hell fire which shall neuer bee quenched Quest 12. Good Lord mee thinke it is a fearefull thing that the wicked should enter into euerlasting paine and vnquenchable fire And the words which are vsuall in the Scriptures are able to make any man tremble euen at the heart as Hell Mat. 8. 12. fire the bottomelesse pit vtter darknes vnquenchable fire perpetuall paine c. where shall bee weeping and Mar. 9. 44. gnashing of teeth where their worme dyeth not and the fire neuer goeth out Mee thinks this word neuer is a long one for if there were any hope that euer the wicked might feele any release or easement of their paine or that the damned might haue any end of their torment yea if it were but after a thousand or a thousand thousands of yeeres there were some comfort to be expected in time to come though it were long first yet time would once make an end and weare
accord came down from the seate of his Maiesty in the highest heauens into the vile and stinking bowels of the earth where he for my sake and all his elect did not abhorre to take flesh of the pure Virgin Mary and became man and in the same flesh suffered most bitter paine and torment being condemned by an earthly iudge to the most shamefull death of the Crosse and so was buried and descended into Hell rising againe for our iustification and ascending into heauen for our glorification and to open vs the gate of saluation which before was barred and fast shut vp against vs. And my beliefe is that as before hee came as a Lambe in humilitie and mercie to seeke and saue sinners So hee shall come againe as a Lyon in the end of the world in great glory Maiesty Mat. 25. 31 accompanied with Angels and heauenly Souldiers as a righteous Iudge of the quicke and dead separating the Sheep from the Goates adiudging the one as hirelings of Hell and the other as inheritors of Heauen And this among many others is a singular comfort to me to know assuredly that no other shall bee my iudge but he that is the Sauiour of my soule and suffered for my sinnes So that in all my perplexitie perill and danger I set this Iesus a Sauiour before mine eyes as a shield a buckler and sure wall between me and my spirituall soe the Diuel and all his tyranny assuring my selfe by this confidence that neither he by his cruelty nor all the Armie of hell can euer hurt or harme me or any of Gods Elect. Thirdly I beleeue in God the holy Ghost the third Person in Trinitie who by his grace louingly preserueth and sanctifieth mee and all the Elect people of God who dayly gouerneth and directeth mee in all my wayes and godly actions who sealeth vp my saluation by the stedfast hope that I haue in Christ Iesus assuring me inwardly that all his benefits are mine and by that meanes maketh me apply the same to the comfort of my soule who also mortifieth sinne in me who openeth and expoundeth vnto mee the diuine mysteries of God and moueth me to leade a godly life This is that blessed wind which bloweth where it listeth euen the Spirit of God which of carnall maketh vs spirituall of cruell meeke of malicious charitable of couetous liberall of dissolute temperate of foolish wise of earthly heauenly of the bondslaues of Satan the deare sonnes of GOD whereby wee may boldly cry Abba Father I beleeue that this holy Ghost is the earnest penny here on earth of my saluation in heauen and that hee will neuer forsake mee no not in the houre of death and my greatest danger but that hee will comfort me continually in all woe and temptations so that although I bee tryed by the touchstone of affliction grieued with extreme paine of bodie or torinented with inward vexation of minde yet I shall not be ouercome neither shall my crosse be greater then I shal be able to beare and endure For I know assuredly that this holy Ghost wil mercifully preserue me both in body and soule vnto the comming of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ to iudgment at the dreadfull day of doome and there present me holy and without blame before his Throne of grace although of my selfe vnworthy yet this sweet Comforter Rom. 8. 15 16. doth of his especiall grace beare witnes with my spirit and conscience and that in most comfortable manner that I am of the number of those which shall be saued and that I shall stand in the last day on the right hand of Christ and heare that cheerefull sentence to my great ioy and comfort Come ye blessed of my Father Mat. 25. 34 possesse the Kingdome prepared for you from the beginning of the world You haue beene long Pilgrims on earth but now you shal bee Citizens in heauen you haue mourned a long time but now you shall laugh for euer I will wipe away all teares from your eyes Enter at last now that the heate of the day is past into your Masters ioy All these three persons before rehearsed I beleeue to bee one God in essence whose seate is in the heauens aboue and whose footstoole is the earth beneath Vnto whom all the Powers Angels and Saints in heauen are subiect and doe their dayly seruice in setting forth his praises casting downe their crownes at his foote and ascribing all honour and glory to the crowned King that sitteth vpon the Throne and reigneth for euermore and also to the Lambe his beloued sonne and our Sauiour God grant that wee may doe him like seruice here on earth Fourthly and finally I doe beleeue the holy Catholike Church which is Gods Elect people or the Congregation of the faithfull and is called the Kingdome of Christ Iesus Of this Kingdome Christ Apoc. 21. onely is Prince of this body Christ onely is Head and of this Spouse Christ onely is the Bridegroome This Church is called the Temple of the Holy Ghost a spirituall House a holy Nation a Royall Priesthood the Citizens of Heauen the Pillar of Truth the Arke of Noah the Cōmunion of Saints Agreeing at this day in all points of Scripture Faith and Religion with the Primitiue Church of God Firmely holding and boldly confessing one God one Faith one Baptisme one Lord and Sauiour of all Iesus Christ being the sheepe of Gods pasture to whom belongeth one fould and one Shepheard which here on earth is called the militant Church and in Heauen the triumphant Church of God Out of which Arke all perish and out of which Church there is no saluation but whosoeuer is not found therein he is without all doubt damned Of this Catholike Church of God I beleeue and am fully resolued that I am a member and that GOD hath a care of me and will preserue mee safe vntill I haue the fruition of his heauenly Ierusalem This Church is knit together and vnited by faith through the operation of the Holy Ghost as members of one bodie This Church hath the pure Word of God truely and sincerely preached and the Sacraments duely and faithfully administred among them These sheep heare the voice of the true Shepheard Christ Iesus and hee knoweth them and Ioh. 10. 3. they follow him and hee will giue vnto them eternall life and they shall neuer perish neither shall any plucke them out of his hand nay the gates of Mat. 16. 18 hell shall not preuaile nor ouercome this Church They which bee of this Church shall haue remission of their sinnes continuall peace and ioy They shall shine and glister as the Stars of Heauen they shall bee clad with white garments and follow the Lambe whithersoeuer he goeth they shall haue golden crownes clapped on their heads and shall see God face to face and haue fellowship with his Saints who continually sing praifes to the eternall King which was and is and is to come
whose then shal thy goods bee that thou hast prouided It is wisedome therefore for man to prouide for God then God will prouide for him Therefore good brother I beseech you in the bowels of Iesus Christ repent and correct your selfe betime reforme your manners and behauiour by the rule of Gods Law that you may auoid the curse thereof and bee preserued and saued that when Iesus Christ shall come to his Iudgement from the highest heauens in power and Maiesty accompanied with his holy Angels and Saints you may meete him with a ioyfull heart and obtaine the crowne of glory and victory which is the reward of Gods children and so reigne with that righteous Iudge in perpetuall peace continuall comfort and endlesse ioy which God grant to you and mee and all that loue his comming Amen And that wee may the better performe the Premises let vs in all our actions set these foure things before our eyes that is the Day of Death the Day of Doome that Condemnation of the wicked and the Saluation of the godly To the wicked and damned sort death is miserable Gods Iudgements terrible and their paine intolerable To the godly and such as shal be saued death is pleasant iudgement comfortable and their ioy perpetuall therefore it is better betime to repent reforme our selues with the godly then to driue off from day to day with the wicked which neither by Gods mercy nor iudgement will bee drawne to amendment but neglect all meanes and occasions and there is no better time nor fitter occasion to prepare our selues to our end then when we feele Gods heauy hand laid vpon vs by any kinde of crosse sicknesse or other visitation for therby God giueth vs friendly warning to make our selues in a readinesse and to giue ouer the world and happy man is hee whosoeuer hee bee which forsaketh sinne before sinne forsake him and that giueth ouer the world before the world giue him ouer for when wee haue discharged our selues of this world and this world shall be discharged of vs then we haue the greatest account of all to reckon for Therefore my deare brother that fearest God and beleeuest in him while thou art now chastised with sicknes and paine and perceiuest death to approach bestur your selfe betime follow Christ at foote prostrate your selfe before him fall downe flat on the earth deny your selfe acknowledge your sin trust in him neuer giue ouer cry and call aloud Miserere mei Domine miserere mei i. Haue mercy on me O Lord haue mercy on mee Cry with the Cananite O sonne of Dauid haue Mat. 15. 22 mercy on me and at length he will looke back take pitty vpon you forgiue you your sinnes and receiue you to his mercy Let the innocent Lamb of God be an example vnto you herein for Christ himselfe in his extreme agony when his sweat was like drops of bloud trick ling downe to the ground yet hee prayed earnestly to haue his Fathers Will fulfilled So must you do that is now weake and feeble in body bee feruent in spirit renounce the wicked world with all the vanities therein tread them vnder your feete Sursum cor Lift vp Col. 3. 1 2 your heart to God meditate vpon heauenly things for it is high time Behold the Sonne of GOD your mercifull Redeemer that sweat water and bloud for your sinnes behold him sitting on the right hand of his Father making intercession for you ioyne your selfe to him pray vnto God feruently in his name and say as he himselfe did in the anguish of his Spirit heere on earth Father into thy Luk. 23. 46 hands I commend my Spirit Thou hast redeemed mee O Lord God of truth Lord haue mercy vpon me and forgiue me my sins Sweet Iesu receiue my soule into thy Kingdome c. I beseech you gentle Brother thinke vpon my words in my absence and continue in this minde hauing a firme faith in Christ Iesus euen to your end And withall take in good part this my friendly admonition Let it worke in your heart true repentance to saluation and if you doubt any thing touching your beliefe life or Religion or any other priuate causes that may in some sort trouble your conscience I pray you let mee resolue you and I will doe my endeuour to satisfie you therein so far forth as may tend to your saluation and comfort which I heartily wish in Christ Iesus And so for this time I leaue you committing you to the tuition of him that is able to saue you The fourth duety of the Pastor THe fourth duety of the Pastour is to comfort the sick in all their distresse danger and feare with sentences examples and perswasions out of the Word of God especially toward their end We feare chiefely two things 1 Death in this life 2. Damnation after death I purpose not to speake much of eyther for if I did I should but make the volume of this book to large and so cause the Printer to waste paper to his further charges and my greater paines and yet say nothing but that which is set downe already by those that are better learned then my self and haue troden the way before mee Therefore hauing partly touched the same in my Questions I wil only adde these few lines following touching both for example sake It is an old rule in Physick Take away the cause and the effect is taken away with it Vnderstand therefore good Brother that the causes why men so much feare death be many according to the multitude of men and their manners The first cause is for that by death they lose many commodities and pleasures which in their life time they did long enioy and haue great delight therein as wife children parents friends lands liuings possessions sumptuous houses buildings worldly honours offices dignities All these and such like be call-backs and dayly coueted while life lasteth and yet dreadfull death dispatcheth vs of all these delights euen at a blow this is the feare of worldlings Secondly we feare death because of weakenesse diseases and bitter torments which are the forerunners warners and messengers of death This is the feare of the flesh The third cause why men feare death is incredulity or lack of faith in Christ This is the feare of conscience and proceedeth of ignorance or lack of knowledge in the Scriptures whereof our faith is grounded The fourth cause why we feare death is the danger of eternall damnation both of body and soule in hell fire This is the inward feare of the spirit But to bee short one comfortable blast of Gods spirit will extinguish and driue all these terrours quite away from vs euen as the winde doth driue away the thick clowds or mists which do separate vs from the light and sight of the Sunne First therefore for the losse of the world and all the drosse therein it is indeede no losse but gaine to those that by death enioy the company of
me O Lord a fit sacrifice for thy selfe by punishing my fleshly body and pardoning my sinfull soule Grant mee perfect remembrance of the houre of my death last gaspe that I may thankefully take this thy fatherly visitation and willingly beare my crosse after thy deare Son Iesus Christ my Sauiour O Lord prepare me for the good houre which thou hast appointed for the deliuerie of my soule out of this wretched world settle my thoughts and fixe my faith on the life to come that I neuer shrinke from thee and thy sauing health what paine or torment soeuer thou inflictest vpon mee here on earth yet deare Father let heauen be my reward in the end Finally so dispose of me good Lord as may be most meete for thy glory and mine own saluation in Christ Iesus my mercifull Redeemer and Sauiour to whom with thee and the holy Ghost be all honour power and praise world without end Amen A Prayer to be said in the pangs of Death O Infinite Deitie and vnmeasurable goodnes O blessed and glorious Trinitie O perfect loue and charitie haue mercy on mee and open the bowels of compassion vpon mee a wretched sinner wrapped in woe and ouerwhelmed with anguish of soule and vexation of spirit Into thy hands O Lord I wholly commit and resigne my selfe make haste O Lord to deliuer mee for it is high time My flesh trembleth my bones are brused mine eyes wax dimme my strength faileth my heart panteth and my sorrow and paine euery way increaseth O mercifull Creator shew mercy to thy creature In thee O Lord alone is all my trust In my misery and smart I haue no other to make my mone vnto but onely to thee O thou preseruer of men Therefore forsake me not vtterly but stand by me and with comfort relieue me in this my extremitie and last combate Stretch out thine arme O Lord and hold thy hands of pitie ouer me that lyeth here in woe and misery O Iesu O sweet Iesu mercie O Sonne of Dauid haue mercie vpon me O Father of Heauen help me O holy Spirit of God confirme comfort me O God the Father God the Sonne and God the Holy Ghost three persons and one God haue mercie vpon me O Iesus my sweet Sauiour receiue my silly soule into thy holy hands Place it O LORD for thy mercie sake with thine owne selfe in thy heauenly Kingdome among thine holy Angels and Saints O my good God and my heauenly Father pitie my case ease my paine comfort my soule and be mercifull vnto me Lord shew the light of thy louing countenance vpon mee And in the houre of my death strengthen my faith So that my body returning to the earth from whence it came my soule may ascend to thee which gaue it and at the day of doome generall iudgement when they shall both meete againe they may rise to life euerlasting thorow our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ Amen Short Petitions collected for the Sicke Partly out of other Authors BEhold O gracious Father the body of thy deare Sonne all to rent and torne and remember I most humbly beseech thee of how small base substance I am Behold O good God the grieuous paine Passion of Christ my Redeemer and forgiue the sinnes of me thine vnworthy and vnprofitable Seruant which am therby redeemed O Lord looke downe from Heauen incline thine eares vnto my prayers confort my sobbing soule cheere my carefull conscience increase my faith forgiue me my sinnes and haue mercy vpon me through Iesus Christ my Sauiour Amen O Lord I beseech thee mercifully heare my prayers and spare mee which doe confesse my sinnes to thee that I whose conscience by sin is accused by thy mercifull pardon may be absolued through Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen O GOD the Father which made mee blesse mee O God the Sonne which redeemed me preserue mee O God the holy Ghost which sanctifieth me confirme and strengthen me The blessing defence and sauing health of the Almighty God the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost preserue mee from all euill and bring mee to euerlasting life through Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen Glory be to thee O Father my Maker Glory be to thee O Sonne my Redeemer and glory bee to thee O holy Ghost my Comforter from age to age from posteritie to posteritie both here and in the world to come and let all people say Amen The peace of our Lord Iesus Christ and the power of his Passion the prayers of his Elect the Communion of Saints the sword of the Spirit and the shield of Faith bee betwixt mee and all mine enemies bodily and ghostly publike and priuate visible and inuisible both now and in the very houre of my death Amen O Lord into thy hands I commend my Spirit Thou hast redeemed mee O Lord thou God of Truth Lord Iesu at thy pleasure and at the time which may be acceptable vnto thee receiue my spirit into thy heauenly Kingdome Amen The third Dutie of the Sicke THe third and last duty of the sicke person is to be patient in his sicknes or any other aduersitie willingly to beare the burthen of Christs Crosse so to follow him for the better performance wherof I haue thought good to annex to the premisses this short Treatise of Patience wherein I will obserue this order First I will perswade by Precepts to suffer aduersitie and all kinde of calamitie Secondly I wil produce out of the Scriptures some speciall and particular examples which may prouoke vs both to suffer affliction and to be patient therein Thirdly I will shew some Reasons to allure vs thereunto 1. Precepts perswading FIrst it is an old saying Patience in aduersitie is a goodly vertue and truely so it is and Patience is a rare vertue and so it may well bee because it is so seldome seene and neuer so seldome as in these our dayes wherein wee haue many motions to euill but few or none to that which is good We offer wrong we will take none Wee giue shrewde words to others wee can brooke none towards our selues Wee haue Eagles eyes to espy a mote in our Brothers eye but like blinde buzzards wee see none at all in our owne We complaine of euery griefe in our selues bee it neuer so little wee pitie none in others bee it neuer so great And therefore we had need both of Precepts to perswade and Examples to prouoke but I feare neither the one nor the other will preuaile or take place in vs. And why Mens hearts are steeped in bitter gall their hands are cruell their feete swift to shead bloud their braine busie to inuent mischiefe And to speake the truth without flattery Loue is lost Charitie is cold Faith is not to be found Pietie maketh mone being pinched by aduersitie and patience is gone beeing forced by extremity Wel what is to bee done in this wofull case Wee must comfort our selues with sentences and examples which are written for our