vigorously let us move toward our rest It s observed of natural Motions the nearer the Centre the Swifter so let it be with Christians Are there any of us Aged and Gray-headed do we see the Time of our Dissolution drawing nigh are the Shadows of the Evening stretcht out upon us then let us lift up our feet put on mend our pace the Grave is in view we walk work in the sight of our Resting place and that should quicken us It is the last day of the Week with many of us and toward the evening of that also and then comes the Sabbath the Rest the constant eternal rest of labouring Believers those who have been working their Works follow them and yield them Rest And if the Lord help us now to believe and that with such a Faith as works by Love we not only shall but already doe enter into Rest Heb. 4. 3. Troubles in the World we shall have but peace and rest in Christ Sin disturbs flesh makes us groan bodily diseases afflict us toyl travel in the World tire us evil Tidings make us afraid and fears of worse disquiet us but still this Rest remains sure And know that there is a voice of Christ in every trouble loss bereavement is that we come to him for Rest he is Father Mother Wife and he is the only Husband in whose House we shall find Rest Oh! let all the Sorrowful bereaved ones that are ready to say with him Jer. 45. â— Wo is me I faint and find no Rest I say let all such hear Christ saying Come to me and take my Yoke on you and walk with and work for me and you shall find Rest Hearken to this Invitation unto Rest which Faith leads to the beginning of Obedience helps to a progress in and Death will bring to the full Accomplishment of And let us follow them who through Faith and Patience doe inherit the Promises and for our Imitation let me Commend to you some of the Excellencies found in this Daniel of whom the Text speaks and there were not none of them wanting in our Daniel whose Death we are lamenting He is noted for a man of Great Wisdom and Prudence Chap. 1. The Fear of God is the beginning of Wisdom and the Lord has directed all that want Wisdom to ask it He was a man of a Tender Conscience afraid of desileing himself with the Portion of the Kings meat Oh! get and keep a Tender Conscience especially in dangerous tempting and defiling times a Tender Conscience especially where there is an inlightened understanding and sound Judgment is a choice Mercy Again He was a man not given to Appetite but one whose Moderation was eminently obvious he could content himself with Pulse Water when he might have had Wine and flesh A man much in Prayer especially in Secret Prayer from which Duty three Times a day the Kings Edict and Danger of being devoured by Lyons could not deterr him yea was conversant also in Fasting and Prayer A man of Prayer hence mentioned as such an one Ezek. 14. 14. Never more need of Prayer than in our dayes Pray alwayes Pray fervently and in evil Times we should pray more frequently and fervently than at other Times He is no Christian that does not Pray he cannot be miserable what ever befalls him that can and does Pray He was a Thankful man as well as a Praying man See Chap 2. 7. A very Humble self-denying man still gave God the Glory of ought that was done by him Not unto us not unto us but unto thy Name be the Praise say they Psal 115. 1. So he Chap. 2. 28 30. God revealeth Secrets and it is not for my Wisdom c. above others He was not lifted up by his great Advancement so as to forget his God himself or his business one of the first or best of those few that was not the worse for Worldly greatness or advancement lost nothing of his Religion by his preferment An Exact and Circumspect walker much afraid and shy of Sin and so punctual and prudent in his Carriage as that they could find nothing against him save in the matter of his God though he was maliciously and curiously watch't he was a man that had obtained an Answer to that Prayer Lord lead me in a plain path because of mine observers And indeed his being so much in Communion with God help't him to be so harmless blameless like one of the Sons of God among men though in the midst of a Crooked Perverse Generation He was much concerned for the Church of God so was good Nehemiah also And note the best men have alwayes been most Solicitous for Sion it s a good Character of a good man that is full of thoughts for Inquiries after the State of and much in Prayer in the behalf of Gods Church and People one that has imbark't his All with the Church of God joyes their joy feels their Trouble weeps their Tears can heartily mourn when Sion mourns cannot drink Wine in Bowls and not be grieved for the Affliction of Joseph can take up his Lott with the Church tho' in a low and sorrowful Condition and desires no other joy than to be made glad with the gladness of Gods Heritage this is like Daniel tho' Daniel himself was in Prosperity in great plenty Credit Reputation so that he wanted nothing yet Sion lay at his heart his Prayers and tears and fastings were for Jerusalem And this is alwayes indispensibly but at some Times more eminently the Duty of every Christian we should prefer Jerusalems Joy before all our Joy and mourn when Sion mourns what ever matter of rejoycing we may have in our selves As it fairs with Sion should it fair with us If we thus live lives of Faith Obedience we shall keep our selves in the Love of God and have the Peace of God to keep us Troubles are come and will come but we shall be under the special Care of God even in worst Times and it will not be long ere the Lord will say to every Sincere Soul that has followed him in the Regeneration that has known him and loved him and made it his business to Serve him and to abound in the work of the Lord Go thy way goe to Rest thou hast laboured long enough done and suffered so much as I had appointed for thee now goe take thy Rest enter into the bed of thy Grave which I have Sweetened and Sanctified for thee there take thy quiet Repose till the end of Dayes and then thou shalt arise again and stand up in thy Lott to receive that Crown of Life which Christ the Righteous Judge shall give at that Day to all that Love his Appearing In the mean Time let all Sincere Souls Comfort themselves and one another with these Words FINIS
before the heat or at the beginning of that great Persecution Acts 7. ult Quest What Rest do they go to Answ 1. A Rest from Labour This Life is a laborious Life especially to the Godly many others sin and play and sleep away their time but they labour and strive run fight wrestle all which are very laborious Imployments Rev. 14. 13. 2. A Rest from Sin there is no man lives sins not but when the Saints dye they cease from Sin 3. A Rest from the Temptations of Satan There is no Serpent in that Paradise whither the Spirits of Just men go at Death 4. A Rest from Oppression by or any vexation from evil men Job 3. 17 18 19. 5. A Rest from all Suffering and Sorrow from within without themselves or others they shall have no more Pain Grief c. All Tears shall be wiped away 6. To make up all that can be thought on that good is it is a Rest in Christ and with Christ and that is best of all yea all that is best or good Quest Why do the Saints then Rest Answ Because they Laboured and Toyled while here were faithful at their labour while they lived and therefore go to rest when they dye And it is a righteous thing with God to give the labouring and troubled ones Rest at that Day 2 Thes 1. 6 7. Our life-time is the Day wherein we are to work there is no work device or labour in the Grave Eccl. 9. 10. which tho' it be a Judgment to the wicked who slept away their labouring Time that they shall then have no more Opportunity to work yet it is a comfort to the Godly Labourers that they shall have no more need or occasion to work but shall go to their Rest cease from all work Prop. 3. After their going away to Rest they shall stand up again at the Last Day There needs no more to be said toward the Confirmation of this Assertion save the Doctrine of the Resurrection which is one of the main Articles of our Faith and that without which all our Faith and Hope would be vain as not reaching any further than this life and so leaving us most miserable 1 Cor. 15. 17 18 19. Christ told Martha her Brother should rise a-again and she owned it This was Pauls hope Act. 24. 15. and Jobs Comfort Job 19. 25. The Scripture is full of this Truth The ground of it is partly from their Union to Christ their Head who dyed and rose again and so shall they by vertue of his Resurrection Partly that they may receive their Reward according to their works Prop. 4. When they stand up each shall stand in his Lott 1. There shall be a Lott Laid out to each of them a peculiar place and station provided for every one All the Saints both great and small not only a general State of Glory for all but each shall have his own Lott Mansion Crown 2. He shall stand abide or continue therein The Lot is that State of Glory peculiar to every Believer Indeed there shall be degrees some greater some lesser tho' every Vessel shall be filled Some shall have Five Cities others two every one answerable to the Measure of free Grace bestowed on him and the Degrees of its acting in him each shall be rewarded both for kind and measure according to his works And the Reason is from the Righteousness of God who will therefore as Justice obliges render to every one what is his own or due Indeed not unto Believers on Christ for the sake of their works upon the account of their own merit properly but for the sake of the Works and Merits of Christ only yet still according to their works Not for your sakes but for mine own Name sake Uses of the First Proposition If God doth use to take away some of his Eminent Ones or bid them go away before Evil Days Use 1. Then it is an ill Omen and should be accounted matter of great awakening and solemn Consideration to see good men removed If prudent and useful especially if pious men be taken away when meek and merciful ones are removed it looks as if there were Evil at hand which God is willing to Save them from Noahs housing in the Ark and Lot's entering into Zoar carried an ill face to the Old World and Sodom Especially if the removal of such be not Laid to heart their removal is signal and not laying to heart Causal also of approaching Evil. Use 2. Learn hence also that however the Death of any may prove to the Survivers it 's always in mercy to the Godly As all other Troubles so Death is theirs let it come when and how it will It is an effect of his Kindness to them and in pursuance of his Care for them Gods way often is to take away the best first and lay them up safe out of harms way and leave the rest either to mend or grow worse and if they grow worse so to ripen them unto ruin for not growing better under such awakening Providences as the removal of the good Use 3. Then we should not be inordinately careful or solicitous for fear of Trouble before hand do not distract thy self about what may be hereafter yea tho' it seems to be near even at the very door For besides that fixedness without fear of evil Tidings is attainable and ought to be laboured after as a fruit of Faith Psa 112. 7 8. and besides that many times evils feared do not come at all I say besides both these this may comfort us against approaching Trouble that it may be we may be gone into the Grave before it comes Who can tell how soon God may say to him Go thy way Daniel go to thy Rest out of the reach of that Trouble thou fearest before it comes to such an height as to work thee any considerable Damage A prudent foresight of evil and guarding or preparing against it is good and a Duty but distracting thoughtfulness is always sinful and oft needless because possibly thou mayst not live to see it If thou art a good faithful and diligent Servant the Lord may accept of thy good will and call thee off before the pinch comes A good Master will do so by a good Servant that is diligent and willing to do what he is able he will call him by name and take him off when he sees the heat of the day a coming or some pinch at hand that will be too hard for him he will favour him and lay the burden upon others So did the Lord here say to Daniel Go thy way give over thou hast done well go lye down and take thy Rest Uses of the Second Proposition Do the Saints go to Rest when they Dye Use 1. Then see what cause we have to bless God for Jesus Christ who hath made one of the worst things in the Curse viz. Death to be matter of comfort unto all his as it
brings them to ease quiet and rest That dreadful thing Death the King of Terrours shall be to them their Sleep and Rest Use 2. Then Death is not so dreadful to the People of God as it is represented and supposed usually to be If it be their Rest or that which gives them a Passage or Entrance into Rest it is a very pleasant sweet desirable and comfortable thing It 's true Death is indispensibly the Lot of all and made so by Divine Appointment Heb. 9. 27. and it is to Nature very irksome and unto sinning Nature terrible and affrighting but to them that are in Christ and so have their sins pardoned c the Sting of Death removed it should not be so And to prevent its being so the Lord is pleased to find out the most sweet pleasant and alluring Metaphors to set forth the Nature of it by not only to take away the Terror of it but to render it delightsome and desirable to them and among many other these two of Rest and Sleep which are not only harmless things but very desirable and attractive too how does the labouring and travelling man long for the setting of the Sun and end of his Journey that he may rest the sick and pained man to whom wearisome days and nights are appointed what would he give for a nights sleep Oh that I could sleep Oh that I could take my Rest that I could get a little sleep Then why should a true Believer be scared at Death there is no matter of Affrightment in going to rest And that is one thing the Lord is aiming at in making the World a weary World to his people that they may be willing to leave it long to be out of it desirous of the Grave that they may go to Rest therein Use 3. Then be not over much troubled at the removal of any of our pious Friends whom God has taken away by Death they are but gone to Rest and why should that grieve us When persons are sick or diseased and weak one of the principal things we are solicitors about in their behalf is that they may take their Rest when their eyes have been long held waking O how do we wish for them that they might take their Rest we make all quiet still suffer no noise nor any disturbance that might hinder them of their Rest and if we can see them take their Rest we hope they shall do well So when night comes we get our Children to bed and if they be once asleep we are pleased and think all is well with them And why are we not as well satisfied and contented about our Friends that Dy in the Lord they do Sleep in Jesus and so shall do well they have been toyling in the world and are tired with the labour of it and are now gone to Sleep why should we begrudge them their Rest Indeed for our own loss of them we should grieve and for Gods displeasure that may appear in the stroke we should mourn and for our sins that have made God angry we should cry bitterly but for them that are gone to Rest see that we weep as though we wept not The Grave is called an House and Bed it is so sanctified by the Death of Christ that it is a good house a good bed both soft and warm a comfortable bed a place of quiet and repose a place of Security and Secrecy hence Job speaks of Gods hiding him in the Grave Job 14. 13. a man in the Grave is hidden from the strife of Tongues hidden from the rage and malice of evil men out of the reach of all that devise mischief against him he is there freed from all Trouble and Molestation whatsoever There the Servant is free from his Master and they hear not the cry of the Oppressor Job 3. 13 17 18 19. They that are lodged in the Grave are lodged in an house where they are safe from fear are not disturbed by all the noise and lumber in the World tho' the Earth quake the Sea roar they are not moved though the Mountains be cast into the midst of the Sea they are not affected with it the sound of the Trumpet and Alarms of Wars do not affright them There is no aking head sick stomach pained Bowels spending weakning Cough to break their Rest no Evil Tidings can make their ears Tingle or hearts Tremble Diseases Pains Business Cares Fears would not let them rest here but none of these things shall molest them there nothing shall awaken them till the Last Trumpet sounds when they shall arise to receive that Incorruptible Crown that fades not away reserved in the Heavens for them Then let not us disturb our selves about them be at rest concerning them there let them rest quiet till the Morning of the Resurrection in which they shall rise to the full Enjoyment of that Christ in whose Bosome they are now sleeping If they be quiet in their Beds let us be quiet also about them if they be at Rest labour we to compose our selves unto free submission to Soveraign Disposal yea and comfort our selves in this that however it may fare with us or others yet such and such of ours are well and at rest gotten quite out of harms way that no evil shall come near their dwelling however they are safe enjoying quiet rest till the Pit be digged for the wicked Psal 94. 13. Such of our Friends are out of the Gunshot of the malice and rage of men and Devils Rather let us so believe and live so work and labour while here that when we dye we may rest with them than spend our time in inordinately grieving for them who are at rest Use 4. Let this serve also to comfort and quiet us against all the labour toyl and travel that God hath appointed to us in this World Work willingly labour chearfully bear our Cross which God lays on us without repining or reluctance it is but for a little while Rest is a coming It comforts the Hireling while he is bearing the heat and burden of the day that it is but for a Day and when he hath accomplished his Day there is a Recompence and Rest ready for him when he hath ended his work he shall have his Reward and go to his Rest And as the Rest of a labouring man is sweet when it comes so the fore thoughts of it should be sweet while he is at work be sure it should be so with all the Godly It should make every good mans work go off hand with the more content and comfort I shall rest anon and the harder my work the sweeter my Rest The Parents of Noah when he was born by a Spirit of Prophecy no doubt Gen. 5. 29. called him Noah promising themselves Rest by him under all their Toyl c. Jesus Christ is the true Noah from whom all true Rest comes he hath by his lying in the Grave made it a place of
Rest and this should be thought on together with that Everlasting Rest that Death leads to and with this should we comfort our selves and one another And as this Consideration should comfort us while we live so it is suitable to make us willing to dye yea to long for Death as much as ever a tired Traveller or weary Labourer did for his bed Alas for all that lothness to dye which is to be found in us either we are not weary of the world but have too much content and rest in it Or we do not look upon the Grave as a place of Rest Or we do not consider the sweetness of that Rest or we are not well assured that it is a Rest for us or else Go thy way and go to Rest would be a sweet word to us This should make us Love Death be fond of it embrace it as a very welcome Messenger sent to poor weary Creatures to put them to Bed We read of some who out of their extream misery have been seeking Death courting the Grave hunting for a passage into the Grave but how much more earnest and intense should we be if beside the Troubles here to drive us we had the hope of Rest to allure us Uses of the Third Proposition After they have rested shall they stand up Use 1. Then Death is not an Annihilation it is a Dissolution but does not annihilate it returns men to Dust but not to nothing Use 2. This serves to magnify the power of God that can make a dead person stand up again not only one that hath been four days but more than so many thousand years dead to appear again And the Consideration of the power of God in the work of Resurrection should strengthen our Faith with reference to all other difficult cases whether bodily or spiritual personal or relative that our selves in particular or the Church in general may meet with however discouraging and afflictive if the Lord can make the Body after its Dissolution and resolution into its principles to arise stand up again then he can do so by the Soul also which is sunk and low and discouraged is ready to say that he is shut up and shall come out no more is become like the dry bones in the valley the Lord can make him stand up In like manner can he do by his own work Religion the Cause and Interest of Christ and his people it may sem to run low and Israel may be brought very low but the Lord can revive his work and people He can raise up the Tabernacle of David that is fallen He can build up the walls of Jerusalem Jesus Christ is the Resurrection and the Life both to Zion in general and to all the true Sons and Daughters thereof and will certainly give a Resurrection to his fallen Cause and Work and cause it to stand up Use 3. Hence also Pious Friends though gone away are not lost as they are not annihilated so as not to be so neither are they lost so as not to be found As to this world so they are lost never to be seen here any more in that Capacity as formerly the place that has known them shall know them no more they shall no more have a Portion in ought that is done under the Sun but really they are not lost they shall all be found and stand up Not one Grain shall be lost all the Dead both small and great shall make their personal appearance and especially none of Christs Beloved Ones shall be lost We think it no great matter to take leave of our Friends at Bed-Time yea to look on them and see them unclothe themselves and go to bed lye down to rest we can chearfully bid them good night expecting to see them upon their legs again standing up next morning It 's want of Faith that we do not treat our dying friends accordingly take leave of them chearfully wishing them a good nights rest expecting to see them in the Morning of the Resurrection as Psal 49. 14. when the Righteous shall stand up and be uppermost too have dominion over all their Enemies that despised and trampled upon them in this World Use 4. See a vast difference between a pious Saint a precious Daniel in his Condition then and that of a wicked man an ungodly one The Godly shall stand the wicked are not so they shall not stand in Judgment Psal 1. they shall rise only to fall to fall utterly and eternally The Believer only shall be accounted worthy to stand when the Son of Man shall come but others shall be thought worthy to fall yea shall be cast down into utter Destruction Uses of the Fourth Proposition Shall each stand in his Lot Use 1. Hence there is a peculiar Lott appointed to each after the Resurrection Every one shall have his own lot reward and portion every one that is written up among the Living shall stand up unto a Lot and to that which is his own lot not another mans Many now that profess Religion do but trim themselves with borrowed Feathers adorn themselves with a Form of Godliness without the power of it so get the name repute which belongs to Godly men indeed being by charity so accounted but then it shall be otherwise every man shall have his own lot shall be rewarded according to his works Not only great Daniel but every one of Christ's little ones shall each have his Lot and share of Glory Use 2. See hence what ought to be our great care while here viz. after a good Lot then our standing therein E're long we must go into the Grave where there is no work or device nothing more to be done save only to receive take possession of our lot answerable to the life we have led while here To work out our Salvation with fear trembling is therefore our business now and then our Lot will be answerable Be sound in the way that may lead us to the getting a good lot then we would not then be gathered with Sinners bloody or worldly men Psal 26 then do not cast in our Lot with them now which we may be tempted to as Prov. 1. 14. it is no great matter what we get or lose here so we may have a good lot there Here is a great deal of ado among us at this day about our Lots Lands what a scuffle is there about a little Earth here is arresting pleading impleading fending and proving one pleading his right another his one claiming another endeavouring to invalidate his claim and about this how buisy are men But be not over solicitous here know that there is a far greater Question in hand viz. What shall be my Lot and where shall it lye in the other World how shall I get a good Title to a good Lot there and how shall I maintain it and secure my right against all that would dispossess me Oh! let this be