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A93757 Six several sermons preached on Isaiah, 38. I. Wherein that great duty of setting our body and soul in order, for we shall die, is at large opened and explained Wherein also many divine truths are made known relating to the same matter; and now published, because of the exceeding importance and concernment of this subject unto all people whatsoever. Stafford, Richard, 1663-1703. 1696 (1696) Wing S5135; ESTC R230779 115,810 178

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all for it is the Vi●al Blood wherein our Life consists and so willin●ly and by choice suffer every drop of Blood in ou● Body to be lost or shed as did the Captain of our Salvation who herein left us an Example that we should follow his steps rather then we will commit yield or consent unto Sin This is worthy and noble indeed not to love our Lives unto Death but Sacrifice up our Life even to God that gave it when it is in his service and to maintain and keep our own Integrity Uprightness and Innocency to preserve not so much our Honour and Reputation as that will follow also for the Righteous shall be had in everlasting Remembrance as our Conversation blameless without spot or bl●mish Or the meaning hereof may be supposed to be to strive and fight against those Lusts which War in our Members till we fetch Blood of them It is commonly said that if you fetch Blood of a Witch she can never do you any harm Why each and every Lust is an Imp and Instrument of the Devil and if we can so far fetch Blood of that same Lust as to bring out and take away the Power of that same Lust or the thing wherein the strength of that Lust did lie this is to pluck out the sting so that the Lust cannot hurt us As also when the Blood thereof is drained and drawn out that same Lust will faint and die away When thou art tempted to a Lust here if thou wouldst not be led away and enticed by that same Lust then mind and observe w●ll wherein that Temptation is most tempting And then if thou wouldst resist and overcome the Temptation do thou apply all the Grace Str●ng●h and Knowledge that is in thee against it ●lf one was to fight against an Enemy and He would only fl●●t on the outside of the Hair of his Head or scare along and aside his G●rments or now and then lightly touch his little finger it might be long enough before He would kill or dest●oy that Enemy But if He would in good earnest with all his Strength and Power have at his Head and Heart ●nd to that aim and lay on the de●●ly weapon then He may as soon dispatch him Just so as to the first kind of dallying is Peoples fighting with their Lusts They do not conquer and subdue th●m but had rather play with them or make a shew of fighting with them Thinking thereby to deceive God who hath commanded them to fight with these Ama●eki●es and Canaanites within and destroy them utte●ly But they pretend they cannot wher●as they will not is the true cause As to these Lusts and sinful Desires and carnal Affections which War o● rather have Habitation in their Members when God Commands such to fight and drive them out but they do only sport with them and had rather that they tarry in them they being like a soft or pleasing Dalilah Here such will not escape from what is pronounced against them Cursed be he that doth the Work of the Lord d●c●itfully and cursed be He that ke●pe●h back his Sword from Blood Jer. 48 10. Thou art Childish or in Love with thy first original corrupt state which is not ha●ing even the Garment spot●ed by the Flesh if thou art afraid or unwilling by the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God to draw Blood of thy Sin or Corrup●ion that it may languish or die away And this thou must do notwithstanding all thy natural Inclinations to the contrary for this is to deny thy self if thou wouldest be a good Souldier of Jesus Christ And if thou wouldst willingly partake of Triumph and Exaltation when thy Soul is slipped and come out from this place of warfare here on Earth and thou wouldst wi●ingly be presented before the Lord of Hosts the God of the Armies of Israel this will never be without conque●ing to receive his Acceptance and the Congratulati●n of those who a little before had done the same things But the King of Syria commanded his thirty a●d two Captains that had Rule over his Chariots saying fight neither with small nor great save only with the King of Israel 1 Kings 22. 31. Besides the advice and directi●n aforesaid of not dallying or only making a shew to fight but to strike home at the Head or Heart This also is to be here learned and put in practice as among the Devils there is one Beelzebub or Prince of the Devils so among the Sins and Lusts the carnal Affections and Desires within our Members There is one commonly Predominant and Reigning which doth app●ar forth above all the rest and in this sence may be called King or Prince which signifies Chief of the other Sins and Lusts It is the very Sin that doth so easily beset us As every one doth or may know the Plague of his o●n Heart so they either do or may know what Sin it is especially above all the rest which they are most bent and inclined unto According as the Temper and Consti●ution of the Body which is a Seed-plot of Sin and Corruption in the General is whether it be excess of Eating secret Lust Covetousness Pride Passion or such like Here the Lord of Hosts commands Michael and his Angels which hath Rule over the Instruments of War He makes use of that is his Grace Word and Spirit which is within thee to fight with neither small nor great save only with the King of Israel that is to fight not so much with the Inferiour Sins and Lusts but especially a●d principally with the highest and chiefest ●f them to bring him down for we often hear and read as so it was here that to kill a King or General in the Battel this is to win the Fi●ld for thereupon all the rest are forthwith subdued and dispersed as Sheep without a Shepherd or as a B●dy without a Head Even so here it is to vanquish or kill the chief Sin or Lust is to bring under and subd●e all the rest for then they will submit and fall of course For it we can once get the Mastery in one Point we shall sooner do it in another and so on to a third Till every Thought is brought into Captivity unto the Obedience of Christ If we can and also do by the Grace Strength and Power given us overcome the stronger much more shall we the weaker If we do once tame the most head-strong and unr●ly Beast in us we shall also quickly bri●g into Subj●ction and due Order all the other wild bru●ish part of us I have pursued mine Enemies and overtaken them n●i●her did I turn again till ●hey were consumed I have wounded them that they were not able to rise they are fallen under my Feet Then did I beat them as small as Dust before the wind I did cast them out as the Dirt in the Street Psalm 18. 37 38 39 42. This is making through and effectual Work of it And though
●hings of this World and of the Flesh we cannot obtain which we would and if we could we cannot hold or continue to have them for we die and go away Or if we could yet they are not worth the holding because as yet God doth not commit unto us the true Rich●s Luke 16. 11. that is the true and abiding Happiness for it is not to be had in this World but in the World to come wherein we seek and do expect it Here then is the mind that hath Wisdom to draw off our desires not only from the Sin and Evil for we should be perfectly listless and dead as to them And if Christ be in you the Body is dead because of Sin Rom. 8. 10. But also our desires should be drawn off utterly even from the lawful necessary and indifferent things of this World We should be as if we used them not temperate in all things and get above them We are commanded not only to commit any unclean thing But not so much as to touch the unclean thing Which is standing as much at a distance from it as well as we can So the Word of God which is very pure hath provided against all manner of Sin and to abstain from all appearance of Evil to take this care even as to prevent the first beginnings rise and occasion of Sin or Evil. Thus to Hate and Strip off the Garment spotted by the Flesh as is before explained and to lay aside every weight and the Sin that doth so easily beset us and to resist unto Blood striving against Sin all those Expressions come to one and the same thing That is to set up again Innocency and Holiness in the Soul after it had by the fall of Adam by whose Transgression many were made Sinners lost and defaced them And this is to set the Soul in Order before we die or before she goes out of the Body It being a taking care that nothing is wanting in her as indeed it would be a very great want if she was not renewed again after the Image of him who created her that is in Righteousness and true Holiness It hath been aforesaid That to set our Bodies in Order was that they might be made free from Sin for an Holy Body is an orderly Body Even so it is here an Holy Soul is an orderly Soul or to get Holiness which is the Image of God ingrafted and implanted in her is to set the Soul in order for then it is meet for his Acceptance who is the Father of Spirits and Lover of Souls Inasmuch as Holiness is the Image of God and every like loves its like With the pure thou wilt shew thy self pure What sets the Body in Order as Holiness doth that the same Holiness doth set the Soul in Order also for they are both united in one and make up the same Man and they desire the same end which is Happiness The High way to which is the way of Holiness The Body indeed must go through more Alterations and it shall be raised up again to partake of Happiness of Misery According to this very same Truth and Observation Paul prays by the Spirit And the very God of Peace sanctifie you wholly and I pray God your whole Spirit and Soul and Body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ Faithful is He that calleth you who will do it 1 Thess 5. 23 24. Good God What comfortable and encouraging Words are here From this Place of being preserved blameless and from what we read in Rom. 6. 22. Of being made free from Sin ye have your Fruit unto Holiness We see hence that Sin and Holiness are as Incompatible Things as Darkness and Light They are perfectly and properly contraries the Nature of which is to expel one another and one succeeds the other for as when the Sun sets and the Light goes off from the Earth then Darkness comes and succeeds And so when the Sun arises again it drives off Darkness from the Face of the Earth so it is as to Sin and Holiness There is no arriving at Holiness without being made free from Sin As again when Holiness goes off or is defaced then Sin succeeds and creeps in of course It is ●onsence and a contradiction to say that People lead an Holy Life and Conversation although they seem outwardly Religious when they are yet in their Sins or when they serve divers Lusts and Pleasures For Darkness may be as truly called Light which would be a great absurdity and imp●ssibility as to think or say ●uch are an Holy People Woe unto them that call Evil Good and Good Evil that put Darkness for Light and Light for Darkness that put Bitter for Sweet and Sweet for Bi●ter Isa 5. 20. And whereas the divinely inspired Prophet goes on to add Woe unto them that are wise in their own Eyes and prudent in their own sight vers 21. Hereby He seems to meet tacitely with a fort of People which are common and many now in the World They make up nine parts in ten in the visible Church Who do not care nor heartily endeavour to come clearly out of Sin nor yet can they gainsay and renounce Holiness quite inasmuch as glorious things are spoken of it and precious Promises are made and annexed unto it And therefore they are for a kind of Life which is made up as they fashion and imagine to themselves of a mixt medly of Sin and Holiness as twilight is made up of Darkness and Light and th●y think that this will serve their turn with God so as they hope for his acceptance of them although they are sinful also because they do love and esteem of Holiness But God answers such by his Spirit Woe unto them that are wise in their own Eyes and prudent in their own sight as to think to compound the matter with God No such matter For He that commanded Thou shalt not sow thy Land with divers kinds of Seeds nor yet make a Garment of Linsey Woolsey when such a judicial Law was given forth of old Time the Holy Ghost hereby signifies even in these days that God will never accept of such a medly or mixt kind of Goodness or Righteousness as is made up of Sin and Holiness which is properly no Goodness or Righteousness at all As it is written But they like men have transgressed the Covenant Hos 6. 7. That is it was like and such as could be expected from them Even so this sort of mixt medly Goodness or Righteousness is like Mans Goodness and Righteousness which is a corrupt and imperfect thing at best and that our Righteousness spoken of in Isa 64. 6. which is as filthy Rags which People are to be stripped utterly off to set their Souls in Order before they die or otherwise God will not accept them For that is an offence unto him and He commands to get behind him what savours of Men. But God hath yet much
more clearly answered all these Imaginations and Devices of Men in that Gospel Command and Direction As He which hath called you is Holy so be ye Holy in all manner of Conversation 1 Pet. 1. 15. Be sure to take in here the Particle As and then as to this Point we will pursue the same Reasoning which the Apostles uses in the following Verses forasmuch then as ye know that God is Holy without the least mixture or tincture of Sin or evil As Christ the Lamb was without Blemish and without Spot verse 19. it must follow of consequence that none is Holy as He which hath called you is Holy if there be a mixture or tincture of Sin therein and as the same Holy God our Father who without respect of Persons judgeth of every Mans Works it follows of necessity also that He will never accept of such a kind of Holiness in any Man or Woman whatever where Sin or Evil make up any part thereof Though here also if in our Holiness there should not be any tincture or savour of Sin or Evil which also will be washed away in the Blood of the Lamb without spot and blemish before it is right and meet for the acceptance of God we may be indeed amazed and afraid and ask the Question who then will be saved Remember this I b●seech the Reader Sin must in no wise make a part or ingredient in that kind of Holiness without which no Man shall see the Lord. Or if a Man or Womans Holiness at the best hath a tincture smell or taste of Sin Corruption or Evil here He or She are to hate even the Garment spotted by the Flesh They are to wish it were otherwise though of themselves they cannot quite rinse and wash it out but here pray unto God Wash me throughly from my Iniquity and cleanse me from my Sin Psalm 51. 2. And though something may be done towards that here on this Earth by their working together with the Grace of God which He gives unto them till they in a manner empty all the Lees and Sedement out of the Vessels But as to the taste smell and scent of the Cask here with Reverence be it spoken Christ must give his own immediate helping hand that the Soul may appear before God cloathed in the Righteousness of his Son And be found in him not having mine own Righteousness which is of the Law but that which is through the Faith of Christ the Righteousness which is of God by Faith not as though I had already attained either were already perfect but I follow after Phil. 3. 9 12. And so in the Name of God Let us go on to Perfection Heb. 6. 1. ●et us attain as far as ever we can in this Life and on this Earth and follow af●er whatever we can apprehend more Wherefore we labour that whither present or absent we may be accepted of him 2 Cor. 5. 9. Resolving still to do our Duty in all things and to fulfil all Righteousness and whatsoever we can conceive or think off confirming all the Words of his Law and Gospel by our doing of them that we may have the favour and acceptance the Peace and Reconciliation of our God Vnto which Promise our Twelve Tribes instantly serving God Day and Night hope to come Acts 26. 7. And where in any other places of Scripture we read of the more strict Rules Directions and Precepts there to Copy them out by our own Example Am I such an one or do I thus and thus as is there wri●ten As for instance when we find Paul speaking in this wi●e I know nothing by my self yet I am not hereby justified Can we say this of our particular selves also And so when David makes his appeal unto God Search me O God and know my Heart try me and know my Thoughts and see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way Everlasting Psalm 119. 23 24. What earnestness of Expression is here as much as if He should have said do thou discover to me any Sin or Errour in me and I will resolve to get out of it So fain would I to be in the way Everlasting As thou hearest or readest this commune with thy self and examine thy self Wh●●her the same Mind Desire and earnest Endeavour be in thee also And so when w● read that Paul trembling and astonished said Lord what wilt thou have me to do Acts 9. 6. This carries Instruction to thee also to be in the fear of the Lord all the day long with a great awe and d●ead of him continually upon thy Heart and to wait upon him in thy Spirit to know and receive from him what the Invisible God our Creator and Governour would have thee O Man or Woman to do And where He answers and makes known unto thee there always from time to time to instantly and forthwith set upon doing the ●ame And so on of whatever thou canst apprehend more for as long as thou dost this there will be nothing wanting in thee which indeed is to set the Soul in Order before we die It is a great thing and well-pleasing and acceptable unto the Lord to answer all his requirings in thy Heart and Conscience and to make this return The Lord opened my Ears and I was not R●bellious Where He speaks in the still Voice of his Word and Spirit there to obey and do accordingly And so indeed we might run through all Scripture the Book o● Life which is given to make us wise unto Salva●ion ●o apply all the sayings therein to our selve● and to ask our own Souls How they pe●form or do the same To return back to that aforementioned Let us lay aside every weight and the Sin that doth so easily beset us Ye have not resisted unto Blood striving against Sin Here commune with thy self prove and examine thy self O Man Doth thy Soul or my Soul imitate the practice and usage of Footmen and Racers as to lay aside every weight of Sin Guilt and Corruption yea the very Motions Inclinations and Liableness to Sin For these last also are some weights which do hinder and retard the moving of our Souls and their making towards God They are as some clippings of her wings and entanglements and pr●ssings down as she would fly and lift up her self towards Heaven the Habitation of the Father of Spirits The Footmen and Racers will sometimes strain so hard for to obtain the Prize and win the Wager especially when they come near to the end of the Race that is set before them that they will break or burst a Vein till they spit Blood or it gushes forth All this Carries Instruction and Exhortation that we should do as much and the same for to obtain an Incorruptible Crown which they do to obtain a Corruptible Crown even to resist unto Blood striving against Sin Which is to part even with our Hearts Blood which is the very best and choicest of
Salvation which also knows what is the Will and Expectation and Decree of God who is very Pure and Holy hath chalked out Rules of the highest Perfections and Attainments though withal it doth foresee that Men and Women through Ignorance Errour Failings Infirmities and Temptations will not arrive up unto but come short of them However there is no Salvation nor Assurance nor yet well grounded Hope to be had for Men and Women without a sincere and diligent endeavour without an actual pressing forward towards the mark of the high Calling which is in Christ Jesus even unless they follow and strive after the very highest Perf●ctions and Attainments of Christianity even until they do indeed lay aside every weight and the Sin that doth so easily beset them and run with Patience the Race that is set before them resisting unto Blood striving against Sin Which if they have not done as yet God expects it from them and woe be unto them if they do it not As aforesaid for this cause God doth as yet leave us breathing on this Earth o●ly for a very little while longer that we should set in Order what things are wan●ing in our Souls That is we should fill and make up and supply what is yet wanting according to what hath been afore spoken of If we have been and are a-doing this when the Time draws nigh that we must die and be taken off from this Earth God will translate us up into Heaven because we have this Testimony that whilst we were here by this doing we pleased God Which again is done by Faith SERMON IV. Isaiah 38. 1. Set thine House in Order for thou shalt Die and not live SO much of the Duty enjoined Set thine House in Order Now come we to the Reason annexed For Thou shalt die and not live I have composed a Sermon concerning Death and Mortality on Hebrews 2. 15. which also I have caused to be Printed and thus it now remains written for the Generations to come Psal 102. 18. This is an easie Subject to Discourse on because here so many things lie open common ●●d obvious to the Knowledge of all People whatsoever Yet here again on the other hand it is so much the more hard to Preach thereon inasmuch as Preaching the Word should be in a somewhat higher strain above the level of the usual Talk and Thoughts of common People for it should make known such things which are not commonly known already For it is according to the Mind and Will of God that Knowledge should be increased Dan. 12. 4. So that is not barely to gratifie an itching Ear or the Athenian-like temper which is in Mankind in being desirous to hear or tell of some new thing for besides to answer the expectation of our Hearers it is our Duty And new things do I declare Isa 42. 9. at least such as do newly spring up in our mind although they be old Truths However we are also allowed of God having Authority for the same from his Word and also his Apostles and Ministers for our example hereof both to Preach the very same things which are commonly known and Preached already as also to write and speak the same things again which we have already written and spoken in order to stir up your pure Minds by way of Remembrance and also to make safe and full Proof of our Ministry And so whilst in the Course and Order of my Ministry I do partly Preach such things which I have Preached already and also some other farther Truths from week to week according as God bringeth the same to my Knowledge herein I do exactly answer and comply with that saying of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Every Scribe instructed into the Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a House-holder which bringeth forth out of Treasury things new and old My intention and design at present is only to make known what new and further Thoughts and Truths do arise in my Mind as I Treat upon these words Thou shalt die and not live Of which as we speak it may be convenient and profitable to use this method 1st To handle the words simply and abstractedly Thou shalt die and not live 2dly To shew what mighty Force Reasoning and Exhor●ation is in this Consideration Thou shalt die and not live to the i●●●nt t●at we may set our House that is all our Worldly Concerns Body and Soul in Order because that we shall die and not live These words were not spoken and intended to Hezekiah only but they are also spoken and do belong unto and are for Admonition unto every Man and Woman of every Countrey Nation and Language and of every Generation and Time even from Adam until the last Resurrection of the Dead when they shall not Marry nor be given in Marriage and Men and Women shall be Born and Created no more It is hence demonstratively evident that it doth belong to all because the reason thereof doth sensibly and evidently belong to all Thou shalt die and not live For if any Man or Woman is exempted or priviledged from Death and from being liable unto it then indeed these words do concern Hezekiah who afterwards died but not him or her But it being most certain for nothing is so sure as Death that all must die therefore of necessity these words of Isa 38. 11. are a Command and Instruction they are for the Learning and Admonition of every one of us upon whom the ends of the World are come And as Jesus Christ spake to his Disciples and Followers What I say unto ye I say unto all watch From whence it doth appear that that word of his did appertain to the whole Multitude that followed him as unto the Twelve from hence it will appear also that what the Lord the Creator and Preserver of all Mankind said unto Hezekiah it is as much and the very same for we are to take and receive it all one as if the Lord God should speak to every Son and Daughter of Men that were Descendants from Adam and Eve whom He bath Created and calls them all by Names Set your Houses severally in Order for ye shall die and not live It is as certain and unavoidable that we shall die as that we now live We of our selves could not possibly hinder our selves from coming forth into life and the light of the Living For when and as soon as we were ready and ripe for the bringing forth we struggled in the Womb and the God of Nature ordered and provides a way for our coming forth from thence neither is it in the Knowledge or Power of the Embryo or Infant to strangle or suffocate it self in the Womb or of it self for it is done by the Mother or some other outward accident to pass away as the untimely Fruit of a Woman neither hath it Strength or Understanding immediately after it is brought forth to kill or destroy it self And as it grows up towards Manhood
days in the L●n● whither ye go over Jordan to possess it This is sufficient prolonging ones days to a witness to live the length of a whole Eternity or to live for evermore In the Land that is the new Heavens and new Earth where dwelleth Righteousness After we are gone over Jordan hereby is typified and signified the River of this Li●e for to possess it For indeed the very truth of the matter stands on this wise if we shall be rendred meet and found worthy As Jesus the Prince of Life did say when he heard that Lazarus was sick This sickness is not unto Death When indeed it was a sickness unto Death for Lazarus died of that sickness But Christ the Way the Truth and the Life spake on this wise knowing in himself what he would do even raise Lazarus to Life again And so it was for the Glory of God that God might be glorified thereby Even so in very like manner the words of our Text may be read and reversed Set your House in order for thou shalt live and not die For the Soul which is we our selves doth not die when it goes out of this Body but only leaves this earthly House and departs from this Body and changes its place of Abode and Habitation I remember that I was very much pleased and transported within my self because I find from out of the S●r●ptures of T●uth and mine own Spirit witnessing the same what I have Read in Cicero and Zenophon Heathen Authors where Cyrus and Cato and Scipio are brought in speaking to this purpose and effect Saith Cyrus It could never be perswaded to me that these Souls of ours when they go out of this Body do die or perish For most certainly they live unto God the Father of Spirits For my part I do as firmly b●lieve and am as verily perswaded of all this as that I now write these Lines or as I am assured that I now live and breath It hath b●●n aforesaid That even in the midst of Life Health and Vigour every one of us was sick unto Death because that we did all along carry about with us in the Body the Seeds of Corruption and Mortality Which holds true as to the Flesh and outward part of us But as to our Souls we are not sick unto Death but alive unto 〈◊〉 in the Apostle's Phras● or alive unto Everlasting Life if we have the Seeds of Grace and Holiness in our Souls which are indeed the Principles of Life and Immortality abiding within us To this agrees the meaning of the Holy Ghost in several places of Scripture particularly in the Gospel of John Saith Jesus Christ Ye will not come unto me that ye might have life John 5. 40. For the Bread of God is he that cometh down from Heaven and giveth life unto the world I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly Whosoever drinketh of the Water that I shall give him shall never thirst but the Water that I shall give him shall be a Well of Water springing up into Everlasting life John 4. 14. He that believeth on me as the Scripture hath said out of his Belly shall flow Rivers of living Water John 7. 38. These two last Scriptures com● directly to our present purpose For it being here said In him a Well of Water springing up unto everlasting life and here it is said That it shall flow out of his Belly and by what the Scripture elsewhere saith that such an one hath in him everlasting life all this shews and confirms that the Saints and Servants of the Most High God by having Grace and Holiness and the new Life ingraffed in them they have also thereby even whilst their Souls inhabit in this weak vile and dying Body here on Earth the Seeds and Principles of Immortality and Eternal Life so that they shall never see Death that is Death Eternal and when their Souls go out of these Bodies they do not die but live And so it is found true in them what Seneca saith who herein spake much more like a Christian than like an Heathen for Flesh and Blood could not reveal these things unto him but God his Creator saith he That day which some fear to be their last he means the Day of Death is indeed the Birth-day of Immortali●y For in truth the Souls of the Righteous are then Born and brought forth into another World into an in●●ni●ely better and more enduring s●ate The Vngodly are not so It is otherwise with the Wicked and the Children of Disobedience or the Children of Perdition as the Scripture Phrases them For wh●t is the greatest Happiness to the Righteous is the beginning of Sorrows unto these The Day of Death is either the best or worst of all the foregoing Days even according as the foregoing Life hath been Good or Evil Godly or Ungodly for the Souls of these Miserable Creatures do also live and exist and they are sensible also Yet according to the meaning of the Holy Ghost especially in many places of the Revelations and also according to the desire and feeling of the Creatures themselves it is Death and not Life or rather worse than Life to abide in Torment Pain and Misery And therefore it is so of●en called the second Death or Death The Soul that sinneth it shall die Turn you turn you why will ye die Not that the Souls of them will ever cease to be in no wise But they will be in such a wretched condition that Death would be better than Life According as it is written In those days shall men seek to die and death shall flee from them As it is here explained these two manner of ways this is the Order Decree and Appointment of God our Creator upon all the Reasonable Inhabitants of the Earth who are commonly called or known by the Name of Men and Women It is appointed for all once to die but after that the Judgment and then they are to rise and live again For the hour is coming in the which all that are in the Graves shall hear his voice And shall come forth They that have done good unto the Resurrection of Life and they that have done evil unto the Resurrection of Damnation S●eing then that all these things must so be yea and they shall so be what manner of Persons ought ye to be in all Holy Conversation and Godliness Looking for and endeavouring whatever we can in this short space between during the few and evil days remaining of our Pilgrimage that we may rise unto the Resurrection of Life Most People have done some little good in the foregoing part of their Life according to their Station and Capacity their Condition and Employment in the World But as it was said Ahab served Baal a little but Jehu shall serve him much So let every one of us make the like Inference and Reasoning and to take up the same Resolution as to put it