liberty or esâ—ate are hunâ—ed after and I cannot secure them O let me leave them in thy hand the poor leaveth himself with thee and doth his God fail him no Thou art the helper of the fatherless Psalm 10. 14. that is thou art the helper of the deâ—â—â—ute one that hath none to go to but God And that is a sweet Scripture Psalm 112. 7. He shall not be afraid of evil tidings his heart is fixed trusting in the Lord he doth not say his ear shall be priviledged from the report of evil tidings he may hear as sad tidings as other men but his heart shall be priviledged from the terrour of those tidings his heart is fixed 11. Rule Consult the honour of Religion more and your personal safety lesse Is it for the honour of Religion think you that Christians should be as timerous as Hares to start at every sound will not this tempt the World to think that whatever you talk yet your principles are no better than other mens O what mischief may the discoveries of your â—ears bâ—fore them do 'T was a noble saying of Nehemiah Chap. 6. 11. Should such a man as I flee and who being as I am would flee Were it not better you shâ—uld dye than that the World should be prejudiced against Christ by your example for alas how apt is the World who judge more by what they see in your practises than by what they understand of your principles to conclude from your timâ—râ—usness that how much soever you commend Faith and talk of Assurance yet you dare trust to these things no more than they when it comes to the tryal O let not your fears lay such a stumbling-block before the blind World 12. Rule He that will secure his heart from fear must first secure the eternal interest of his soul in the hands of Iesus Christ. When this is done then you may say now World do thy worst You will not be very solâ—citous about a vile body when you are once assured it shall be well to all eternity with your precious souls Fear not them saith Christ that can kill the body and after that have no power that they can do The assured Christian may smile with contempt upon all his enemies and say is this the worst that you can do what say you Christians are you assured that your souls are safe that within a few moments of your dissolution they shall be received by Christ into everlasting habitatious Well if you be sure of that never trouble your selves about the instruments and means of your dissolution Object O but a violent death is terrible to Nature Answ. But what matter is it wâ—en thy soul is in Heaven whether it were let out at thy mouth or at thy throat whether thy familiar friends or barbarous enemies stand about thy dead body and close thine eyes alas it is not worth the making so much ado about nihil corpus sentit in nervo cum anima sit in coelo thy soul shall not be sensibâ—e in Heaven how thy body is used on earth no it shall be swallowed up in life 13. Rule Learn to quench all slavish Creature fears in the reverential fear of God This is a cure by diversion 't is a rare piece of Christian Wisdom to turn those passions of the soul which most predominate into spiritual Channels to turn natural anger into spiritual zeal natural mirth into holy chearfulness and natural fear into an holy dread and awe of God This method of Cure Christ prescribes in that fore-mentioned place Mat. 10. like to which is that in Isa. 8. 12 13. Fear not their fear But how shall we help it Why sanctifie the Lord of Hosts himself and let him be your fear and your dread Natural fear may be allayed for present by natural reason or the removal of the occasion but then 't is but like a Candle blown out with a puff of breath which is easily blown in again but it the fear of God extinguish it then 't is like a Candle quencht in water which cannot easily be re-kindled 14. Rule Lastly Pour out those fears to God in Prayer which the Devil and your own unbelief pour in upon you in times of danger Prayer is the best out-let to fear where is the Christian that cannot set his probatum est to this direction I will give you the greatest Example in the World to encourage you in the use of it even the example of Jesus Christ Mark 14. 32. when the hour of his danger and death drâ—w nigh he gets into the Garden separates from the Disciples and there wrestles mightily with God in Prayer even unto an Agony in reference to which the Apostle saith Heb. 5. 7. Who in the dayes of his flesh when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong cryes and tears to him that was able to save him from death and was heard in that he feared he was heard as to strength and support to carry him through it though not as to deliverance or exemption from it Now Oh that these things might abide with you and be reduced to practise in these evil dayes that many trembling souls may be established by them 5. Seas The fifth Season to exert this diligence in keeping the heart is the time of straits and outward pinching wants although at such times we should complain to God and not of God the Throne of Gracâ— being erected for a time of need Hâ—b 4. 16. yet when the waters of relief run low and wants begin to pinch hard how prone are the best hearts to distrust the Fountain When the Meal in the Barrel and oylin the Cruse are almost spent our faith and patience are almost spent too Now 't is difficult to keep down the proud and unbelieving heart in an holy quietude and sweet submission at the foot of God 'T is an easie thing to talk of trusting God for daily bread while we have a full Barn or Purse but to say as the Propher Hab. 3. 17. Though the Fig-tree should not blossome neither fruit be in the Vine c. yet will I rejoyce in the Lord. Sure this is not easie The fifth Case therefore shall be this 5. Cafe How a Christian may keep his heart from distrusting God or repining against him when outward wants are eithâ—r felt or feared This Case deserves to be seriously pondred and especially to be studied now since it seems to be the design of Providence to empty the people of God of their creature-fulness and acquaint them with thâ—se straits which hiâ—herto they have been altogether strangers to Nâ—w to secure the heart from the fore-mentioned dangers attending this condition these follâ—wing Consiâ—erations through the blessing of the Spirit may prove effectual And the first is this 1. Consid. That if God reduce you to straits and necessities yet he deals no otherwise therein with you than he hath done with some of the choicest and holiest men that ever lived Your
therefore thou findest thy heart begin to be inflamed by revengful motions presently apply the following remedies and the first is this 1. Remed Urge upon thy heart the seveâ—e prohibitions of revenge by the law of God Remember that this is fâ—rbidden fruit how pleasing and luscious soever it be to our vitiated appetites O saith nature revenge is sweet O but saith God the effects thereof shall be bitter how plainly hath God interdicted this flesh pleasing sin Prov. 20. 22. Say not I will recompense evil Prov. 24. 29. Say not I wâ—ll doe so to him as he hath done to me Rom. 12. 17. Recompense to no man evil for evil and v. 19. Avenge not your selves but rather give place to wrath nay that 's not all but Prov. 25. 21. If thine enemy â—unger feed him if he thirst give him drink The word feed him as Criticks observe signifies to feed cheerfully and tenderly as birds doe their young ones The Scripture is a great friend to the peace and tranquillity of humane societies which can never be preserved if revenge be not deposed it was wont to be an argument urged by the Christians to prove their religion to be supernatural and pure that it forbids revenge which is so sweet to nature and verily 't is a thousand pities such an argument should be lost Well then awe your hearts with the authority of God in these Scriptures and when carnal reason saith mine enemy deserves to be hated let Conscience reply but doth God deserve to be disobeyed thus and thus he hath done and so he hath wronged me but what hath God done that I should wrong him if he dare be so bold to break the peace shall I be so wicked to break the precept iâ— he fears not to wrong me shall not I fear to wrong God O let the fear of Gods threatnings repress such sinsul motions 2. Remed Set before your eyes the most eminent patterns of meekness and forgiveness that your Soâ—â—s may fall in love with it This is the way to cut off those common pleas of the flesh for revenge as thus no man would bear such an affront yes such and such have born as bad and worse I shall be reckoned a coward a fool if I pass by this no matter as long as I follow the examples of the wisest and holiest of men never did any suffer more and greater abuses from men than 〈◊〉 did and never did any carry it more peaceably and forgivingly 53. 7. he was oppressed and he was afflicted yet he opened not his mouth he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter c. This pattern the Apostle sets before you for your imitation 1 Pet. 2. 21 22 23. For â—ven hereâ—nto are ye called because Christ also suffered for us leaving us an example that we should follow his steps Who when be was reviled reviled not again when he suffered he threatned not but committed himself to him that judgeth righteou sly To be of a meek forgiving Spâ—rit is Christ like God like then shall you be the children of your Father which is in Heaven for he maketh his 〈◊〉 to rise upon the evil and upon the good and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust Matth. 5. 45. How eminently also did this Spirit of Christ rest upon his Apostles never were thâ—re such men upon earth for true excellency of Spirit None were ever abused more or suffered their abuses better Being reviled say they we bless being persecuted we suffer it being defamed we intreat 1 Cor. 4. 12 13. Mr. Calvin though a man of a quick Spirit yet had attained such a degree of this Christ like forgiveness that when Luther had used some opprobrious language of him the good man said no more but this alâ—hough he should call me a Devil yet I will acknowledge him to be an eminent servant of Jesus Christ. I have often heard it reported of holy Mr. Dod that when â—ne inraged at his closs convincing docâ—â—ine pickt a quarrel with him smâ—te him on the â—ace and 〈◊〉 two of his teeth this meek servant of Christ spat out the teeth and blood into his hand and said see here you have knockt out two of my teeth and that without any just provocation but on condition I might do your Soul good I would give you leave to dash out all the rest here is the excellency of a Christians Spirit above all the attainments of Moral Heathens though they were excellent at many other things yet they could never attain this forgiving spirit it is the first office of justice said Tully to hurt no body unless first provoked by an injury whereupon Lactantius O quam simplicem veramque sententiam duorum verborum adjectione corrupit What a dainty sentence spoiled the Oratour by adding those two last words strive then for this excellency of Spirit which is the proper excellency of Christians do some singular thing that others cannot doe and then you will have a testimony in their Consciences When Moses out-did the Magicians they were forced to confess the finger of God in that business 3. Remed Consider well the quality of the person that hath wronged thee either he is a good man or a wicked man that hath done thee the injury if he be a good man there is light and tenderness in his Conscience and that will bring him at last to a sense of the evil he hath done however Christ hath forgiven him greater injuries than these and why shouldest not thou will not Christ upbraid him with any of those wrongs done to him but frankly forgives him all and wilt thou take him by the throat fâ—r some petty abuse that he hath done to thee Or is he a wicked man if so truly you have more need to exercise pity than revenge towards him and that upon a double account for 1 He is beside himself so indeed is every unconverted sinner Luk. 15. 17. should you go into Bedlanâ— and there hear one rail at you another mock you and a third threaten you would you say I will be revenged upon them no you would rather goe away pitying them Alas poor creatures they are out of their wits and know not what they doe Besides 2 there is a day coming if they repent not when they will have more miâ—erâ— than you can find in your hearts to wish them you need not study revenge Gods vengeance sleepeth not and will shortly take place upon them and is not that enough have they not an eternity of misâ—ry coming if they repent not this must be the portion of their cup and if ever they doe repent they will be ready to make you reparation 4. Rem Keep down thy heart by this consideration that by revenge thou canst but satisfie a lust but by forgiveness thou shalt conquer a lust Suppose by revenge thou shouldst destory one enemy I will shew thee how by forgiving thou shalt conquer three thine own lust the Devils temptation and thine enemies
this willingness is the immediate succession of a more excellent and glorious life 'T is but wink and you shall see God your happiness shall not be deferred till the Resurrection but as soon as the body is dead the gracious soul is swallowed up in Life Rom. 8. 10 11. When once you have loosed from this shore in a few moments your souls will be wafted over upon the wings of Angels to the other shore of a glorious eternity Phil. 1. 23. I desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ Did the Soul and body dye together as Beryllus taught or did they sleep till the resurrection as others have groundlessly fancied it had been a madness for Paul to desire a dissolution for the injoyment of Châ—ist For if this were so he injoyed more of Christ whilst his Soul dwelt in its flâ—shly Tabernacle then he should out of it There are but two waies of the Souls living known in Scripture viz. the life of faith and the life of vision 1 Cor. 5. 5. those two divide all time both present and future betwixt them 1 Cor 13. 12. If when faith fails Sight should not immediately succeed what should become of the unbodied Soul but blessed be God this great heart-establishing truth is evidently revealed in Scripture Luke 23. 43. â—ou have Christs promise Iohn 14. 3. I will come and receive you to my self O what a change will a few moments make upon your condition rouse up dying Saint when thy Soul is come out a little farther when it shall stand like Abraham in its tent door the Angels of God shall soon be with it the Souls of the elect are as it were put out to the Angels to nurse and when they dye these Angels carry them home again to their fathers house if an Angel were caused to fly swiftly to bring a Saint the answer of his prayer Dan. 9. 21. How much more will the Angels come post from Heaven to receive and transfer the praying Soul it self 4. Arg. Farther It may much conduce to thy willingness to dye to consider that by death God oft times hides his people out of the way of all temptations and troubles upon earth Rev. 14. 13. Write from henceforth blessed are the dead that dye in the Lord. T is Gods usual way when some extraordinary calamities are coming upon the world to set his people out of harms way before hand Isai. 57. 1. Merciful men are taken away from the evil to come So Mich. 7. 1 2. When such an evil time comes as is there described That they all lye in wait for blood and every man hunts his brother with a net before that God by an act of favour houses his people before hand dost thou know what evil may be in the earth which thou art so loath to leave thy God removes thee for thy great advantage thou art disbanded by death and called off the field other poor Saints must stand to it and endure a great fight of afflictions T is observed that Methusala dyed the very year before the flood Augustin a little before the sacking of Hippo. Paereus just before the taking of Heidelberg Luther observes that all the Apostles dyed before the destruction of Ierusalem and Luther himself before the wars brake out in Germany it may be the Lord sees thy tender heart cannot endure to see the misery or bear the temptations that are coming and therefore will now gather thee to thy 〈◊〉 in peace and yet wilt thou cry O spare me a little longer 5. Arg. If yet thy heart hang back consider the great advantage you will have by death above all that ever you enjoyed on earth And that 1 As to your communion with God 2 As to your communion with Saints 1. For your communion with God the time of perfecting that is now come thy Soul shall shortly stand before the face of God and have the immediate emanations and beamings forth of his glory upon it here thy Soul is remote from God the beams of his glory strike it but obliquely and feebly but shortly it will be under the line and there the sun shall stand still as it did in Gibeon there shall be no cloudings nor declineings of it O how should this wrap thy Soul with desires of being uncloathed 2. As for the injoyment of Saints here indeed we have fellowship with them of the lower form but that fellowship is so dissweetened by remaining corruptions that there is no satisfaction in it as it is the greatest plague that can befall an hypocrite to live in a pure Church so t is the greatest vexation to the Spirit of a Saint to live in a corrupt and disordered Church But when death hath admitted you into that glorious assembly of the Spirits of just men made perfect you shall have the desire of your hearts here you cannot fully close one with another yea you cannot fully close with your own Souls O what discords jarrings censurings are here what perfect blessed harmony there in Heaven each Saint loves another as himself thâ—y are altogether lovely O my Soul hast thee away from the Lyons dens from the mountains of Bether from divided Saints to those mountains of Myrhe and hill of Frankinsense thou art now going to thine own people as the Apostles phrase imports 2. Cor. 5 8. 6. Arg. If all this will not doe Consider what heavy burdens death will ease thy shoulders of In this Tabernacle we groan being burdened 1 With bodily distempers how true do we find that of Theophrastue the Soul pays a dear rent for the tenement it now lives in but glorified bodies are clogged with no indispositions death is the best Physician it will cure thee of all diseases at once 2 With the indwelling of sin this makes us groan from the very bowels Rom. 7. 24. But he that is dead is free from sin Rom. 6. 7. Hath justification destroyed its damning power and sanctification its Raigning power so glorification destroyes its very being and existence 3 We groan under temptations here but as soon as we are out of the body we are out of the reach of temptation when once thou art got into Heaven thou mayest say now Sathan I am there where thou canst not come for as the damned in Hell are malo obfirmati so fixed in sin and misery that their condition cannot be altered so glorified Saints are bonâ— confirmati so fixed in holiness and glory that they cannot be 〈◊〉 4 Here we groan under varioâ—â— trâ—ubles and afflictions but then the days of our mourning are ended God shall wipe away all tears from our eyes O then let us hast away that we may be at rest 7. Arg. If still thou linger like Lot in Sodom then lastly examine all the pleas and pretences for a longer time on earth Why art thou unwilling to dye 1. Object O I have many relations in the World I know not what will become of them when I am gone Sol. 1. If
thou art troubled about their bodies and outward condition why should not that word satisfy thee Ier. 49. 11. Leave thy fatherless children to me I will keep them alive and let thy Widows trust in me Luther in his last Will and Testament hath this expression Lord thou hast given me wife and children I have nothing to leave them but I commit them unto thee O Father of the fatherless and judge of widows nutri serva doce nourish keep and teach them or art thou troubled for their Souls thou canst not convert them if thou shouldst live and God can make thy prayers and counsels to live and take place upon them when thou art dead 2. Obj. I would fain live to doe God more service in the world Sol. Well but if he have no more service for thee to doe here why shouldst thou not say with David if he have no delight to use me any farther here am I let him doe what seemeth him good in this world thou hast no more to doe but he is calling thee to an higher service and imployment in Heaven and what thou wouldest doe for him here he can doe that by other hands 3. Obj. I am not yet fully ready I am not as a bride compleatly adorned for the bridegroom Sol. 1. Thy justification is compleat already though thy sanctification be not so and the way to make it so is to dye for till then it will have its defects and wants 4. Obj. O but I want assurance if I had that I could dye presently Sol. 1. Yea there it sticks indeed but then consider that an hearty willingness to leave all the world to be freed from sin and be with God is the next way to that desired assurance no carnal person was ever willing to dye upon this ground And thus I have finished those cases which so nearly concern the people of God in the several conditions of their life and taught them how to keep their hearts in all I shall next apply the whole I. Vse of Information YOU have heard that the keeping of the heart is the great work of a Christian in which the very Soul and life of Religion consists and without which all other duties are of no value with God hence then I shall infer to the consternation of hypocrites and formal Professors 1. That the pains and labours which many persons have taken in religion is but lost labour and pains to no purpose such as will never turn to account Many great services have been performed many glorious works are wrought by men which yet are utterly rejected by God and shall never stand upon record in order to an eternal acceptation because they took no heed to keep their hearts with God in those duties this is that fatal rock upon which thousands of vain professors split themselves eternally they are curious about the externals of religion but regardless of their hearts O how many hours have some Professors spent in hearing praying reading conferring and yet as to the main end of religion as good they had sate still and done nothing for all this signifies nothing the great work I mean heart work being all the while neglected tell me thou vain professor when didst thou shed a teare for the deadness hardness unbelief or earthliness of thy heart thinkst thou such an easie religion can save thee if so we may invert Christs words and say wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to life and many there be that goe in thereat hear me thou self deluding hypocrit thou that hast put of God with hartless duties thou that hast acted in religion as if thou hadst been blessing an Idol that could not search and discover thy heart thou that hast offered to God but the skin of the sacrifice not the marrow fat and inwards of it how wilt thou abide the coming of the Lord how wilt thou hold up thy head before him when he shall say O thou dissembling false hearted man how couldst thou profess religion with what face couldst thou so often tell me thou lovedst me when thou knewest all the while in thine own conscience that thine heart was not with me O tremble to think what a fearful judgment it is to be given over to a heedless and careless heart and then to have religious duties in stead of a rattle to quiet and still the Conscience 2. Hence I also infer for the humiliation even of upright hearts that unless the people of God spend more time and pains about their hearts then generally and ordinarily they do they are never like to do God much service or be owners of much comfort in this World I may say of that Christian that is remiss and careless in keeping his heart as Iacob said of Reuben Thou shalt not excel It grieves me to see how many Christians there are that go up and down dejected and complaining that live at a poor low rate both of service and comfort and how can they expect it should be otherwise as long as they live at such a careless rate O how little of their time is spent in the closet in searching humbling and quickning their hearts You say your hearts are dead and doe you wonder they are so as long as you keep them not with the fountain of life if your bodies had been diated as your Souls have been they would have been dead too never expect better hearts till you take more pains with them qui â—ugit molam fugit farinam he that will not have the sweat must not expect the sweet of Religion O Christians I fear your zeal and strength hath run in the wrong chaâ—nel I fear most of us may take up the Churches complaint Cant. 1. 6. They have made me the keeper of the Vineyards but mine own Vineyard have I not kept Two things have eaten up the time and strength of the Professors of this Generation and sadly diverted them from heart work 1 Fruitless controversies started by Sathan I doubt not to this very purpose to take us off from practical godliness to make us puzzle our heads when we should be searching our hearts O how little have we minded that of the Apostle Heb. 13. 9. T is a good thing that the heart be established with Grace and not with meats i. e. with disputes and controversies about meats which have not profited them that have been occupied therein O how much better is it to see men live exactly then to hear them dispute subtilly these unfruitful questions how have they rendred the Churches wasted time and spirits and called Christians off from their main business from looking to their own vineyard what think you Sirs had it not been better if the questions ventilated among the people of God of late days had been such as these how shall a man discern the special from the common operations of the Spirit how may a Soul discern its first declineings from God how may a backsliding