in the desert that they had lost the Quails and Flesh pots of Egypt But we in Heaven at the first taste of the meats which there shall be served us shall loose then all appetite to the Pleasures of this World We have hear eaten of the fruits of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil against the Command of the Physitian Whereupon followed the Sickness and Death of all But in the Kingdom of God and of Paradise we shall eat of the Fruit of the Tree of Life which shall always keep us young and fresh and which is more will make us incorruptible and immortal This is that which we shall taste what then shall we smell A Hall of Perfumes the Garments of the Bride and the Bridegroom perfumed with all odoriferous and fragrant things It shall be then that he Church shall Triumph and that the Vine being blossom'd shall give such a pleasant odour that the whole Heavens shall be filled with it There shall be no stink for there shall be no Corruption we shall there plainly smell the sweetness of the Sacrifice which Jesus Christ made for us on Earth so great and pleasant that the Father for the Pleasure which he took in it was reconciled with the world and his anger towards us hath been appeased What a pleasant Sacrifice and precious Incense is also the praises of the Saints who with one accord do glorifie God and sanctifie his holy Name More over what an odour gives that fair flower sprung from the root and sap of Jess now that it is in its force and strength To conclude we cannot miss then to smell good odours for our Winter shall then be past and we shall be in a perpetual spring time where in all things shall grow and flourish for the Delectation and Pleasures 〈◊〉 the Church For to satisfie our dâ—sire and content all our affection we shall touch no more neither shat we be touched of any thing that mâ— hurt us We shall be gathered up by Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour who will come at the entrance to receive us saying Come hither faithful Servant thou hast served me faithfully in the World while thou hast been in the World enter now into the Joy and rest of the Lord. He will kiss and embrace us and will keep us near to his Person without suffering us to depart or go far from it Now if the greatest good and that unto the which all others are referred be this felicity which doth consist in a possession and enjoying of all good to the contentment of our Will and of all our senses with what a desire should we wait for Death by the which we attain it Moreover Death doth deliver us out of all dangers In this World night and day within and without we are always in fear of peril Our Life is a cruel and bloody War we have a great many Enemies that invade us continually and do assay by all means to destroy us The Devils Watch for us and cease not compassing about like devouring Lyons and as ravening Wolves to see whether they cannot surprize us and carry us away the World sometimes by enticings and allurements some time by threats and violence endeavours to try and turn us out of the right way Our Flesh on the other side doth flatter us and the better to undermine us with great cunning doth propound and lay before us things wherein we have most delight It weepeth also sometimes to stir us up to pity it all to the intent towin us and cause us in all points to yield unto it and that it may master us Now if we consider our infirmity our stupidity and negligence the little wariness and watchfulness that is in us we may judge in what danger we live It is impossible that we should live in this World among so many that are infected and that with so great a Contagion without falling often into Sickness Is it possible that we should so often grapple with such strong and mighty Enemies without being sometimes staggered and over-thrown Is it possible that we should go in such durty and muddy ways without being defiled We see it in good Saints of old time who could not govern themselves so well but the serpent who always dogs us at the heels hath reached them with his venom but that they have fallen in divers faults some in incredulity others in idolatry others in adultery others in excess and drunkenness others in murthers there is none of them but hath his fall yea sometimes so great and heavy that they had been altogether bruised if God had not upheld them with his hand Ought not we then follow the example of St. Paul and as he did cry Who shall deliver us from these dangers wherein wherein we live while our Soul is in this miserable and mortal body Let us confess that it is our gain and profit for to die that by death we may be fully delivered from all mortal things Again death put us in full possession of all the promises of God and of those good things which Jesus Christ hath purchased for us and that we hope for him He in dying hath freed us and purchased our liberty and nevertheless we see our selves still in great scrvitude We are Kings Lords Judges hers of God co-heirs with Jesus Christ the Prince of Heaven and Earth yet it seems not so while we live this World for there we are beaten and used like servants like children under age we have as yet no use nor managing of our goods Kings and great Lords tho' we be we are often in such necessity that we have neither Bread to eat nor Water to drink nor Wool to cover us Moreover Jesus Christ hath purchased for us the Grace of God a perfect Justice life Eternal an immortal Incorruption glory and vertue to our Bodies and to our Souls an assured peace and quietness a joy and a contentment but this good hath not yet been delivered unto us for oftentimes we experiment the Wrath and Judgment of God we seel the concupiscences and vicious desires of our flesh In our bodies their is Corruption Mortality and Weakness and in our spirit Troubles Anguish and as it were a studious and intestine war between our good and bad desires which fight the one against the other and because these evils are more grievous so are the abovesaid goods more great and more to be desired If then altho' they be already purchased for us and that they be ours we nevertheless cannot come to the possession of them but by death are not we for this reason much bound unto it Ought not we to love and desire it The children of Israel being arrived at the River of Jordan seeing on the other side thereof the fruitful Land which god had promised them and that being passed they should begin to enjoy it and to rest had they not great cause to rejoyce and to pass the River with great alacrity And why
have not acknowledged God and who have not obeyed the Gospel of the Lord Mat. 24. Rev. 1. and shall punish them in Body and Soul with eternal perdition in the Face of the Lord 2 Thes 1. and in the Glory of his strength Rom. 2.2 The bodies of those which are dead before shall come out of the Earth Job 5. 1 Thes 4. and of those which shall be found living shall be changed and put on immortality and shall be charged with opprobrious infamy before God and his Saints for he shall make clear the things that are hid and shall manifest the counsels of hearts And then their immortal Soul shall be loaden with fear with sorrow with terrors with grief with desolation and with such despair Mat. 24. Luke 21. that it is impossible for us to comprehend it Mar 13. Rev. 1. Then being in such confusion of Body and Soul the image of Satan their heard shall appear upon them that is to say infidelity iniquity wickedness abomination filthiness hatred cruelty tyranny perjury lying envy and all that is of impiety and unjustice which is the black Roab of the reprobate and even so as the Elect have Christ for their head 1 Cor. 11.12 of whom they are the body unto whom they shall be made alike Eph. 1.5 so likewise the reprobates have Belzebub for theirs Mat. 25. unto whom they shall be made conformable For although that all the Devils are all Apostate Angels nevertheless the Scripture in sundry places attributes the principality to one alone to the end to gather all the wicked unto him as members in one Body for to be put to perpetual ruin Then the wrath and indignation of God shall shew it self clearly upon all the infidelity and unjustice of the unbelievers and execrable 2 Cor. 4. Ephes 2. which shall not be found written in the book of Life Mat. 9.10.12.25 for which they shall receive sentence of Condemnation Mark 3. and being separated from Christ Luk. 11.21 shall be driven from before the presence of the Lord as the dust before the wind Rom. 1.2 Rom. 2. and cast like dogs forth of the City of the Children of God Rev. 21. 17. Rom. 9. and sent with their Captain Satan and his Angles who did accuse the elect before God night and day Psal 1. Isa 17. Rev. 21. 22. in perpetual malediction for to drink of the wine of the wrath of God Rev. 12. Mat. 25. filled into the cup of his wrath and shall be tormented with fire and brimstone before the holy Angels and before the Lamb and the smoke of their torments shall mount for ever Rev. 14. 15. 16. and they shall have no rest neither day nor night Now this place of torment for the wicked is so horrible 2 Thes 1. that it is incomprehensible unto us and even as God is eternal also this ruin shall be eternal The Scripture for to declare it unto us useth many comparisons David saith Psal 55. That the wicked shall be cast into the Pit of ruin and of the bottomless Pit Rev. 9. Isa saith Isa 30. That the torture is already prepared for the wicked which God hath made deep and large the Building of it is fire and much wood and the breath of the Lord like unto a stream of Brimstone doth kindle it Isa 66. then he saith that the worm of the wicked shall not die and therefore shall not be quenched and they shall be hateful to all flesh Daniel sayeth also Dan. 12. That they shall be in perpetual shame and contempt Malachy declares Mal. 4. That the day of the Lord shall come burning like an Oven and all the proud and those that do wickedly shall be like stubble and the day of the Lord shall burn them and shall leave them neither root nor branch St. John Bapist saith Mat. 3. that the chaff shall be put into the fire which shall never be quenched Mat. 3. The Lord saith that they shall be cast into the Furnance of Fire Mat. 25. which is the everlasting Fire Saint Luke sheweth Luc. 16. that the evil rich man whose Soul is in Hell is in such great heat that he greatly desires to have a drop of Water which he shall never be able to get how much more shall he be tormented when he hath put on his body The Apostle saith Heb. s10 that they shall feel a ferventness of fire which shall devour them St. John declareth Rev. 19 20 21. That they shall be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone which is the second death For although they shall live yet by reason of these incredible torments they ought rather to be called dead then alive Now although that by all these similitudes it is demonstrated unto us that the damned shall be grievously and everlastingly tormented yet nevertheless man cannot think nor comprehend how great the everlasting sufferings shall be no more then he can comprehend the joy of the Children of God Mat. 9. 1 Cor. 2. Wherefore with good cause the Author to the Hebrews saith Heb. 10. that it is a terrible and fearful thing to fall into the bands of the living God For although that we should see one continually knawed with worms and burnt with fire that torment should notwithstanding be as nothing in regard of that which is prepared for the wicked For besides that their bodies shall be horribly afflicted their souls shall be in incredible distresses and sorrows This ought well to stur us up to watch and pray and to refrain from doing evil and to move us to serve God Rev. 3. Mat. 24. 1 Thes 1. Psal 25. 51. and to desire him with the Prophets and Apostles Jer. 31. to change review and increase our faith that so being made new creatures we may escape this place of torment and be numbred amongst the Sons of God Lamen 5. Cant 1. Luc. 17. Joh. 3. Wis 4. 5. Which the Lord grant for the love of his well beloved Son our Saviour to whom be all honor and glory for ever and ever Amen Prayers and Meditations touching Life and Death Meditation the First THe life of Christians ought to be occupied in considering the things that follow and to put them in practise to wit to have always in remembrance the benefits which they have received at the hands of God to give him thanks for them without ceasing both with heart and mouth to love him who is goodness it self to fear and worship him seeing he is the Almighty and only Wise to be stirred up by the love which they bear to God also to love their Neighbours The love of God draws us from the love of corruptible things lifts us up to Heaven and inflames our hearts to a holiness of life The love of our Neighbour turns us from all troublesomness in will or in deed and doth stir us up to integrity and well doing Another LEt us often think what we are The principal part of us is the Soul the which
and infectious sin And for the first we see that the Lord said to Moses Exod. 33. who was desirous to see him Man shall not see me upon the Earth and live As for the other it was cause that the wicked Angels were cast down from Heaven and man out of Paradice Gen. 3. for there is nothing common between God and a sinful man Wherefore the faithful shall have a spiritual body discharged and purified from all sin There shall also be no defect in their bodies nor imperfection and all deformity and vice which cometh of sin shall be done away for the Lord will transform their vile and contemptible bodies and make them conformable and like unto his glorious body Phil. 3. 1 John 3. Moreover they shall no more suffer any torments pains sickness nor any other adverse thing because there shall 〈…〉 rning nor weeping nor â—â—â—â—uring for the Lord will wipe away all tears from their Eyes And there shall happen no more corruption to them by death Rev. 25. whereof there shall be no more remembrance Isa 25. but being made immortal they shall be made incorruptible Rev. 7.21 and delivered from all suffering for to be in a happy state for ever Their Soul which before was a living Soul Gen. 2. shall be changed into a quickning spirit 1 Cor. 15. then it shall be delivered from all sorrows griefs annoy perturbations and fear which came thro' sin Psal 61. and shall be set in rest joy consolation happiness and perpetual assurance without being any more perplexed nor defiled with troublesom affections Then being put in so excellent estate both of Body and Soul the Image of God shall truly shine upon them having this power to serve God being perfectly wise holy pure irreprehensible innocent without spot 1 Cor. 1. good just true immortal and incorruptible being resplendant in glory and honour before the Throne of God Col. 1. The which shall be the white vesture wherewith St. John saith Rev. 14.21 They shall be cloathed which is the pure and shining Vestments Rev. 3.4.6.7 which are the justifications of the Saints that shall hold the Palms in their hands in sign of Victory Rev. 19. after that the books being opened they shall hear the Voice full of meekness Rev. 7. grace and mercy receiving in the presence of the wicked who judged them the out-casts of the Earth Rev. 10. the sentence of eternal blessing being found written in the book of life which is the book of the Lamb Sap. 4.5 being clothed with the innocency of Jesus Christ 1 Cor. 4. and having the name of their Father written in their forehead Rev. 13.21 they shall be with Christ the Spouse 2 Cor. 5. crowned with the incorruptible crown of life Gal. 3. and eternal glory Apoc. 14. being pronounced the sons and heirs of God and co-heirs with Jesus Christ Rev. 2. and Judges with him of the Apostate Angels 2 Tim. 4. and of the reprobate 1. Pet. 5. for all power and judgment is so given to the Son Rom. 8. Gal. 4. that he will participate in this honour as his assistants Wisd 3. they shall be put in possession of the Kingdom of Heaven Mat. 19. having praise of God Luc. 22. which is the incorruptible heritage 1 Cor. 6. which cannot contaminate nor wither and which is preserved in Heaven for them John 5. they shall shine therein as the Firmament Rev. 2. and as the Sun Mat. 25. and as the Stars for ever 1 Cor. 4. Then they shall have their right in the Tree of Life Pet. 1. and shall enter into the new Coelestial Jerusalem Dan. 12. in the which there shall be no Temple Mat. 13. for the Lord Almighty is the Temple thereof and the Lamb Wisd 3. They shall be in it everlasting Kings and High Priests Rev. 2.21 22. offering sacrifices of Praise and Thanksgiving unto the Lord. Then being in the House of God Rev. 15.7 which is the blessed house which the faithful have in Heaven which is not made with hands 2 Cor. 5. they shall be filled with the magnificence of the Lord and shall bud like the Olive branch and blossom like the Palm and like the Cedar which is in Lebanus Psal 16.17.52 92. being immortal and incorruptible and shall not be importuned by Satan to sin and offend God The face of God which is the Fountain of Light 1 Cor. 13. the River of Pleasure Psal 16. and Ocean of Goodness Rev. 22. they shall see which shall give them such a great and perfect Joy that all the Joys which may be compared to that are but as a sparkle compared to a great Fire Marc. 9. It will make them forget all Terrestrial Heb. 11.12 what pleasure soever they could take in them in the world and they shall not remember any thing that may bring them sorrow or grief They shall be led to the Mountain of Sion and to the City of the living God which hath no need of the Sun nor Moon to shine in it Rev. 21.22 for the light of God hath lightned it and the Lamb is the Candle thereof and of thousands of Angels and of the assembly of the first born which are written in Heaven 2 Cor. 11. and to God which is the Judge of all Col. 1. and to the sanctified Souls of the Just Eph. 1. and to Jesus Christ their Head and their Spouse Mediator of the new Covenant Rev. 19. and of the blood shed speaking better things then that of Abel then with all his company and the other Saints with whom they shall be fellow Citizens being domesticks of God they shall be called to the nuptial banquet of the Lamb and shall enjoy the Kingdom of God their Father Rev. 19. the felicity which Jesus Christ by his death hath conquered for them Heb. 2.5.9.10 in whom they have put their whole trust Gal. 3.4 as he himself promiseth saying Rom. 4.5 Father I will that those which thou hast given me be with me Eph. 1.5 and see my glory which thou hast given me Rom. 5.9.10 and then I dispose the Kingdom unto you as the Father hath disposed it unto me John 12.14.17 to the end that you may eat upon my Table in my Kingdom The Apostle saith Luc. 22. If we dye with him we shall live with him and if we suffer with him we shall reign with him 2 Tim. 2. and shall be glorified with him Rom. 8. Of these promises the Children of God need not doubt for seeing that the Lord when he died gave Paradise to the Thief can be not more easily give it to those to whom he hath promised it Luc. 23. when he shall come into such great Glory and Majesty And now being with him and seeing him as he is they shall have a much greater Joy then had the Disciples seeing him transfigured that shall be so understanding Mat. 17. that they shall know all the Saints that ever have been Marc. 9. Luc. 9. and even those with whom they have conversed in this