to advancement When we look upon a man rowing in a Boat we see him look one way and row another way he looks from home but his boat goes homeward Whatsoever the Lords dealings be cast not away thy confidence O distressed heart though he seem to be a going from thee he is coming to thee Thou thinkest the Lord in anger turns away his face from thee yet the Boat of thy Soul for alâ— this is rowed homeward and Heaâ— venward These afflictions of thy spirit faintings of heart strong groans after sense of his love are infallible Sea-marks in thy way to the Haven of life and comfort only keep thy self in the Boat leap not out with diffidence though great waves leap in trust the Lord with the rowing commit thy ways unto him Psa 37.5 and he will bring it to pass Use 2 Learn to suspect rather than envy that estate which knows no changes It is the sinners saddest lot to be settled on the Lees and never moved nor changed from Bottle to Bottle Jer. 48.11 Let my Soul never sleep the sinners unbroken sleep of security they have no change Psa 73.5 and are not in trouble like other men But the righteous and whom God loves find manifold diversities of Gods proceedings with them because he means to make something of them His reason for his last request Lest I be like them that go down into the pit Not the Pit or Lake of Hell or Purgatory nor the depth and profundity of sins as some would have it but the pit of Golgotha the place of dead mens skulls the Chambers of mortality the Grave Elsewhere he seems so to reason Psa 30.9 Shall the dead praise thee what profit is there in my blood when I go down to the pit Note here how David joyns Gods love and his life together and counts the hiding away his face to be death and that which carries him to the grave Doct. The faithful heart finds no life but in Gods love Gods favourable face is the Christians health and life his maintenance lies all in Gods countenance The basest low condition'd life is royalty with Gods favour and the royallist life is but a painted dunghill or a golden grave if his face be hid from it and shine not there Yea but David thou may'st be a living man eat drink and sleep though his face be hid from thee Thou hast Musick to chear thee art thou not a Prince thâ— hast the Sovereignty of a Kinâ—dom to comfort thee Nobles aâ— High Estates to attend and aâ— company thee thou mayst haâ— all the delights of the Sons of mâ—â— and earthly contentments to eâ—hilerate thee why dost thou thâ— speak of a grave or pit can man die among so many livinâ— comforts Thus indeed migâ— reason reason the case But Dâ—vid spoke advisedly he did nâ— as sometimes he did speak 〈◊〉 his haste he is often saying thâ— same Psal 119.77 ver 88. Let thy tender mercies coâ— unto me that I may live There 's nâ— life without assurance of his meâ—cies Quicken me after thy lovinâ— kindness He counts himself deaâ— without his loving kindness thâ— quickens him and puts new liâ— into him It is a great dignitâ— and comfort to a man to havâ— birds beasts fishes Sea Aiâ— Earth and all things to be madâ— for him and subjected to him Now David looks higher than thâ— Psal 8. 8th Psalm there must be more than all this to make a man to have a true and worthy life Though the body live by the Soul yet there wants Gods favour and face which is the Soul of the Soul and more to it than it is to the body The spiritual life to have to have the vital powers of grace the inspiration of Gods quickning Spirit an inward sight â—iewing of Gods face in Christ and sweet sâ—nse of his loving counâ—enance as John saith of the true â—ight so this is the true life In anotner place he has the very words His anger endureth but for a moment Psal 30.5 ver 7. Anima hominis Christiani Tulipae instar est quae se ad Spiritus Sancti radios explicat iisdem absentibus contristatur Causin Parab Hist lib. 10. and in his favour is life Again Thou didst turn away â—hy face and I was troubled There is death in â—he hiding of his countenance In the first Psalm the righteous man is compared to a tree and here methinks the righteous man is compared to a flower the Tuliâ— or Marygold if the Sun open hâ— bright lightsome face upon them these open their leaves but if 〈◊〉 set and shut up his shining shopiâ— Heaven these lour and clasp tâ—gether their leaves on earth Such is Gods favour and facâ— of love Davids Soul and evâ—ry Christians holy Soul rises aâ— sets with it Absalom couâ— tell us though he had lands aâ—â— maintenance from his father yâ— he lived bion ' abion Principis sideris absentiam gemere diceres a lifeless lisâ— so long as he might not come in his fathers presence and behoâ— his face The face of God recoâ—ciled has more ravishing sweâ—â—ness in it for every adopted Chilâ— who has tasted how gracious tâ—â— Lord is and how can they bâ— droop when that is hid froâ— them under seâ— and feeling of displeasure Psal 90.9 Redde oculos mea vita tuos ni cenere pergam Frigidus exanimi pectore dispeream Jan. Lernut in Poem Ocelli Cain Saul Judas Spira Wâ— thou art angry our days are goâ— The Idoliziâ—â— Lover will tâ— you his life lies in his Mrs eyes an amorous and pleasant look quickens him a frown or neglecting countenance casts him into deep vexations of heart This is but the Creature shall there not be thought there is more power of life and death in the Creator appearing graciously favourable or displeased Real proofs of this have been the horrible vexations even to dispair of wretched men when the ireful face of God has been set against them for their sins and presented to their Souls As also those bitter cries and prayers of the Godly in deep afflictions when no glasses could shew unto them the face of Gods favour this made them averse and pull back their hand from all offered comforts Natura speciem ita formavit oris ut in ea penitus reconditos mores effingeret Is qui appellatur vultus qui in nullo amimante esse praeter hominem potest indicat mores Cicero de Legib. lib. 1. Psal 51. because they wanted the sense and sight of this only comfort And this is a common phrase of Gods favour and love the shewing of his face because the heart acts all the parts of its several affections upon the Stage of the face it is the outward Map of the inward passions of the mind If there be fear within it may be seen in the trouble of the countenance and paleness clothing the face without If anger rise then cloudy frowns and angry demonstrations
when they shall be fuller of â—lory and rest than ever they â—ere of troubles and miseries We are here set in a warfare Act. 3.19 asâ—aulted with fightings without and errors within 2 Cor. 7.5 Exoothen machai esoothen phoboi we are compast â—ith an unruly body of flesh we â—re laden with corporal maladies â—ains infirmities pestered with â—piritual faintings qualms and â—eak fits that if we had not betâ—er comfort brought us for the fuâ—ure to free us from these cumâ—ersom anxities a servant of God â—ere of all men most miserable but â—weet Death looses our Chains â—nd sets us free Upon this ground â—id the Holy Father build that â—ghing prayer of â—is to God Domine solve hanc tunicam ita mihi gravem ponderosam da mihi leviorem Nazianz. O Lord saith he â—elp me off loose â—nd unbuckle this â—eavy Coat meaning the flesh full of infirmitie which lies with such a pondeâ—â— pressing weight upon my shouldâ— and give me a lighter and easier gâ—ment meaning the garment eternal life so pleasant so easâ— and free from all troubles whiâ— death brings us and clothes withal If there were 〈◊〉 such Sugar at the bottom the Christians Cup and the bâ— Wine kept to the end of the Feaâ— he had the worst fate of all meâ— but he may with a patience digâ— these earthly troubles because tâ— Lambs Supper shall make amenâ— for the worlds sharp Dinner Psal 27.15 I hâ— utterly fainted saith David 〈◊〉 that I believed verily to see the goâ— ness of the Lord in the Land of thâ—â—ving That is meant of this liâ— much more may thoughts of etâ—nal life keep us from fainting Tâ— hope of death is the hope of 〈◊〉 life it is necessary we die that 〈◊〉 sorrows may die Use 2 Must the very Righteous dâ— let it lead us to consider of aâ— conclude that universal deluge Gen. 2.17 â—riginal corruption wherein all â—ankind lies drowned It is too â—rue that being made of dust sin ends us to returâ— to dust again Who will defend nature to be imâ—aculate and unwounded â—eaths Weapons could not enter â—lesh had not our original impuâ—ity weakned us and strengâ—hâ—ned â—im Man first brought sin into â—he world sin brought death Rom. 5.12 Let one be so bold as to defend naâ—ure to be untainted unless he â—an bring this Argument to â—rove it Here is one free from â—eath Ergo free from that sin We are born Heirs and Coheirs annexed with Adam of sin â—nd death Pray we and strive we against Original lust yea repent we of this sin as that which put death in office and reached the dart into his hand Use 2 This might stir us up that seeing all men even the Righteous must die that we should labour to die Righteous The Righteous mans eye is all on God in his life and Gods eye as at other times so especially is set on him at his death to fetch him to a blessed Mansion We must die but oh that that last Act were made the Axle-tree Deut. 32.29 on which all the actions of our life might turn about by continually thinking on our later end A paper newly written is kept from blotting if dust or sand be cast upon it The remembrance that we are but dust and ashes often and daily cast upon our hearts and meditations would keep us in an holy watchful course that our lives should not be stained with so many blots of impiety and neglect of Gods worship Death indeed shall come to all but our lives are that which makes death bitter or sweeâ— unto us For he shall come to the wicked and rigtheous in a different manner 1. To the wicked and unrighteous he shall come as a man of War to a man where sin lives as long as he lives where Sataâ— sways the Scepter of his Monarchy in his Soul living impenitently in fleshly lusts deaths message is astonishing to such a one Such a sinful wretch looking approaching death in the face his Conscience cries a loud 1 Kin. 21.20 1 King 14.6 Hast thou found me O mine enemy as Ahab to Elias To whom death answers with no better answer than Ahijahs to Jeroboams wife I am sent to thee with heavy tidings a hard message I have brought thee thy wages of sin which is death And then doth the desperate sinner tremble and quake Rom. 6.23 remembring how bad a life has made way for death and death to torment then too late his sins affright him and he cries out but one day longer to repent as did that man in his death O spare me Chrysaorius in morte clamabat Inducias usque mane Gregor Hom. 12. in Evang. and give me but respite and truce till the morning that I die not in my sins and for my sins O where are those many hours neglected in vanity 2. But to the Godly and Righteous Soul his appearance and face is glorious and amiable he speaks a comfortable language to him I cannot hurt thee thy Saviour has taken thy weapons from me 1 Cor. 15.55 his death was my death was my death for his Children I come but to be thy Bridge that thou mayest pass over me into eternal life So great a difference is there 'twixt the Godly and the wicked Christian get thy debts paid in Christ and thy Bond cancelled in his blood get into the croud and touch but the hem of his Garment by faith to draw vertue holiness and his righteous-making merits then shall there be no terrour in deaths Vizard that will sweeten the bitterness of the Grave unto thee and finding that thou art righteous and accepted in Christ thou mayest challenge him O death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victory O! by repentance keep thy Soul from dying and the death of the body wilâ— be a blessed prelude to immortality And so much for a general viewâ— of the necessity of death to the very righteous Doct. The Souls of the Saints at their death are gathered to the Lord and by the Lord into blessedness This Conclusion has inclusively in it two parts 1. That in this life there is a mixture of good and bad 2. That in death God gathers the Souls of the righteous into aâ— happy unmixt society by themselves Eccl. 3.20 Do not all go to one place saith Solomon yes for bodies in death the Grave is the common receptacle of good and bad a Murderer and a Martyr may be laid in one Grave together but for Souls they change Countries The Sanctum Sanctorum is for those Souls which have been Kings and Priests to God the Righteous are gathered into Heaven but the wickeâ— they shall be gathered into another place they shall be turned into Hell into the Company of all them that forget God Psa 9.17 This Phrase of being gathered together in death may be an allusion to the custom of the Jews who in death are said to be gathered to their
the face of Religion and cry there there Psal 35.25 Job 4.6 so would we have it Is not this the fruits of your fear confidence uprightness of your ways and your hope This is the fruits of Religion and profession it spoils all our mirth see how it makes them melancholly and pensive they are all alike unsociable and uncomfortable who will enter that path which leads to such sadness Beseech God to let thy case be no impediment to his Glory by hindring and deferring those that are without from coming in lest they dislike Religion for thy sake God has sometimes said he would do good to his Children Deut. 32.26 27. that their enemies might not have cause to lift up their Horns Call on him to do it for his own Childrens sake that are within the Church Psal 69.6 Let not them that wait on thee be ashamed for my sake O God of Hosts let not them that seek thee be confounded for my sake O God of Israel As if he said There are many weak in the the faith O Lord who trust in thâ—e and if thou fail me they will be scandalized their weakness will make them stagger and start back when they see thy Promises fail towards me how shall they trust in those Promises for themselves which they see have failed others Nay Lord rather deliver me that the weak thereby may be the more strengthened thou shalt get glory by bringing many both to praise thee and trust in thee more confidently for my sake or for thy promises gracious performance towards me Psal 66.16 They that fear thee will be glad when they see me because I have hoped in thy Word yea the righteous shall then resort unto my company I will call them and tell them what great things thou hast done for my Soul Further in thus delivering me much praise and glory shall come to thy name thanksgiving shall be sent to thee by many in my behalf who will shout for joy and say Psal 35.27 Praised be the Lord who hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant Use 3 If the comforts of the Soul be bought so dear as they will cost us the very fainting and almost failing of our Spirits let him be lesson'd who hath his Soul repleaâ— with peace and quietness in his God â—eatus es si cor tuum triplii timore repleveris ut tiâ—eas quidem pro accepta ratia amplius pro amissa nge plus pro recuperata â—rnard supra Cantic Serm. 4. to lock the Promises within his heart to cherish and keep burning that good fire lest witâ— many strong blasts of prayers he cannot get it kindled afresh when once it is somewhat quenched and dying out For this purpose it behoves those who are yet in the Sun-shine of peace and lightsomness of heart to rejoyce in God and his mercies to labour as much to keep it as ever they laboured to get it 1. To beware of sin that they fall not into any wickedness for that will devastate the Conscience and spoil its peace 2. They should cherish and make much of Gods Spirit and the joyous motions it stirs up in them Guests stay with us according to their welcome bad enteâ—tainment and neglect of them gives us their backs instead of their faces Ephes 4. Grieve not the Spirit of God 3. Keep we our hearts exercised in good things prayer hearing reading meditation those put forth our Talents we have to come in with more increase Take we heed if such good means be not used we may come to see our Candle burn dim and with perplexed hearts and sorrowing spirâ—ts as Joseph and Mary we may come to seek our Comforter and be long without him till our spirits be ready to fail in seeking because our care and diligence failed in keeping Use 4 Lastly though all the Saints of God have cryed ther spirits fail yet this may make for their exceeding comfort none of their spirits did ever yet so utterly fail but they have had their resurrection to some lively hopes who seemed hopeless We have our spiritual dejections and spirituaâ— resurrections Where is â—haâ— man and who is that Saint anâ— Servant of God that perished in waiting upon God and expecting his help Our comfort may be long in coming but at length it shall come and not deceive us either the tongue shall cry it after long waiting Mr. Gloâ—â—r Mattyr in Foâ—es Acts and â—onum He is come he iâ— come or the heart shall feel it or finde it it may be without but certainly beyond expressions It may be that the noon afternoon evening night may all hold him in the bonds of vexation but undoubtedly joy comes in the morning If it cannot be found in the beginning no nor in a long time in the proceedings yet Mark the perfect man Ps 37.37 and behold the upright for the end of that man shall be peace There are who have been brought from those desperate conclusions made in the strength of temptations Geoffry of Peronne in vita St. Bern. lib. 4. c. 3. I shall never be mermerry again so long as I live to tell the same party being strongly fill'd with new quickning hopes If I told thee before I should never in my life be joyful 2 Tim. 2. now I assure thee I shall never any more be sorrowful Though we should be so low as we were hopeless yet God must continue faithful he cannot deny himself 1 Cor. 10.13 he will not suffer us to be tempted above that we are able but will with the temptation make a way to escape that we may be able to bear it Doctr. The next request is that God would not hide his face and the reason because in the light of his countenance is life in the hiding of it is very death From Davids request that God would not hide his face see this Position That God hath his times of hiding and shewing his face to his Children and all for their good both by declared favour and seeming displeasure God leads on his Children unto blessedness All the months of the year are not alike some make the earth horrid with frosts and mists and large expences out of the Lords Treasury of Hail and Sow as in Job Job 38.22 the Lord calls â—t others make the fiel◠〈…〉 with abundance of flower 〈◊〉 fruits the Sun with his reviâ—ing heat putting life into bird bud and beast Shall we thanâ— God for May and not for March The dispensing of fair and foul seasons are both acts of Divine Providence for the good of man and beast Epiphan He that is God of the Summer is as good a God of thâ— Winter in spite of the blaspheming Manichees procuring our good in the one as well as in the other Thus is it with Man the abridgement of Gods Creation and with the holy man the object of his more special love The Sun shines not always alike on
give warnings of it If love and favour sweeten the disposition of the Soul then a pleased look a chearful eye a gladsome contented countenance will declare the good pleasure and acceptation of the mind According to those variations of Gods face do the Saints vary their prayers one while praying the Lord to shew them his face and the light of his countenance to shine upon them that is to shew them his divine favour and fatherly good pleasure otherwhiles praying him to turn away his face that is his angry countenance and face of displeasure Reas Reason why the life of the faithful lies in Gods loving face is because it is the very life and happiness of the Saints in Heaven For those even in Heaven in the presence of all good things and want of all evils had but a miserable happiness if either God were not present with them or being present if they did not always behold his blessed face of â—ove and favour If this be the â—ife of Heaven much more must â—he comfort of it quicken the â—aints upon earth Use Here will be a fair trial of the â—incerity of a good Christian â—eart hereby may be known 2 Corintâ— 8.8 To â—nesion tes ' agapes the sincereness and genuineness of our love wheâ—her our service and obedience be grounded upon a right love to God or no. How are we affected to the Lord do we lay up all our treasure in his love and loving countenance can we content and â—uiet our hearts with this that God is well pleased with us in the midst of our calamities Canst thou say in the midst of ease riches friends honour and the fullest streams of wordly contentment Alas foolish vanities one glance of Gods face the perswasion of Gods favour do I delight in more than all you yea I had rather be the basest footstool of the world with Gods love than a glorious Monarch with a graceless Soul Wicked men always love Gods hand better than his face the gifts better than the giver Give them the worlds marrow and fatness let their Corn and Wine and Oyl increase let them walk in Sunshine of earthly prosperity and they never finde a want of inward assurance of Gods love in the Soul they want eyes to see the want of spiritual life and want Grace to long after Gods countenance to shine upon their Souls in sanctification and true peace The worlds voice is who will shew us any good that is gifts of Gods hand but the Godlies voice is Psal 4. Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us If thou canst make it all thy care to keep the assurance of Gods love and all thy joy to rejoyce in his face when thou hast it and make it all thy grief that nothing can comfort thee when thou wantest it all thy labor for to regain it doubtless thy love to God is sincere and true you are reconciled ones for one friend cannot brook the absence of another Use 2 What esteem will this teach us to give to the life of a wicked man doth he live who wants the Spirit of life the face of Gods favour which is better than life No his life is a spiritual death he may live in the eyes of men but he is a dead stinking Carrion in the eyes of God Dead nay that is not enough he is thrice dead and pluckt up by the roots Jude ver 12. For first he is dead in sin next he is more miserably dead because Gods face is turned away from him he loves him not delights not in him and which is worse than death this wretched Soul perceives it not and is not grieved for it O man pray for an Heavenly light that thy eyes may be opened to see thy misery Thou art merry and jolly for all things fall out to thy wish Thou growest from weak to strong from young to old this is but the life of trees and plants Thou walkest eatest drinkest sleepest well this is but the sensual life of birds and beasts Thou buildest talkest reasonest this is but the life of men even Heathens and strangers to Christ thus thy life passes but alas among all these thou wantest the life of Grace the loving countenance of God in Christ the assurance of salvation by faith in him Thou yet wantest the seeds and principles of a true Christian life and therefore art a poor dead wretch before God and canst not but perish if thou seekest not for better comforts and a better life than these even that Christ may be thy life and visit thy dead Soul with his quickning Spirit Colos 3.4 and set his face of favour upon thee for his own chosen One. This is the misery of a senseless sensual Soul Ahab like to grieve for no wants but only of earthly things If the Children of the most High so hardly come to Heaven with faintings of spirit and approachings to the very grave and pit in seeking Gods face what shall become of them then that count Gods face not worth looking after sure against such the Lord hath set his face of wrath and displeasure for ever Use 3 This will discover the common spring whence these troubled waters arise which so often almost drown the godly Their anguish flows from a mistaking and misinterpretation of this face of favour Facìes hominis est speculum cordis Bernard ad sorot de modo bene viv cap. 65. Whensoever they fall into any temptations they pass an hard sentence against themselves that God has turned awy his face from them and is angry with them because their anguish continues and he doth not presently deliver them When Gods face is towards thee why dost thou deny it the Sun shines though there be a Cloud 'twixt it and me and even now Gods face shines upon thee though Satan hath placed some foggy vapours and clouds of distrust and temptations 'twixt thy Souls eye and it It is no difficulty to prove that we complain of Gods hiding his face when it is not hid from us The best parts of a mans face for comfort is the eye and the ear the one to see and look kindly on us the other to hear us willingly Dost thou though sore afflicted trust in God and wait on him are thy eyes to him then I am sure his eyes are upon thee his eye of pity of love of tender compassion he will not withdraw his eyes from the righteous and his ears are open unto their prayer What wouldst thou have more than an open ear and piteous eye what dost thou in this thy trouble thou callest on God by prayer thou mortifiest every known sin thou labourest to finde God in every promise who guides thee to do this not the tempter for this is the way to break in pieces all his Temptations not thy self for thou knowest not aright what course to take it is because Gods eye is upon thee for his eye guides thee to
blessed ones Do we envy their happiness would we have them break off their blessed company for ours and have their Souls re-inspired into these Clay-Tabernacles and then to live again below in these smoaky Houses of sin and vanity No let us set a period to our plaints and say Blessed be God who hath delivered these our Friends from all mundane miseries and gathered them so near unto himself 2 Sam. 12 23. We shall go to them but they shall not come to us as David said of his dead Child 2. To the person dying Death indeed seems terrible but shall we fear it as that which destroys all our joy What is there else that we need fear if we fear God Doth thy Conscience witness within thee that all thy indeavours have bin to honour the Lord in thy life never start then for fear of death all the harm he will do thee is a gathering of thy Soul unto the Lord and to the society of the blessed Socrateâ— could fly to this to sweeten his poysoning Cup of death to which he was condemned saying Count ye it not an high matter to have conference in another life with Orpheus Musaeus Homer Hesiod Xenophon O how shall I swimm in abundant pleasures when I shall meet with Palamedes and Ajax and other fasly condemned Truly saith he I would willingly often go out of this life if it might be to find these men my Companions Lo Christian blush before the Heathen who could warm himself with these poor Chipps and this cold comfort How far sweeter will be the Heavenly inhabitants when thou shalt see Adam Abel Abraham that glorious Friend of God and Father of the faithful Moses and Elias those pickt out by Christ to conferr with at his Transfigurations There shalt thou see David and Samuel Paul who hath filled the world with sweetness by his honied leaves Paulus John the darling of Christ yea that Jewel of women Mary the blessed Mother of Christ and Christ himself the Lord of Glory with all the faithful Saints that ever the world had yea all our dead Friends departed in the faith of Christ Would he go often to see such blind Heathens whose Heaven it is to be suspected is Hell and shall we be afraid once to be transported into such a glorious Clew of Heavens Citizens Go out therefore undaunted O my Soul fear not death thou goest to God thou art gathered to Christ to Angels to Saints glorified to the society of the Spirits of just men made perfect Shall the Souls of righteous c. Use 4 Learn we farther from it these things 1. It will teach us what becomes of the wicked in their deaths they also are gathered together among themselves as the Godly among themselves to make a bundle of life so are these Tares bound up in the bundle of death to feed eternal fire Hear O drossy Hearts you sons of Abaddon have a great mercy that you live mixt with Saints whose examples might be made unto you at occasion of blessedness but from their lives you will not learn holiness you shall not be always together hereafter you shall be seperated and go Goats with Goats The righteous when they die go to Heaven Gen. 30.25 and the blessed Canaan that is their own place as the earthly Canaan was called Jacob and so wicked men when they die they go the Kingdom of perdition that is their own place as Judas when he perished They have a place of their own Act. 1.25 where no righteous man shall come among them they have wrought for it and they shall have it the place of darkness and horrour Which made the Prophet cry out O Lord Ps 26.9 gather not my Soul with sinners nor my life with bloody men O what mirth and joy is here upon earth Drunkards made songs of me Psal 69.12 when a knott of lewd and licentious livers that hate Christ and laugh at his Word do meet together and he is the happiest counted of this unhappy Crue that can coyn some scurrilous and base jest upon a Christian that walks after Pauls rule circumspectly strictly Eph. 5.15 or as they call it precisely yet these blind wretches in their death shall wish to be the Dogs that might but lick the Crumbs which fall from the Table of these Children of the most High whom they have despised and reviled O sinner learn betimes the way of the righteous Without holiness no man shall see the Lord. If thou diest unreconciled to God thou shalt not have part with the righteous thou shalt be gathered among thy miserable Companions as the faithful are gathered into Abrahams bosome so shalt thou be gathered into Judases bosome the Patriarch of them that perish with Cain Perditorum Patriarcha Saul Demas Herod Julian c. And all that wicked crue which hated Christ 2. Seeing the Righteous shall be gathered together hereafter let it exhort us to love their companions in Heaven seek out the Godly man affect his society talk with him walk with him for he walks with God As he that rubbs his hands on Musk or Civit shall savour of it so by thy society with the righteous Cant. 5.5 thou shalt get a savour of good things his conference will quicken up thy Graces his zeal provoke thee his hands drop myrrhe upon thee 3. Hate all wicked associates partners in sins shall be partners in sins scourge As thou desirest not to be gathered with the wicked men and their black Angels hereafter so hate thou to be gathered into their counsel and company here When the Righteous go from among us some Judgment is to be feared is coming towards us It is to be suspected that some great evil is ready to fall on that people out of whom God selects them When mercy gathers the godly some judgement is like to come and scatter the ungodly God in this may be compared to a careful Husband whose House beginning to burn here he snatches his Plate there he gathers up his Jewels conveys away his Trunks of Linnen and Goods oâ— most worth as for baggageâ— wood-vessels and other cheap anâ— baser Furniture he lets that burâ— because he has saved that he loveâ— the best Thus doth God wheâ— a sinful nation is kindling hiâ— wrath against it in some judgmenâ— the Lord before it begin or in thâ— beginning takes and snatcheâ— away here an holy man and therâ— an holy woman he gathers uâ— these his Jewels and choiceâ— Plate to lay them out of thâ— reach of the fire that only thâ— wicked may perish in those flameâ— their own sins have kindled Seâ— it in Lot so long as he is in Sodoâ— their Table is not spread for Godâ— hot banket of fire and Brimstoneâ— but assoon as the Lord has goâ— him out Gen. 19.22 Non posse se dixit quod sine dubio porerat per potentiam non poterat per justitiam Aug. cont Gaud. l. r. cap. 30.