of the rich Glutton can prevail to avoid it No time no place no company no houses no lands no relations no youth no strength no power no preferments can priviledge me against the arrest of death God hath decreed it Sin hath deserved it and I must expect it It is so searching that it will discover all the Children of men both to themselves and Angels Though ships are usually distinguished by their Flags yet that is no sure sign for Mariners when in sight and fear of their enemies will ordinarily hang out the colours of other Nations and say they belong to them but when they come to their Haven to unload their vessels it appears to what Country they belong Though men are usually distinguished by their outward behaviours yet many for their own ends put on Christs livery who are of Satans family but when they come to be searched and unladen at the end of their lives t will be known to whom they belong When I come to dye then the great controversie between Christ and Satan concerning my soul will be determined whose it shall be for ever O my soul that thou couldst but conceive what it will be to be sent by death into an unchangeable estate either of bliss or misery If thou diest in thy sins thou art killed with death Shouldst thou now live without conscience thou wilt dye without comfort and remain comfortless for ever Ponder a little with thy self the fearful death of a sinner that thou mayst flie his wicked acts as thou wouldst his woful end In the midst of his jollity and mirth when he is in an eager pursuit of carnal pleasures and posting in the way of worldly delights and running to all excess of riot he is on a sudden by deaths harbinger sickness commanded to stand and proceed no further This cuts him to the very heart His former prosperity like Oyl hath suppled his body and makes him more sensible of his present pain And his immoderate love to those fleshly delights doth abundantly greaten his grief and increase his loss Now the man is thrown whether he will or no upon his sick bed that must be his death bed In this his extremity his Companions and Friends and Wife and Children and Honour and Places and Preferments and Silver and Gold and Houses and Lands and costly attire and dainty fare are all dry things and unsavoury to him no creature can afford him the least comfort If he look into his Chamber his Wife is weeping and wringing her hands his Children are sighing his friends are lamenting and wailing but all this doth increase not mitigate his vexation and misery If he look into his Conscience he finds that taking courage and telling him to his face that though formerly he would not suffer it to speak yet now it must tell him the truth that death and hell and wrath are the wages of his ungodly works It will bring to his mind the time he hath mis-spent the talents that he hath mis-improved the day of grace that he hath despised the great salvation that he hath neglected his secret and private and publick sins the sins of his Childhood of his youth of his riper age those sins which he had forgotten and thought should never have been remembred are all set in order before his eyes His heart which was before harder then the neather Milstone is now pierced though not with an evangelical contrition yet with legal terrors and torments His sickness will allow no rest to his body and his sins will afford no ease to his soul. In the evening he cryeth Would God it were morning in the morning Would God it were evening because of the anguish of his spirit His bones are filled with a painful disease and his body with unquietness The Arrows of the Almighty are within him the poison thereof drinks up his spirit and the terrors of God do set themselves in array against him His review of his past actions his remembring of his slighting Christ for a brutish pleasure or a little fading treasure or a base lust and provoking God and continuance in sin against mercies judgements warnings the light of conscience the motions of the spirit are as so many envenomed Arrows sticking in his side and piercing him through with many sorrows but the thoughts of his necessity of dying and his fore-thoughts of the consequent of death how hell rides upon its back and eternal torments attend it how he must fry in unquenchable flames and take up his everlasting lodging amongst roaring Lyons frightful Dragons and the hellish crew sink him quite down To add some more Gall and Wormwood to his cup of bitterness the Devil now steps in and sheweth him his sins in their black hew in their bloody colour and countenance to make him hopeless and desperate The poor creature in this miserable plight and plunge knoweth not what to do whether to go for releif Dye he would not but must live he would but cannoâ— Now he wisheth that he had prayed and served God and minded his soul and salvation more and gratified his flesh and embraced the pleasures and honours of the World less Now he desireth that he might live a little longer and thinks O how would I redeem time and follow after holiness and walk with God what would I not do and suffer to lay up some comfort some cordial against such an hour But whilst he is thus in the midst of his vain wishes Death tells him by the violence of his distemper that the time of his departure is at hand His eyes now begin to sink his speech to faulter his breath to shorten and his heart to fail him and a cold sweat to seise on his whole body He strives and struggleth with all his might to continue here but Death like a Cruel Serjeant drags him to the bar of God whence he is immediately with frowns and fury dismist and haled to the dreadful and eternal Dungeon of Hell O the howlings the screeching the groans the grief which possesseth this poor soul when he is attached by Devils those merciless Officers and carried by them to the lake that burns with fire and brimstone for ever The Spirit being now gone the Body remains a cold lump of Clay forsaken of its dearest friends loathsom to its nearest relations sit for no company but the wormeaten congregation amongst which it must abide till the last day when it shall be joyned to the soul and partake with it in unconceiveable and endless torments Ah who can read such a souls estate with dry eyes or think of such a condition without sorrow O my soul what are thy thoughts of such a death Wouldst thou for the most prosperous Worldlings life dye such a death Doth not thine heart ake whilst thou art musing on it If thou wouldst not meet with the end of such men avoid their ways Lord I confess my self a great sinner and thou mightest justly leave me to walk
in the counsel of the ungodly and to go in the paths of the destroyer that my feet should tend to death and my steps take hold of hell yet for thy sons sake teach me thy way and lead me in thy righteousness that my soul may never be gathered with sinners nor my life with bloody men that I may die the death of the righteous and my latter end may be like his I wish that I may look upon a dying Bed as a Fit Pulpit in which I may preach my Makers and Redeemers praise The speeches of dying persons are often highly prized as savouring of most sincerity and least suspected of selfish ends They who scorned my counsel and rejected my advice in my health and strength as fearing it proceeded rather from interest then simplicity of heart will if they have the least grain of charity believe me in earnest and my words to be the language of my soul when I am dying and entering into my eternal estate The worst of men have some reverence and respect for dying Christians What thrusting and crowding even to the prejudice of their bodies hath there often been to hear the speeches and last words of dying men The vilest Malefactour who is cut off by the Sword of justice is permitted with patience to speak and attended to with diligence at the Gallows If enemies have some respect for dying Felons and will hearken to them with meekness what hopes may a dying Saint have of advantaging the souls of his friends O that I might greedily embrace such an opportunity of advantaging the interest and honour of my God the service and good of my neighbours and by my pious language and gracious carriage at my latter end make others in love with holiness holy men and the holy one of Israel Sinners catch hold of every season to propagate their ungodly seed and commend Satans rotten wares to the men of the world Why should not Saints be as vigilant as diligent for their God and Saviour Lord I know not in what manner by what distemper it will please thee to call me to thy self I beg if it may seem good in thy sight that nothing may befal me on my dying bed which may render me uncapable of commending thee and thy ways and worship to others My chearfulness in bearing thy will and activeness to extol thy work and reward may through thy blessing perswade Satans drudges to forsake his slavery and admit themselves thy servants O that I might allure others to prepare for such a day by lifting up my head with joy when that day of redemption draweth nigh The Apprentice makes merry when his time is expired and he enjoyeth his freedom The Bride hath a feast and musick when her Marriage-day is come This life is my time of service death sets me at liberty In this World I am contracted to my dearest Saviour my solemn marriage is in the other world into which I pass through death Why should I fear that Messenger which brings such good news and be troubled at that friend who will do me so great a courtesie O enable me to live every day according to thy Gospel that keeping my conscience clean and my evidences clear I may in the day of my death rejoyce and be exceeding glad Give me to savour the sweetness of thy love the pleasantness of thy paths to feel the powerful influences of thy spirit the vertue and efficacy of thy word so to rellish communion with thy self and thy dear Son all the days of my life that when I am going out of the world and comming to thee O Father I may from my own experience quicken and encourage others to forsake earthly vanities before earthly vanities forsake them and to take thee for their chiefest good and choicest happiness who will never leave them nor forsake them I Wish that the nearer I draw to my reward the more zealous and industrious I may be about my work and that when my body droppeth and faileth most my soul may be most vigorous and active in the exercise of grace I am infinitely indebted to the blessed God for his unspeakable grace to my precious soul my engagements to the dearest Redeemer for loving me and washing me in his own blood are far beyond my apprehension This is the last opportunity that I shall ever enjoy to testifie my thankefulness and to do my God my Saviour my soul any service O how diligent should I be to promote their interest and improve this season Nature in its last conflict with a disease puts forth it self to the utmost it draweth in those spirits which before were scattered in the outward parts to guard and arm the heart it rallieth all those forces which are left if possible to win the day O why should not grace in its last encounter muster up all its strength and put forth it self to the utmost Lust is strong to the last when nature is weak and spent and the sinner disabled from his unclean or intemperate acts even then he can hug them in his heart and roul them under his tongue as a sweet morsel and commit them over and over again in his thoughts and fancy and affections The dying Theif on the Cross when his hands and feet were nailed and by force kept in order could yet find his tongue at liberty before his death to rail at and revile the Lord of life Ah is it not a thousand pities that grace should be outvied by lust and that those that are paid with such lamentable wages as everlasting burnings should dye serving their cruel Master and enter into Hell belching out their blasphemies and spitting their poison in the face of Heaven and that the Children of God should do their father so little service when they are going to their blissful mansions and can do him no more love to my self as well as to my God may quicken me to labour with all my might when I draw near my last hour As I fall now I lie for ever My eternal estate dependeth more upon my death then my life It s possible though rare that a prophane life may be corrected by a penitent death but a wicked death can never be amended He that shoots off a piece if he be not steady just at its going off loseth his Charge and misseth his Mark He that dieth ill dieth ever he is killed with death He that goeth awry when he goeth out of the world shall never come back to recal or amend his steps If I am a conqueror now I am a conqueror for ever if I am foiled now I am foiled for ever Cowards will sight desperately when they are in extremity and must either kill or be killed The Historian saith of Cn. Piso a confederate of Catalines that though he had an heart like an Hare yet he could sight like a Lyon when he apprehended a necessity of fighting for his life O that my pains my diligence may be
thrust my self into danger yet never betray my cause or break through any Command to avoid the cruelest death It s common with the Hypocrite as the Snail to look what weather is abroad and if that be stormy to pull in his horns and hide his head The Hedghog alters his hole according to the wind The swallow changeth his nest according to the season The Bird Piralis takes the colour of any cloth on which she sits There is a Tree say some Naturalists which opens and spreads its leaves when any come to it and shuts them at their departure from it The flies will abound in a sunshiny day but if once it be cloudy they vanish When Christ rides to Jerusalem in triumph many cry Hosanna who when he is taken and tryed for his life cry Crucifie Crucifie The Jacinct is changed with the Air in a clear season its bright but if the air be overcast its darksom The unsound Christian is often sutable to his Company if they own godliness it shall have his good word if they disrelish it he can spit in the face of it But pure Coral keeps its native lustre and will receive no colouring The upright soul is constant in his profession and changeth not his behaviour according to his Companions Oh that I might never through shame or fear disown him who hath already acknowledged me Alas I have that in me which he might well count a disgrace to him I am his creature and so infinitely his Inferiour The vilest beggar is not near so much below the most potent Emperour as I am in this respect to the Great God and my Saviour The whole Creation is to him as nothing yea less then nothing and vanity what then am I poor silly worm that lie groveling in this earth I am a sinner and thereby his disparagement and dishonour If a sober Master be ashamed of a deboice drunken servant much more may the holy Jesus be ashamed of me an unholy wretch and trayterous rebel against his Crown and Dignity yet for all this distance for all his difference he is graciously pleased to acknowledge me and shall not I own him If I be ashamed of him I am a shame to him But why should I be ashamed of Christ The object of shame is some evil which hath guilt or filth in it but he knew no sin though he was made sin for me that I might become the righteousness of God in him He was a Lamb without spot and blemish None of his malicious enemies could convince him of sin He is so far from being the object of shame that he is infinitely worthy to be my boast and glory He is the Prince of life the Lord of glory the King of Kings the Fountain of all excellency and perfection The highest Emperors have gloried in being his Vassals Angels count it their honour to serve the meanest of his Servants and shall I think it a disgrace to be one of his Attendants O that I might be ashamed of my sins loath my self for all my abominations be often confounded because I bear the reproach of my youth but in no company be it never so great or prophane be ashamed of him who is the blessed and onely Potentate and the glory of his people Israel Again Why should I out of fear disown my Saviour Is there any safety but in sanctity Whilst I travail in the Kings High-way I have a promise of protection but if I leave that upon any pretence I run my self into peril and perdition Those that when called to fight flie from their colours die without mercy What can I expect if I leave the Captain of my Salvation but Marshal Law even eternal death I may possibly by my cowardise keep my skin whole but I wound my conscience I sink my soul to save my body as Lot prostitute my Daughter my dearest off-spring that will abide with me for ever to save my guests which lodge with me for a night and will be gone from me in the morning What is it I fear that I should be guilty of so hainous a fault Is it the worlds frowns and fury Why Its kindness is killing and therefore its cruelty is healing If my God see it good he can and will defend me from the worlds cruelty without my denying Christ and in direct courses and if it be his will that I suffer for well-doing I may commit the keeping of my soul to him as to a faithful Creator Certainly there is nothing to be gotten by the Worlds love and nothing worth ought to be lost by its hatred Why then should I seek that love which cannot help me or fear that hate which cannot hurt me If I should be so foolish as to love it for loving me my God would hate me for loving it Do not I know that the friendship of the World is enmity against God If I loath it for hating me it cannot injure me for loathing it Let it then hate me I will forgive it but if it love me I will not requite it for since its love is hurtful and its hate harmless I may well contemn its fury and hate its favour Lord thou hast commanded me neither to love the worlds smiles nor to fear its frowns I acknowledge that its allurements have been too prevalent in gaining my love and its affrightments too powerful in causing my fear O that thy exceeding rich and precious promises might make me despise all its glorious proffers and faith in thy threatnings stablish my heart against all its childish bug-beares The fear of man bringeth a snare but he that trusteth in thee is sure Let the dread of thy Majesty swallow up as Moses rod the Egyptians all fear of men And since thy truth hath no need of my lye thy power hath no need of my sin to preserve me safe let me never break over the hedge of any of thy precepts to avoid an afflicting providence but in a way of well-doing commit my ways unto the Lord and my thoughts shall be established Suffer me never to say a confederacy to them to whom thine enemies say a confederacy neither to fear their fear but to sanctifie thee the Lord of Hosts and to make thee my fear continually I Wish that since my God intends in all his providences my spiritual and eternal good I may gain something by those that are most graceless and though Satan purposeth my defilement in my converses with them yet they may prove my profit and advantage That blowing which seems to disperse the flames and trouble the fire doth make it burn the more clear The waters of others opposition may increase my spiritual heat A dull Whet-stone may set an edge upon a Knife A mean vile Porter may bring me a considerable present Black coals may scour and make Iron Vessels bright Ashes cast upon fire put it not out but are helpful to preserve it all night against the morning which would otherwise
was the debtor God-man the surety who made satisfaction to God the Creditour How he was born of a mean woman that we might be born of the most high God he was tempted that he might conquer Satan for us and succour us when tempted by him what a life he led filled with miracles and miseries what a death he died embittered with shame and pain and all that we might be exalted to eternal honour and pleasure How he triumphed over Death the Grave the Curse of the Law Satan and Hell in his Resurrection and ascended into Heaven leading Captivity Captive appears in his Fathers presence pleading his death as the prise of his Chosens fafety and life sitteth at his right hand and ever liveth to make intercession for us Its precepts excel all the commands and Statutes and Laws that ever were in the World in purity and justice and goodness much more then the Firmament of Stars doth a Wisp of Straws Its promises are exceeding great and precious of special efficacy superlative excellency and unquestionable certainty In a word the Scripture hath all in it requisite either for counsel or comfort for necessity or delight for knowledge or action for direction in life or consolation in death 3. The form of the Scripture renders it worthy my highest esteem and hottest affection 1. It s inward form is That perfect correspondence and agreement between the commands and promises laid down in the word and that infallible and certain truth of Gods own understanding The books of men are sutable to their minds and their minds being but in part sanctified their works must be answerably imperfect but the Lords understanding being infinitely pure and true his word must bear some proportion to it God is truth without the least shadow of error holy without the least tittle of mixture hence his word is certain without the smallest colour for doubts Thy law is the truth pure not admitting of the least sin or darkness Thy word is very pure therefore doth thy servant love it Because of its exact conformity to the eternal will of God it s called his word As a man maketh known his mind by his words so doth God hence it s called the mind of God Pro. 1. 23. The Word of God 1 Pet. 1. 15. The counsel of God Act. 20. 27. The Oracles of God Rom. 3. 2. The Law of God Psalm 1. 2. Not onely in regard of its Author which is the divine wisdom but also in regard of its matter which is the divine will 2. It s outward form is both plain and difficult according to Gregory so shallow that lambs may wade in it and so deep that Elephants may swim in it It s stile is so plain as to encourage the most unlearned and yet so difficult as to exercise the greatest Scholars and most profound Rabbies To those that are babes in understanding the Scripture is milk to them that are men in knowledge the word is strong meat It s therefore called light the nature of which is both to discover it self and other things also Thy word is a light to my feet and a lanthorn to my paths It s a light that shineth in a dark place until the day dawn and the day-star arise in our hearts Psa. 119. 105. 1 Pet. 1. 19. It is plain in regard of fundamentals and things necessary to be known and done What we are to believe concerning God the mediatour our own estate of innocency apostacy recovery what we are to practise in order to salvation are all perspicuous and clear to ordinary capacities Though there be some whose eyes the god of this world hath blinded lest the light of the glorious Gospel should shine upon them yet all wisdomes ways are plain to him that understandeth 2 Cor. 4.4 Pro. 8. 9. The Scripture sheweth the greatest simplicity both in words and phrases and figures that the weakest need not be afraid of searching into it There is such obscurity also in things not absolutely necessary to salvation that the deepest understandings need not be ashamed of reading and studying it Peter affirmes that in the Epistles of Paul there are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 some things hard to be understood There are such abstruse texts in the word of God that no man can make a certain comment on them The Jews themselves confessed that in the latter end of Ezekiel there are many things mentioned which are beyond all their apprehensions against which and all other difficulties in the Old Testament they comfort themselves according to the expression of the woman of Samaria Messias venturus est qui nobis annunciabit omnia The Messias will come and tell us all things Now the wise God seeth fit to let some truths in Scripture be dark 1. To shame us for our ignorance which is the fruit of our fall from him The pride and height of man is laid low by the profound and hard places in the Word of God 2. To quicken us to diligence in reading and meditating and comparing Scripture with Scripture The deeper a mine of gold lyeth in the earth the harder we must labour to dig it out 3. To raise our price of the Word of God We are apt to slight things that are easie and ordinary and to value things at the highest that cost us dearest 4. To provoke us to pray to God that he would give us his key whereby we may unlock this cabinet of precious Jewels He onely that made the Scripture can best acquaint us with his mind in the Scripture therefore David intreated divine light that he might understand the divine Law Psa. 119. 18. Open mine eyes that I may see the wonderâ—ful things of thy Law 4. The final cause of the word will speak it full of value and worth Namely the glory of the great God and the salvation of lost man The honour of God shines more brightly then the Meridian Sun through the whole Heaven of the Scripture The Scripture exalteth God in regard of his infinite nature and being his transcendent excellencies and perfections his eternal decree his works of creation and providence It advanceth God in all his attributes declaring to us 1. His wisdom how he is the onely wise God the foolishness of God is wiser then the wisdom of men yea that Angels themselves are fools to him His understanding is infinite 2. His Power how he is mighty in strength the Almighty God to him nothing is impossible doth what ever he pleaseth can do more then he will do 3. His mercy how he is full of mercy rich in mercy the Father of mercys hath multitudes of tender mercies his mercy endureth for ever hath an heighth and depth and length and breadth in it which none can reach 4. His Iustice how he fails not the least in the performance of his promises and accomplishment of his threatnings how he will by no means clear the guilty not the greatest of his favourites not
Chaff that the Storm carrieth away I flie away as a dream and shall not be found my life is chased away as a vision of the night The eyes which have seen me shall see me no more neither shall my place any more behold me I must live now or never If I die I shall not live again O that all the days of my appointed time I could wait till my change cometh Were I to take my leave of the world this night and were my life to end with the day how then would I spend every hour every moment of it Should I lavish away my time about this or that vanity Would I play it away in vain company Would I neglect my spiritual watch or waste my talents upon trifles should I dally about secret or private duties or be careless of my carriage in my calling would I starve my immortal soul or cast off all care of eternity No but I should all the day long act by the square and rule of the word How serious should I be in praying in reading in working for my soul for my salvation how diligent to do all the good I could to receive all the good I might how watchful to catch at and embrace all opportunities of honouring and serving my Maker and Redeemer because my time is short and I must pray and read and work for eternity now or no more no more for ever And why should I not be as holy though I do not know that I shall die this night when I know not but I may die this night How foolish is he who neglects doing his work till his work is past doing Besides Other creatures are constant and unwearied in serving their maker they are every day all the day long in their stations obedient to his commands If I look to Heaven to Earth to inanimate to irrational creatures I behold them all as so many Souldiers in their several ranks exactly and continually subject to the orders which they receive from the Lord of hosts and shall I be shamed by them I am at present more indebted more intrusted by God I have a reward hereafter of joy to encourage me of pain to provoke me to unweariedness in well doing which they neither hope nor fear Lord I live every moment upon thee why should I not live every moment to thee My life is by thy providence O that it were according to thy precepts I would not be thine hireling to serve thee meerly for wages thou thy self art my exceeding great reward but I would be thy days-man to work for thee by the day every day all the day long O help me to live well in time that I may live well eternally Let every day be so devoted to thy praise and every part of it so imployed in thy service that I may be the more fitted to please and woâ—â—â—ip thee in that place where there is no night yet all rest no Sun yet all day all light all joy where I shall have no meat or drink or sleep or shop or flocks or family and which is best of all no unbeleiving selfish carnal heart to call me from or hinder me in thy work but I shall worship and enjoy thee without diversion without distraction without interruption without intermission both perfectly and perpetually Amen CHAP. VII How a Christian may exercise himself to Godliness in visiting the Sick FIfthly Thy duty is to exercise thy self in visiting the sick The Visitation of the sick is a work of as great weight as any injoyned us relating to others and as much neglected and slighted in its management as almost any duty commanded Sickness is so common and Death so ordinary that with most their frequency takes away the sense of them and charity in many sickens and dieth as fast as others bodies The generality of pretended Christians like the Priest and the Levite if they see a man wounded both in his body and soul though it be to death pass on the other side of the way not caring to meddle with any that are in misery They tell us they are true members of Christ but like a bag of suppurated blood they feel nothing neither have any communion with the body Many on their dying beds whose souls are worse and more dangerously sick then their bodies may speak to their Minister or Neighbour for the duty belongs to the People as well as the Pastor almost in the words of Martha to Christ Sir If thou hadst been here my soul had not dyed Some visite the sick but rather out of a complement then out of conscience or to profit themselves more then their Neighbours The Ingenuous Heathen Seneca will tell such If a man visit his sick friend and watch at his Pillow for charity sake and out of his old affection we approve it but if for a Legacy he is a Vulture and watcheth onely for the carcass The discourse of these is chiefly about worldly affairs and nothing about the great concernments of eternity Others sometimes go about the work but perform it so ill administring Cordials when there is need of Corrosives sowing Pillows under their sick friends heads that they may die easily or if they tell them of their danger they do it so coldly and carelesly and by halves that as he said there is diseaseâ— their soul-sickness is curable but the unsutable medicines they take make it incurable It may be said of many a soul as Adrians Counsellers said of him Multitudo medicorum c. Many Physitians have killed the Emperour Ah! How dreadful is it when unskilful and unfaithful Mountebanks undertake to tamper and trifle with immortal souls that are just entring into their eternal estates Father forgive them they know not what they do Galen saith in respect of bodily Medicines In medicina nihil exiguum There is nothing small in Physick Every thing in it is of great consequence A little mistake may cause death I may upon greater reason say There is nothing little in spiritual Physick A small error in our prescriptions to sick souls may cause dreadful mischief Instead of curing we may kill the patient Hazaels wet cloth was not more deadly to his Masters body then the discourse of most is to their sick neighbours souls Fear of displeasing and a natural propensity to flatter prevail with too many to sooth their dying friends into unquenchable flames But surely there is more love as well as more faithfulness in frighting a sick person out of his spiritual Lethargy then in fawning him into the eternal lake that burneth with Fire and Brimstone Some venemous creatures tickle a man till he laughs even when they sting him to death so doth the flattering Minister or Neighbour he raiseth a sick man void of grace to the Pinnacle of joy and highest hopes of Heaven and thereby throweth him down into the Culph of irrecoverable sorrows and leaves him to undeceive himself in hell I shall first lay down two or three
Motives to stir up the Reader to this work and then direct him about it SECT I. FIrst It is a duty commanded thee by God Men are apt to think the visitation of the sick to be onely an act of Courtesie and Civility which they may omit or perform at their pleasure when it is an act of Charity and Christianity which every Christian is bound to by a divine Precept The Ministers of Christ are especially enjoyned this task but every member of Christ also when God gives him opportunity oweth this debt to his Neighbour Iam. 5. 14 15. If any be sick let him send for the Elders of the Church and let them pray over him The same word which commandeth the sick man to send commandeth the Elder to go Indeed it s a gross fault in many sick persons and therein they are exceedingly their own enemies that they either send not at all for the Minister or if they do not till they have done with the Physitian when their bodies are past all hope then they look after some hope for their souls But without question it is a duty for the Elder sometimes to go uncalled It s good manners to be an unbidden guest at a house of mourning Our Master was found of them that asked not for him and so should his servants There are those that can invite themselves to their Neighbours Tables who withdraw themselves from their Chambers Some are drunk so often with their Parishioners whilst they are in health that they are afraid or ashamed to discourse seriously with them when they are sick God may speak to many as to the Shepherds of Israel Wo be to the Shepherds of England that do feed themselves should not the Shepherds feed the Flock ye eat the fat and ye cloth you with the Wool ye kill them that are fed but ye feed not the Flock The diseased have ye not strengthened neither have ye healed that which was sick neither have ye bound up that which was broken but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them Ezek. 34. 3 4. None are more cruel to the Flock then those that are most covetous of the Fleece Oleaster on Lev. 14. 44. Then the Priest shall come and look and behold if the Plague be spread c. that being the third time the Priest was to visit the infected house hath this useful observation Si Saecerdos toties invisat leprosam domum cur tu non aegrum If the Priest were commanded so often to visit the leprous house why dost not thou visit the sick person The Plague in the heart calls for more pity and help then the Plague in the House This duty also belongs to private members as well as to publique Officers Every Christian should love his Neighbour as himself which he cannot do unless he have a sense of his sickness and endeavour to improve such an opportunity for his Neighbours Salvation True love like fire burns hottest when the weather is coldest Histories make mention of one Vrâ—iâ—us a Physitian that being to die for the Gospel and beginning to waver Vitalis a godly man stept to him and though he knew it would cost him his life encouraged him saying What have you been so industrious heretofore to preserve mens bodies and will you now shrink at the saving your own soul Be couragious For which faithful counsel he was condemned and suffered accordingly It s our duty to assist them that die natural as well as those that die violent deaths To visit persons in their affliction is one testimony of the truth of our Religion at this day Holiness and Charity are like Father and Child Pure Religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this to visit the Fatherless and the Widows in their afflictions c. Jam. 1. ult The fatherless and widows are expressed but the sick and strangers and captives are included because these are usually most afflicted and most neglected Those that have received mercy cannot but shew mercy As visiting the distressed is a sign of it now so it will be the test of Christianity at the great day Mat. 25. 34 35 36. Come ye blessed c. I was hungry and ye fed me naked and ye cloathed me sick and ye visited me c. Works of mercy fill up the whole bill as the evidence of the Saints right to heaven Whereof Luther gives this reason because the consciences of the wicked shall justifie Christ as well in the absolution of the godly as in their own condemnation Though Christians do not give their almes or visit the sick to be seen of men yet in doing many offices of love and acts of charity they are seen of men So they who can witness the truth of Christians mercy will be forced to acknowledge the equity of Christs sentence SECT II. SEcondly It is a special opportunity of doing and receiving good 1. Of doing good I think it the more necessary to speak to this Motive because many are apt to judge all pains with sick persons to be to no purpose They are discouraged from endeavouring the conversion of prophane men upon sick beds supposing that such mens repentance will be as unsound as their bodies even when they are sick unto death Though I would not give the least encouragement to any men to defer their turning to God beleiving him worse then mad who puts off the weighty business of his soul because peradventure God may grant him repentance hereafter yet I must obviate this suggestion of the Divel which hinders men from doing their duty God may shew mercy to a soul at last There is one example in Scripture that none might despair Sickness is with some men the tide-time of devotion They who scorned godly men and made a mock of godliness in their health will prize the Saint and desire his sanctity above all the world when they lye upon sick beds and consider what an holy God they are going to appear before Sickness as one saith is Officina virtutis morum disciplina The shop of vertue and the school of manners Therefore King Alfred was wont to say I ever find my self best when worst best in soul when worst in body the sickness of my body is physick to my soul Experience daily informeth us that the Swaggerers and Gallants of the world whose consciences are not seared with an hot Iron though they gave themselves up to Drunkenness and Gluttony and Gaming and Whoredom and all manner of wickedness in their youth and strength yet when they are weakened much with a disease and have no hopes of continuing longer on earth begin to wish that they had spent their time to more purpose and are sensible of their neglect of God and Christ and their Souls and Eternity then many of them will desire the company of those that fear God and beg their prayers and hearken to their counsels and would give all they are worth for a little of their grace and
his Sons Iob 1. 5 6. It may be my Sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts i. e. when they had been feasting at their elder Brothers house God gives Israel a special caution against this Deut. 8. 12 14. Men in an house of mourning are put in mind both of Gods Soveraignty who draweth away their breath and they perish Psa. 104. 29. and their own frailty how soon they are gathered and withered even in their prime and pride Psa. 39. 5. I am blind if I do not see mine own end in the end of another and distracted if I do not provide for my last enemy which I must necessarily encounter Thus it s a mercy to our selves to be merciful unto others and whilst we visit the sick we visit our own souls Who would not do his Neighbour good when he may be confident it will tend to his own gain I have but hopes by my visit of advantaging a sinner but I may be sure if I be faithful therein of profiting my self SECT III. THirdly It may be the last opportunity thou mayst ever have of advantaging thy sick neighbours soul. His sick-bed may be his death-bed and then t will be too late to counsel or advise him There is no Purgatory in the other world Diseases both bodily and spiritual must be purged away before death or never He that is filthy at death must be filthy still even to all eternity All the tears in hell will not wash out the least spot in the soul All the fire of hell will not purge out the least dross Therefore Christ took the opportunity of dropping good counsel into the heart of the Theif on the Cross knowing that if he had omitted it a very few hours longer the soul of the poor Theif had been lost for ever Hadst thou a friend going to Sea and never to return again waiting at a Port for a Wind and then to be gone and hadst busineâ—s with him of as great concernment to him as his life thou couldst tell him of a quicksand which he must beware of or he will be cast away wouldst thou not be quick and speedy to acquaint him with it lest he should be under Sail before thou didst see him would it not cut thee to the heart if he should miscarry through thy negligence The Application is easie The soul of every Neighbour is or ought to be dearer to thee then the body of thy nearest friend or relation When thy wicked Neighbour is sick his soul is launching for ought thou knowest into the Ocean of eternity whence he shall never â—ever return more He waits onely for a wind a word from God and he is gone The sick bed is the passage or path-way to the grave Thou hast work to do with him that is more worth to him then his life that iâ— of as great value as his immortal soul and eternal salvation Now thou mayst acquaint him while he is on the shore with his danger and the way of his delivery but if once he launch into the Main thou mayst call loud and long enough after him in vain O will it not pierce thee to the quick if his soul should be swallowed up in the boundless and bottomless Sea of divine wrath through thy laziness or unfaithfulness When the day drew near for the destruction of the Jews the heart of Haman swelled with hopes and Hester had then an opportunity to step in and preserve the lives of her Countrymen Mordecai tells her Who knoweth whether thou art come to the Kingdom for such a time as this She made use of the season and saved their lives with the hazard of her own Had she delayed a little longer it had been too late they had all been sacrificed upon the Altar of Hamans ambition When the hour of a wicked mans death approacheth the heart of the roaring Lyon is big with expectation of his prey and a Christian friend hath then possibly an opportunity to save the poor creatures soul Now or never there is no knowledge nor wisdom in the grave whether the sick person is going If he make use of the price God puts now into his hands by serious prudent faithful and affectionate counsel he may help the â—inner to heaven Who knoweth whether he be come by the Providence of God into the sick mans Chamber for such a thing as this I have but one thing more to commend to thee and then I shall speak to the work it self Before thou goest to thy sick Neighbour go to God by prayer intreat him to direct thee what to speak and to succeed what shall be spoken It is his own Ordinance and therefore thou mayst the more comfortably beg and expect his assistance Nehemiah would speak to God before he spake to the King for the afflicted Jews Hester prefers her Petition first to her Maker that her prayer might prosper and then her Petition to her Husband for the lives of her Countrymen God is the Principal Agent and if he be left out all thy labour will be lost Wherein the exercising thy self to Godliness in visiting the sick consisteth 1. In endeavouring to benefit the soul of thy Neighbour 2. In getting some spiritual profit to thy self First In endeavouring the spiritual good of thy Neighbour We are enjoyned in the eighth Command to mind and further our Neighbours temporal wealth but much more his spiritual welfare T was true which Bucers Physitian told him when he expressed his eagerness to die Non sibi sed multorum utilitati se esse natum That he was not born for himself but for the good of many others Every Saint is to be as it were a common stock for the profit of many He is born and new born not onely for himself but for others benefit The Lynx is a spotted unclean beast that knowing how his urine will congeal into a precious stone and be profitable to men maketh an hole in the ground when he pisseth to hide it from them Iob who knew the advantage that might acrue to others thereby would not conceal either the word or works of God from them Iob 6. 10. and 27. 11. To this end 1. Labour to be acquainted with the state of the sick persons soul. It s dangerous to give either Purges or Cordials ignorantly or at peradventure The souls of men are of unconceivable value and therefore not to be tampered or trifled with It s a good step to the cure to understand fully the disease and the constitution of the Patient therefore Physitians feel the pulse view the urine enquire of the sick person or his friends concerning his former course of life diet present digestion of his food place of his trouble or pain c. that they may proceed upon good grounds and give sutable and effectual advice So shouldst thou Reader in visiting the sick inform thy self either by conference with some serious Christians of their acquaintance before-hand or by some searching
that in the other world I may stand among thy Sheep on thy right hand and hear that blessed heart-chearing voice Come thou blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for thee before the foundation of the World For I was hungry and thou gavest me meat I was thirsty and thou gavest me drink I was a stranger and thou didst take me in I was sick and thou visitedst me when my soul shall be above all sin and my body above all sickness and both blessed in thy favour and fruition for ever and ever Amen CHAP. VIII How a Christian may exercise himself to Godliness on a Dying Bed SIxthly and Lastly Thy duty is to exercise thy self to Godliness if God give thee opportunity on a Dying Bed The work of a Saint is to glorifie God not onely in his life but also in his death The Silk-worm stretcheth out her self before she spin and ends her life in her long wrought clew The Christian must stretch out himself on his dying Bed and end his life in the work of his Lord. Every Man by his death payeth his debt to nature He is earth in regard of his Original creation and must be earth in regard of his ultimate resolution Dust thou art and to dust thou shalt return Gen. 3. 19. The Sinner when he dyeth payeth his debt to Sin Satan and the Law To sin as he is the servant of unrighteousness and so must receive its wages which is death To Satan as he hath sold himself to work wickedness at his will and so must have his tempter to be his eternal tormentor To the Law as he hath violated its precepts and commands and therefore must undergo its punishment and curse The Saint when he dieth payeth his debt to God for he oweth him honour as well by his death as by his life Hence we read not onely of their living in the Lord and to the Lord but also of their dying in the Lord and to the Lord Rom. 14. 8. Rev. 14. 13. Which though some expound in that place of the Revelations to the cause for which they died they did not dye out of humour or obstinacy or any carnal selfish interest but purely as Martyrs at Gods call and for Gods cause They loved not their lives to the death for the testimony of Iesus Yet the words may as clearly speak 1. The state in whiâ—â— they died They died in the favour of God reconciled to him through the death of the Mediatour The Castle of their souls was not taken by storm or in a state of emnity and opposition but by a quiet voluntary sâ—rrender or in a state of peace and amity 2. The manner of their deaths They died in the fear of God they exercised grace as well in sickness as in health and when dying as when living their spiritual motions were quick when their natural motions were slow Plutarch reports of Lucius Metellus high Priest of Rome that though he lived to a great old age his voice did not fail him nor his hand shake in his sacrificing to the Gods It s said of Moses when he was a hundred and twenty years old and dyed that his natural sight did not fail him neither was his heat abated So it may be said of the Christian that though he die old his spiritual sight doth not fail him nor his divine heat abate As Caleb he is as strong in regard of grace his inward strength when he is entering into the promised Canaan as he was when he first went forth as a spie by faith to search the land flowing with milk and honey The Heathen counted him happy that dyed either in the midst of the goods of fortune hence they say if Priamus had died a little before the loss of his Town he had died the greatest Prince in all Asia or in the exercise of their moral vertues Hence they so highly extol Seneca and Socrates who seemed to dare even death it self out of resolution and fortitude Though those seeming vertues were but as Austin terms them Splendida Flagitia Famous Vices and their confidence arose not from any grounded knowledge of their good estates but from their blindness and ignorance of their depraved wicked and woful estates He is the happy man indeed that dieth in the faith that sleepeth in Iesus that goeth to his grave in the exercise of grace The Master of Moral Philosophy commendeth that Pilot whom a Ship-wrack swalloweth up at the Stern with the Rudder in his hand The most high God commendeth that person whom death seiseth doing the work for which he was sent into the world Even the blind Mole if Naturalists may be credited opens his eyes when he comes to dye and the crooked Serpent stretcheth out her self straight when she is going to fetch her last breath and shall not the Saint be best at last Reader Observe how careful the Saints have been to do their last work well and to go out of the world like some sweet spices perfuming the room in which they fetch their last breath with holiness and leaving a sweet savour behind them Jacob when dying worshipped leaning on his staff Heb. 11. 21. What a Character doth he give of the Angel of the Covenant and what blessings doth he pray for and prophesie to come on his children when he was going from them How was his heart enlarged in pantings after the Lord Christ Gen. 48. 16. and 49. per tot The living waters of his graces ran with the greater strength when they were emptying themselves into the Ocean of glory Moses like the dying Swan sings most sweetly being to go up to Mount Nebo to dye there What excellent doctrines reproofs instructions doth he deliver to the Israelites How pathetically rhetorically divinely doth he dictate his last legacies to his Political children who can read and not be ravished with wonder and delight Deut. 32. 33. Ioshua like the morning star shines brightest at last He gives his people so strict a charge to serve the Lord such gracious counsel when he was going the way of all the earth that it could not but be remembred many days after Dying Ioseph will lay his bones at stake for Gods faithfulness and that he will visit Israel and deliver them out of Egypt Sampson did the Church of God much service in slaying more of her enemies at his death then in his life Iulius Caesar among the Romans and Olympia the Mother of Alexander among the Grecians were famous for their care to die handsomely and not to commit at last any ill beseeming action whereby their memories should have been rendred inglorious But the Christians care hath always been to die holily and to do their God most service when they are going to that place where they shall do him no more in a proper sense Philosophers tell us that the soul upon deaths approach is more divine and supernaturally inclined certain it is the soul of a Saint onely doth then more
to his breast Hic sat lucis Hâ—re is abundance of light of joy He asked one of his Friends What news His Friend told him None Then saith he I will tell you some news I shall presently be with my Lord Christ. I shall give thee two or three quickening Motives and then direct thee about the workâ— of exercising thy self to Godliness on a Dying Bed and because its the last time of a Christians working for his God I shall in the third place annex some brief helps to this duty In reference to the Motives Consider First What a serious thing Death will be to every Man and Woman in the World It s ill and dangerous for any to cozen themselves and undertake to mock God in their health and life but it s worst of all and desperate for any to do this on a sick and dying Bed The Heathen hardened in sin and wholly under the power of Satan ignorant of the evil of their hearts and lives and of the sad consequence of a wicked end made light of death Flavius Vespasian none of the worst of the Roman Emperors died as Sir Thomas Moor with a jest in his mouth Vt puto Deus fio Methinks I am going and growing to be a God Augustus Caesar esteemed the best of them whose death the people so much lamented that they said Vtinam aut non nasceretur aut non moreretur Would he had never been born or never dyed went off the Stage of the World with a Complement Livia Nostri Conjugii memor Vive Vale Farewel and Live Wife mindful of our Marriage Galba dyed desperately crying out Feri si ex re sit Populi Romani Strike if it be for the common good Tiberius dyed dissemblingly of whose death Tacitus wittily Iam Tiberium vires corpus non dissimulatio deserebant Now strength and life hath lest Tiberius but not dissimulation But Christians who understand the holiness and justice of God the infinite demerit of sin the certainty of an unchangeable condition in the other World either in joy or torment know that death is no jesting matter that to dye is one of the most serious searching things that they can possibly do Two or three Particulars will shew what a serious thing death is 1â— Death will try men When the Bridegroom comes it will appear who have Oyl in their Vessels and who have noneâ— As soon as ever thou takest thy leave of temporal good things thy spiritual riches will be known A scorching Summer discovers what streams are fed with Ponds and what with Springs The Wind sheweth which Clouds have Rain in them and which have none Death will anatomize every soul and reveal all that is in it Conscience will then bring in a true Verdict in despight of all those bribes and frights which formerly kept the Bill in suspense or caused it to write on it an Ignoramus There are marks by which Saints and Sinners may be distinguished whilst they live as great mens servants are by the Liveries that they wear but these characters being most inward and known to none but themselves and the Lord they serve it is their dying onely that will reveal infallibly what they are and to whom they belong This World is as a common Inn wherein all are lodged and no difference is made between the good and bad onely that the worst men have the best usage but the very moment of mens dissolution makes a plain and vast distinction Death is the way of all the earth according to Ioshua's Periphrasis of it but this way hath two turnings one on the right hand to joy and bliss another on the left hand to misery and horror now as when the attendants of two Lords travail together on the road their servants cannot easily be distinguished especially if the Servants of the one counterfeit the livery of the other but when they come to the Bivium the parting way then it s clearly known who belong to the one and who to the other for each then followeth his own Master waits on him to his house stayeth and abideth there with him So though whilst men live all professing themselves Christians and most for a shew at least putting on the livery of Christ it is not known who belong to the Prince of Life and who to the Prince of the powers of the Air but death will discover it to themselves and the Elect Angels 2. It will appear that Death is a serious thing in that Eternityâ— When thou diest thy condition will be like the Law of the Medes and Persians such as cannot be altered At death thou goest the way that thou shalt never return David speaking of his dead Child saith I shall go to him but he shall not return to me And Iob by asking the question denyeth it If a man dye shall he live again God will never trust thee with a second life or give thee leave for second thoughts or better purposes or more serious and sober actions when thou art once landed in the other world He will not offer thee a Christ and Grace and Heaven when thou art gone from this earth Think of it seriously is not that work to be done well which can be done but once Shouldst thou not use thine utmost care and strength and diligence to dye well when thy everlasting making or marring dependeth on it Ah Friend If thou failest now thou failest for ever if thou dalliest now thou art undone eternally There is no wisdom nor knowledge in the Grave whither thou art going Eccles. 11. 7. 3. Death will appear to be a serious thing in that all the powers of Hell will then assault thee Thou mayst say of it in some respects as Christ did to wicked men and the Wicked one This is your hour and the power of darkness The Devil its observeable is most busie at the conclusion of a duty as of prayer that the Christian might be hindered and distracted when he closeth up all in the name of Christ and so all his desires be frustrated so he is most busie in the conclusion of our days adding fearful dreams to our slumbers strong distractions to our fancies increasing our pains with terrors driving the good if possible to despair and intoxicating the bad with presumptuous conceits and all because his time is little The Devil is come down having great rage knowing that his time is short Rev. 12. 12. At the approach of death through pain of body and perplexity of mind men are least able to resist and therefore this cowardly enemy will then be most ready and fierce to assault When the Christian is down then if possible he will â—rample upon him The last persecutions of the Church under Dioclesian and Maximinian were the soarest The last messenger the Devil sent to Iob concerning the sudden violent death of all his Children pierced his heart deepest The subtle serpent reserved that great Ordnance for the last hoping the former small
Beasts he often wished by the way that he were in the midst of those Beasts that were to devour him and that their appetites might be whetted to dispatch him fearing lest it should happen to him as to some others that the Lyons out of a kind of reverence would not dare to approach them being ready he said rather to provoke them to fight then that they should suffer him to escape Bradford being told by his Keepers Wife that his Chain was a buying and he was to die the next day pulled off his Hat and thanked God for it When some wondered that Adam Damplip could eat his food so well when his end was so near he told them Ah Masters Do you think that I have been Gods Prisoner so long in the Marshalsey and have not yet learned to die Yes yes and I doubt not but God will strengthen me therein Ann Askew subscribed her Confession in Newgate thus Written by me Ann Askew that neither wisheth for death nor feareth his might and as merry as one that is bound towards Heaven Indeed it s said of a wicked man that his soul is required of him and that God takes away his soul Luk. 12. Job 27. 10. but of a godly man that he giveth up the Ghost and he cometh to his grave Gen. 25. 8. Job 4. ult Nature will teach the Heathen that death is the end of all outward miseries to all men hence some of them drank of its cup with as much constancy and courage as if it had been the most pleasant Julip but grace will teach the Christian that death is not onely a remedy against all his bodily and spiritual maladies as Sir Walter Rawleigh said of the sharp Ax that should behead him this will cure all my infirmities but also an inlet into fulness of joy and felicity Reverend Deering said on his death-bed I feel such joy in my spirit that if I should have the sentence of life on the one side and the sentence of death on the other side I had rather a thousand times chuse the sentence of death since God hath appointed a separation then the sentence of life Tiâ—us Vespation the mirror of mankind being a stranger to Christ was very unwilling â—o leave the world being carried in an Horse-litter and knowing that he must dye lookt up to Heaven and complained pittifully that his life should be taken from him who had not desired to dye having never committed any sin as he said but onely one Socrates and some of the wiser Heathenâ— comforted themselves against the fear of death with this weak Cordial that it is common to men the way of all the earth Hence it was when the Athenians condemned Socrates to dye he received the Sentence with an undaunted spirit and told them they did nothing but what nature had before ordained for him But the Christian hath a greater ground for a holy resolution and a stronger Cordial against the fear of death even his hopes of eternal life and surely if he that exceeds others in his Cordials be excelled by them in Courage he disgraceth his Physitian Aristippus told the Saylers who wondred that he was not as well as they afraid in the storm Ye fear the torments due to a wicked life and I expect the reward of a good one It s no marvail that they who lived wickedly should dye unwillingly being frighted with the guilt of their past sins and with the fears of their future torments therefore the holy Ghost saith of such a one The wicked is driven away in his wickedness as a Beast that is driven out of his den to the slaughter or as a Debtor driven by the Officers out of his house wherein he lay warm and was surrounded with all sorts of comfort to a nasty loathsom prison But that the righteous who hath hope in his death should even dye almost with fear of it before-hand is matter of wonder Lots soul is exceedingly vexed with Sodom yet he is loth to leave it This world is a wilderness a purgatory a step-mother a persecutor to all the Saints and yet some of them when called to leave it sing loth to depart and would linger behind partly from nature which dreads a dissolution and partly from the weakness of grace To fear death much argueth sometimes wickedness always weakness 3. Repentance It s said of St. Augustine that he dyed with tears in his eyes in the practice of repentance and Posidonius saith of him that he heard him often say in his health that it was the fittest disposition for dying Christians and Ministers Laudatos saith he Chistianos sacerdotes absque digna competenti paenitentia exire de corpore non debere We dye groaning iâ— regard of our bodies why should not our souls sigh that ever they sinned against so good a God! Beasts bite their enemies with more venome and indignation when they are ready to dye Maxime mortiferi solent esse morsus morientium animaliâ—m The Christian should give sin his most deadly bite his greatest abhorrency and grief and shame when he is dying and shall never see sin or sorrow or shame more As its noble and excellent to dye forgiving sinners so also taking revenge upon sin Moses a little before his death is commanded to avenge the Children of Israel of the Midianites and then he is gathered to his people Numb 31. 1 2. Samuel takes vengeance on Agag when he was old and knew not the day of his death David could not dye with comfort till he had charged Solomon to execute that justice on Ioab which he had omitted The last time the Judge seeth the Felon he passeth sentence of death upon him O how should the soul of a dying Saint be inflamed with anger against sin when he considers the rich love that it abuseth the glorious name that it dishonoureth the blessed Saviour that it pierceth and that vast happiness which he is going to possess of which without infinite grace and mercy it had deprived him Some persons when they have been to take their last revenge on their enemies have done it to purpose The beleiver on his dying bed takes his last revenge on sin he shall never have another opportunity to shew his love to his God and Saviour in his spite at and hatred of sin therefore then he should do it to purpose as dying Sampson put forth all his strength and beg divine help that he may utterly destroy it and be avenged on it for all the defilement and bondage it hath brought on his soul and dishonour to his Saviour Dying Iacob cursed the sins of his own Sons Cursed be their wrath for it was fierce and their anger for it was cruel O my Soul enter not thou into their secrets The dying Child of God should curse his passions his pride his unbeleif his selfishness even all his lusts for disobeying such righteous Laws and displeasing such a gracious Lord. When David Chrytaeus
Robert Bolton being told that it would be better for the Church of God if God pleased to spare his life said If I shall find favour in the eyes of God he will bring me again and shew me both it and his habitation if not Lo here I am let him do with me what he pleaseth Another pious soul in his sickness cryed out Domine si tibi sim necessarius non recuso vivere Lord if I may be further serviceable to thee I am willing to live Lucius Cornelius Lieutenant in Portugal under Fabius the Consul was infamous to following ages for his impatience in complaining of his Physitian and railing at Esculapius for not accepting his vow and passionate desire of having his life spun out to a longer thread We cannot blame them who have their portion in this life for their unwillingness to leave it and to become beggers in Hell for ever Mori timeat qui ad secundam mortem de hac morte transibit saith Ciprian de Moral Let him fear death who must pass from this death to the second death To such a one indeed death is a Murderer like Iehorams messenger comes to take away the life of his soul and all his happiness and therefore he may well call as Elisha did shut the door and keep him out Many Saints who died violent and cruel deaths yet gave their very enemies cause to admire their patience They wearied out their bloody Persecutors by their meekness and patience Bonner said of the Martyrs in Queen Marys days A vengeance on them I think they love to burn When that old Disciple Policarp came to the stake at which he was burnt to death he desired to stand untied saying Let me alone for he that gave me strength to come to the fire will give me patience to endure the flame without your tying Cassianus with admirable meekness suffered a cruel Martyrdom from his own Scholars who at the command of the barbarous Tyrant became his Executioners some with their Pen Knives pricking and lancing his flesh others casting stones at him till they had killed him Eulaliae a chast virgin of a noble Family in Portugal being for a time kept close by her Parents for fear her bold Profession should cause her death one night getting from them and appearing before the Tribunal of Maximnus she was for refusing to sacrifice to his Idols Executed in this manner first two Hangmen with all their might rent her joynts in sunder then her flesh was scratched from her sides with the Talons of Wild Beasts and hot burning Torches were set to her sides which ended her life A Christian should also exercise patience and submission to Gods will under his pain It is the rule of Hippocrates that that sickness is most dangerous in which the sick man alters his countenance Undoubtedly its ill and unbecomming Christianity when men who in health are mild and meek in sickness are altered to be peevish and passionate that their relations and attendants who pity their pain and pray for their ease and watch and work night and day to serve them are requited with harsh words and fretful returns Cajus Marius suffered the veins of his legs to be cut out for the cure of his Gout and never shrunk for it The Grecians were cowardly in their encounters with men but valiant and patient in their conflicts with diseases Master Ieremiah Whitaker who on his death-bed had dreadful fits of the stone bore them with maâ—vellous patience often turning up his eyes to Heaven and saying Blessed be God this is not Hell The Saint who is in covenant with God and hath engaged himself to God to submit to all his providences and hath God engaged to him to lay no more upon him then he will enable him to bear may well with patience endure the divine pleasure Vincentius a Spaniard who was Martyred at Valence under Dacianus the President of the cruel Tyrant Dioclestan was used in this manner first he was laid upon the wrack and all the joynts of his body distended till they crackt again then all the members of his body were pierced and indented with deadly wounds then they vexed and tore his flesh with Iron Combs sharply filed then they laid his body on an Iron grate and when they had opened his flesh with Iron Hooks they seared it with fiery Plates sprinkling the same with hot burning Salt last of all they cast him into a vile Dungeon the floor whereof was first thick spread with the sharpest shells that might be gotten his feet then being fast locked in the stocks there he was left alone till he died all which he endured without murmuring or complaining and according to his name Vincentius was over all a Conquerour And shall not Christians who dye in their Beds in peace with much less pain be patient Many who knew not God did look on death as a favour and one of the greatest which their Gods could bestow on them Agamedes and Trophonius having built the Temple of Apollo asked of that God a reward for their service They were answered that within seven days they should be bountifully paid for their pains at the end of which time they dyed in a sleep One of Caesars crazed Souldiers desired the favour of the Emperor to have leave to kill himself Especially the thoughts of the happy issue of the most painful sickness and death to a Child of God may as the wood thrown into the bitter waters of Marah make them sweet unto him Some chuse to be cut rather then to be daily tortured with the stone though they know that cutting will put them to much pain because they hope that cutting will cure them of their distemper When a Gaoler knocks off a Prisoners Fetters and Bolts though it puts him to much more pain then the constant wearing them though every blow goeth to his heart yet he flincheth not he complaineth not because he knoweth his future ease will make amends for his present pain Christians are here fettered with sin and misery which constantly grate upon their spirits Death is the Gaoler to knock of their shackles and let them into the glorious liberty of the Sons of God what though it put them to much pain they may bear it with much patience knowing that it will end in eternal pleasures Though an Hypocrite like a piece of Brass when stricken with the Hammer of Sickness or Death maketh a sharp and irksome noise with impatience and breaketh in peices is undone for ever yet the sincere soul as a piece of Gold when so smitten may sound sweetly and be pliable True Gold may be stretcht out in length and breadth in thin and fine leaves as you please Now Reader that thou mayst thus glorifie thy God credit thy profession further thine account and advantage others by thy death it is requisite that thou be always ready for it The Qâ—arter-day never comes amiss to him that hath always his Rent
ready by him The loving Husband let him come when he will is ever welcom to a faithful Spouse The actual unpreparedness of some holy persons hath caused their Petitions for a longer stay when God seemed to call them hence Psa. 39. 13. As a Nobleman who is a Loyal Subject and affectionately desires his Princes presence and company at his house may wish that it may be deferred when his house is out of repairs till it is in a better order The habitual unpreparedness of sinners I mean their predominant impenitency and unbeleif hath made death cutting to them indeed The Pismire fears not the Winter having laid in her provision against that season but the Graâ—hopper being unprepared is starved therein Let thy whole life be but a preparation for death He that would dye but once I mean escape the second death must dye daily live in a constant expectation of it and preparation for it Pliny calleth a sudden death the greatest fortune of a mans life Iulius Caesar the day before his death in discourse with Marius Lepidus upon that point what was the best end of a mans life preferred that which was sudden and unlookt for which was his fate the next day Augustus his Successor was of the same judgement and desired Mortem celerem insperatem But the Christian findeth by experience that death to be the best which was most expected and prepared for Meditatio mortis vita perfectissima The Meditation of death is the holiest life â—aith the Father Tota vita meditatio mortis discendum est mori The whole life is but a learning to dye saith the Philosopher Wise Princes lay up ten years for one days Battel A wise Christian will lay up every day somewhat for his last day knowing that if he win that combat he is made for ever Invasions or Insurrections like a sudden breach of the Sea carry all before them when pitcht Battels give equal advantage and cause less terror on each side Evils premeditated are often prevented always mitigated the mind gathering reason and strength together wherewith to encounter them But unthought of troubles like fire in the night are most frightful startling the secure sinner from his quiet repose In order to this preparation I shall mention two or three particulars but briefly having spoken to them else-where 1. Keep a clear conscience in thy health Remember that sin is the sting of death therefore be afraid of sin if thou wouldst not be afraid of death T was Nero's answer to Seneca when he advised him to desist his wicked courses that he might please the Gods Verâ—or ego deos cum talia facio Do you think I fear the gods who dare run upon such actions But he who did not dread the Gods found death dreadful to him for the Historian observeth that he cried pittifully like a Child when he was called forth to be killed T is the righteous onely that is bold as a Lion because the rigâ—teous onely hath a conscience sprinkled with the blood of the Lamb and a conscience void of offence towards God and Man When Hilarion was nigh death Depart my soul saith he depart what dost thou fear thou hast served Christ almost seventy years and art thou afraid of death Bernard observeth of Gerrard I beheld him exultantem in morte hominem insultantem morti exulting in death and insulting over death St. Ambrose undauntedly encountred his last enemy saying I have not so lived that I am afraid to live any longer neither do I fear to die because we have a good Lord. The Testimony of a good conscience was the great Apostles comfort in the midst of his trials and troubles 2 Cor. 1. 12. T is guilt which makes us shie of a severe and Holy Gods presence It is no marvail that Alexander the Conqueror was struck almost dead at the sight of Cyrus Tomb that Sigismond when dying should forbid his servants to mention the word Death that Lewis the eleventh should while in health enjoyn his Courtiers not to speak of Death and when sick prohibit the naming it upon pain of death I do not wonder that Saul upon the news of his approaching danger and death falls groveling on the ground and hath no strength left in him nor that Belteshazar upon the tidings of this Serjeants coming to arrest him fell into an Ague Quaking and Shivering so violently that all the wine which he drank so plentifully in his golden Bowles could not chear his heart nor fetch blood into his cheeks The Malefactour may well dread the thoughts much more the approach of an Assize knowing that he is bound over to it and must appear to be arraigned condemned and executed The entry of death may well be forcible upon them whom it ejects out of all their happiness and whole lives have been made up of unholiness T is vice that paints death with such a formidable countenance with a whip and flames in its hand Friend let thy conversation be pious if thou wouldst dye in peace Such as a mans life is usually such is his death An unholy life is ordinarily followed with an unhappy end A filthy Adulterer mentioned by Luther expired in the armes of an Harlot So also Tigillinus Cornelius Gallus Ladislaus King of Naples one of the Popes died in the embraces of strange flesh A great swearer when he came to dye saith Mr. Bolton swore apace and as if he had been already in Hell called upon the standers by to help him with oaths King Henry the second on his death-bed cursed his Sons the day wherein he was born and in that distemper departed the World saith the Historian which himself had so often distempered We read of one who lived well that died ill and of but one in the whole Book of God who lived ill that dyed well A sinner may presume upon peace at death and bespeak in the language of Iehoram to Iehu Is it peace Jehu Is it peace death or as the Elders to Samuel Comest thou peaceably but the Answer will be the same with that of Iehu to him What peace can there be so long as the whordoms of thy Mother Jezabel and her witch-crafts are so many What peace can there be so long as thy lâ—sts and atheism and ignorance and prophaness abound and thy abominations are so many It s no wonder that such persons like Owles are never heard but at night the close of their days and then they screech horribly What shall we call a mocking of God saith a learned person if they do not mock him who think it enough to ask him forgiveness at leasure with the last drawing of a malicious breath these find out a new God make one a leaden one like Lewis the eleventh of France And again Let us not flatter our immortal souls to neglect God all our lives and know that we neglect him trusting upon the peace we think to make at parting for this is no
other then a rebellious presumption and a contemptuous laughing to scorn and a deriding of God his Laws and Precepts Unquestionably such will be grosly mistaken at last in falling from their heights into Hell As the Daughter of Polycrates dreamed that her Father was lifted up that Iupiter washed him and the Sun annointed him but it proved to him but a sad prosperity for after a long life and large prosperity he was surprised by his enemies and hanged up till the dew of Heaven wet his cheeks and the Sun melted his grease Reader Let me bespeak thee as Iotham did the men of Sechem Hearken unto me that God may hearken unto you Hearken unto me in this day of thy health and life that God may hearken unto thee in the day of thy sickness and death Make thy peace with God now give a Bill of divorce to sin strike an hearty Covenant with Christ keep thy conscience clean every day allow not thy self in any known sin if thou wouldst leave this world in favour with God in the love of good men and to thy eternal gain Nihil est in morte quod metuamus si nihil timendum vita commisit saith the Antient Death hath nothing frightful but what a prophane life makes so They who flie from the holiness of God in life may well fear the justice of God at death A sinner indeed is every day carrying more Faggots to that pile in which he must burn for ever and always twisting those cords with which Devils will eternally scourge him and therefore the guilt of his wicked life and fear of his dreadful wages may well represent death to him in a frightful vizard But he who makes it his constant business to please his Maker to mortifie his earthly members to crucifie the flesh to serve the Wills of God in his generation and to dress his soul against the coming of the Bridegroom shall finde his latter end comfortable and the day of his death better then the day of his birth O Friend if thou wouldst dye comfortably live conscienciously An happy death is the conclusion of an holy life God hath joyned them together and none can part them asunder It s reported of the Dardani that they never Wash but three times when they are Born when they Marry and when they Dye The true Christian must be daily washing his soul by faith in the blood of his Saviour and bathing himself in the tears of repentance and hereby his soul will be fit to be commended into the Hands of God by well dying 2. Clear up thine evidences for Heaven Be not contented to leave thy salvation at uncertainty They who walk in the dark are full of frights and fears The comfort of thy death will depend much upon the clearness of thy deeds and evidences for eternal life The want of diligence about this hath caused many of the Children of God to go crying to Bed and wrangling to their eternal rest They dye and know not how they shall speed in the other world they fall into the hands of their enemy Death as the Lepers into the hands of the Syrians expecting nothing but cruelty and misery trembling every step of the way though they find good chear and all sorts of comforts 3. Dwell much in the thoughts of Deaths Cicero said of Fencing Fortissima adversus mortem dolorem disciplina It was the strongest fence against the fear of death So I may say of entertaining death frequently in our meditations it s a good guard against the terror of death Custom diminisheth the dread of things which to nature are so frightful Marius before he would bring out his Souldiers to fight with the Cimbres caused them to stand upon the trenches to acquaint themselves with the terrible aspect of those Savages and so brought them to contemn them which at first sight they so amazedly feared When we are on a sudden surprized by an unexpected adversary we want time to unite our strength to resist the assault but what we expect we provide for and so are the better able to encounter with it The old people that lived near the Riphaean Mountains were taught to discourse much of Death and to converse with it and to speak of it as of a thing that will certainly come and ought so to do hence their resolutions were strengthned to undergo it with patience and courage As Cordials lose their vertue so even Poisons their venome by frequent use Mithridates by constant use of it made it so far from being mortal that it was nourishing to him Though Death in its own nature be venemous the Christian by frequent meditation of it and application of the blood of Christ to his soul may make it profitable to him 4. Wean thy heart from the earth They who love the earth as their Heaven will be unwilling to leave it though for Heaven Canst thou bear the loss of some worldly comforts when God takes them from thee if not how wilt thou be able to bear the loss of all worldly comforts in a dying hour If running with Footmen weary thee how wilt thou be able to run with Horsemen If a little loss a little load be ready to break thy back what wilt thou do under the weight of a great one Paul was martyred in his affections before he was martyred in his body and dead to the world before he was slain by the world hence he came to dare even death it self and to bid it do its worst I protest by your rejoycing which I have in Christ Iesus I dye daily Should a Messenger have come to Paul and told him you must dye to morrow and leave all the good things of this life He might have said That is not now to do for I died yesterday and this day and every day and I have already taken my leave of this world and all its vanities Those that like Eeles lye in the mud of worldly pleasures are unfit to be sacrificed to God as being unclean creatures and unwilling to part with their present delights though for those that are more excellent The immoderate love of sublunary vanities makes men say as Peter at Christs transfiguration It is good to be here albeit like him they know not what they say 5. Set thy house in order After the heart is set in order the next work is to set the house in order according to Gods counsel Isa. 38. 1. Abraham was careful before his death to settle the affairs of his houshold as appeareth by his providing a fit spouse for Isaac and his giving gifts to the Children of his second Wife and sending them away Gen. 24. 1 2. and 25. 6. This ought to be done in the time of our health and strength partly because we are uncertain whether we shall have time and ability in sickness to do it or no. How many have died suddenly and why not thou and I as well as others Some who had a
Joseph shall send to convey me to the true Goshen I Wish that I may with patience submit on my dying bed to the divine pleasure It hath been far from some Moralists to murmure either at the extremity of their sickness or the necessity of dying By impatience I do not help but rather kill my self before-hand It s the general lot of mankind to sickeâ— and dye Am I angry that I am a man that I am mortal Because I know that I must be sick and dye I know that I must submit The knowledge of an approaching evil is no small good if improved Though it cannot teach me to prevent it by all my power or providence yet it may teach me to prepare for it and to bear it with courage and patience Discontent and quarrelling are great arguments of guilt and a defiled conscience The harmless sheep conscious of their innocency do quietly receive the Knife either on the Altar or in the Shambles and give death entrance with small reluctancy when the filthy loathsom Swine roar horribly at their first handling and with hideous cries are haled and held to the fatal block The Children of God and members of Christ who are perfect through their head do often give up the Ghost and desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ when the souls of wicked men are required of them and they are strangely passionate at the approach of death and with dreadful screeches salute its Harbinger sickness O that patience might have its perfect work in me when I am taking my leave of it and its work is near an end Lord my heart is too prone to be impatient under thy hand though thou art infinitely wise as well as gracious and knowest what is best for me In my sickness turn mine eyes upon my sins that my discontent may be at my self for that which is the original of all my sorrows and then I shall never repine or murmur against thee I Wish that I may daily think of death and wait beleiving and repenting and working out my salvation till my change shall come My whole time is given me that therein I might prepare and dress my soul for my blessed eternal estate Why should it not be imployed for that end The Child who hath all day been diligent about his duty may expect his Fathers good word at night But what Master will give a reward to him in the evening who hath all the day long served his enemy My life is the seed which will yeild a crop of horror or comfort in an hour of death If that be good my Harvest will be glorious and joyful if that be sinful my Harvest will be bitter and sorrowful Do men gather Grapes of Thorns or Figs of Thistles The Grapes of comfort are not to be expected from the Thistles of corruption nor the Figs of peace from the thorns of impiety I should blush to commit to the keeping of a cleanly and considerable person a foul and filthy vessel With what face can I commend to the holy and glorious God an impure and polluted soul O how dreadful will it be to meet with my dying bed before I have met with the Lord of life and to be going out of the world before I have seriously considered why I came into it My great work in this world is to get my depraved nature healed by the blood and spirit of Christ ifâ— I forget my business when I have time to do it and trifle away my days in doing evil or doing nothing I lose my soul am unfaithful to my Master and deepen my judgement by the number of my days â— That Traveller may well be agast and perplexed who hath a long journey to go upon pain of death in one day for which the whole day is little enough and seeth the sun near setting before he hath begun his journey How ill doth the evening of my time and the morning of my taske accord together How justly may God reserve the dregs of his wrath for me if I reserve the dregs of myâ— days for him What folly am I guilty of in deferring my preparation for death If he be a ridiculous person that having choice of lusty horses should let them all go empty and lay an extraordinary heavy load upon a poor tired jade that is hardly able to go much more foolish is he that prodigally wasteth his youth and health and strength in the service of the flesh and the world and leaves the great and weighty affairs of his soul and eternity to be transacted on a sick or dying bed O my soul what little cause hast thou to future or delay thy solemn provision for the other world First thy life is uncertain thou hast not another day at thy disposal There are some creatures they say in Pontus whose life lasteth but one day They are born in the morning come to their full growth at noon grow old in the evening and dye at night What is thy life but a vapour that soon passeth away The first minute thou didst begin to live thou didst begin to dye Death was born when thou wast born the last act of life is but the completing of death As on thy birâ—hâ—day thou didst begin to dye so on the day of thy death thou dost cease to live How many outward accidents and inward diseases art thou every moment liable to May I not say to thee as Michael to David Save thy self to night for tomorrow thou shalt be slain Others have died suddenly by imposthumes or the falling-sickness or violent means and if thou promisest thy self a fair warning before the fatal stroak thou dost but cozen and cheat thy self But secondly If thou wert sure to see the evening star of sickness before the night of death overtake thee thou art not sure thy sickness shall not be such as may not incapacitate thee for the working out thy salvation Extremity of pain anguish of body lack of sleep the violence of a fever may indispose thee and distract thee that thou canst not so much as think of God Or thy distemper may be such that the Physitian may charge thee not to trouble thy self with melancholy or sad thoughts lest thou wrongest thy body and yet the Minister commandeth thee to pull up those sluces of sorrow if thou wouldst not lose thy soul for ever Or cold diseases as the Lethargy or Palsie may surprise thee and incline thee to continual slumbers till at last thou sleepest the sleep of death O how sottish art thou and how grosly doth the destroyer of souls delude thee to defer that work of absolute necessity of conversion to God upon which thine endless weal or wo dependeth to a dying Bed when thou art not sure to dye in thy bed but mayst as well dye in thy Shop or Fields or in the Streets when thou art uncertain what disease if thou shouldst meet with a dying bed should send thee to thy eternal
home when thou art neither Master of thy time nor reason nor of thy natural abilities much less of supernatural grace which is indispensably requisite to this great work O that since I must dye once for sin I might dye daily to sin and as the Philistines that they might the better deal with Sampson cut off his Hair wherein his great strength lay so that I may the better deal with death I may by faith and repentance daily cut off and destroy sin wherein the strength of death lieth May I not say to thee O my soul as Joshua to Israel Prepare ye victuals for within three days ye shall pass over this Iordan to go to possess the Land which the Lord your God giveth you Prepare the spiritual food the flesh of Christ which is meat indeed and the blood of Christ which is drink indeed an heart weaned from the world longing to be with God for within a few days thou shalt go in to possess the land of promise Lord I know nothing more certain then death Sin hath deserved it my brittle body inforceth it thou hast decreed it and none can prevent it I know nothing more uncertain then the time when or the manner how Thou hast many ways and means to bring me to my grave not onely ordinary distempers of my body but thousands of casual dangers I cannot promise my self freedom from it in any place or condition Death may seise me abroad at home in company in solitude at bed at board Why should I not always provide for that extremity that enemy which I cannot avoid Why should I not ever be ready for that which may come at any time and will come at some time or other Surely I do not hasten my death by preparing for it but sweeten it exceedingly I â—hall not dye a moment the sooner but infinitely the better Should death overtake me in my sins alas where am I what will become of me for ever I may well salute it as Ahab Elijah with Hast thou found me O mine enemy for t will come to me as the Prophet to that King with doleful dreadful tidings T will bring me news of a dismal dungeon of darkness to be my habitation of Lyons and Scorpions and Dragons to be my companions of a never dying worm an unquenchable fire pure wrath without mixture full torments without measure to be my portion for ever and ever O teach me so to live above this vain empty life so to be crucified to this world so to make my peace with thy Majesty through the great peace-maker and Prince of Peace my Lord Iesus so to set my heart and house my spiritual and temporal concernments in order that I may be delivered from the paw of the Lyon from the teeth of this monster from the sting of this Serpent and though my body be destroyed yet my soul may escape as a bird out of the snare of the Fowler and mount up to thy self to enjoy that happy life which shall know no death I Wish that all the days of my appointed time I may exercise my self herein to keep a conscience void of offence towards God and towards all men There are but two which can afford me real comfort in a dying hour which always take the same side and joyn together God and my conscience Humane friends often stand afar off when they should be most near and I have most need Some of them are loth to come to a sick mans chamber Mournful objects must not disturb their jollity and mirth They are sworn enemies to sorrowful occasions and baniâ—h such foes their quarters or themselves from such coasts Others if they come to visit me love not to see my gastly countenance like not to hear my deep and deadly groans But be they never so full of pity they can onely sympathize with me they cannot relieve refresh me The most they can do is to accompany me to my grave and there they leave me But O the comfort which a loving God and a conscience sprinkled with the blood of Christ and purged from dead works will afford me in a dying hour The smiles of a God and chearings of a good conscience will be musick indeed to welcom me to the shoar after all my tumblings and tossings in this tempestuous Ocean They will make my bed in my sickness help me to lye easie hearten me in my sighs and groans be my feast at my funeral bid me Be of good chear for my sins are forgiven me tell me that my Redeemer liveth and because he liveth I shall live also lodge my body in a grave as in a Bed of Spices and convey my soul into my Saviours Bosome and Embraces when my Houses Lands Honours Friends Wife Children leave me they will cleave to me nay when my breath life heart flesh forsake me they will not fail me yea when faith hope patience repentance shall bid me farewel weeping as Orpah did Ruth these like Naomi will stick to me go with me and seek rest for me O that my heart may be so upright in the service of my God that when I â—hall receive the sentence of death I may be able to say with good Hezekiah Remember now I beseech thee O Lord how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart and have done that which is good in thy sight O my soul what a friend shouldst thou be to thy God thy conscience how faithful to their warnings now in life if thou wouldst have them thy friends at death Hereby thou mayst be able to triumph in that hour of temptation to defie death it self and bid it do its worst Though it be the common gate through which the sinner goeth into prison where he meets with Chains and Fetters and cold and all sorts of miseries yet thou shalt go through it into the Kings Pallace where thou shalt have rivers of pleasures and 〈◊〉 entertainment If Jacob went down so joyfully 〈◊〉 Egypt when God had said to him fear not to go down for I will go down with thee and I will bring thee up again What needest thou fear to go down into the Grave when thy God hath undertaken to go down with thee thither and to bring thee up again Thy body may be turned into dust but thy God is in Covenant with thy dust and thy head the blessed Redeemer will not suffer one muscle or nerve or artery or vein of any of his members to be lost With what chearfulness mayst thou take thy leave of thy body Farewel sweet body thou hast been in some measure faithful to thy soul in the service of thy Lord Farewel I must bid thee goodâ—night till the morning of the resurrection Be thou content to go to bed and sleep in the dust and rest in hope for though after the skin wormes destroy this body yet in my flesh â—hall I see God Whom I shall see for my self and mine eyes shall behold him and
with Mithridates they were so eager after their prey that thereby they missed taking the King who could not otherwise have escaped their hands Ah! how foolish art thou if through thy violent pursuit of a perishing world thou shouldst lose an eternal kingdom As Constantinople was lost through the covetousness of the Citizens so is the crown of life and glory the City that hath a foundation through mens eager endeavours after earthly things The beloved Disciple doth not unfitly represent all the beauties and glories and excellencies of this lower world under the name and notion of the Moon which is ever in changes and never looks upon us twice with the same face and when it is at the fullest is blemished with a dark spot and next door to declining Rev. 12. 1. An old man of Brasil discoursing with the Merchants of France and Portugal and perceiving the long and dangerous voyages which they took to get riches asked them If men did not dye with them as well as in other Countries They told him Yea. He asked them who should possess their riches after their deaths They said their Children if they had any if not their next kindred Now saith the old man I perceive ye are fools for what necessity is there for you to pass the troublesome Seas wherein so many perish and to run so many hazards Is not the earth that brought you up sufficient to bring up your children and kindred also We have children and kindred that are likewise dear to us but when we consider that the earth which nourisheth us is sufficient to nourish them we rest satisfied That busie Bee and great trouble-world Alexander had a tart yet wise reproof from Diogenes when being taken with the Philosophers witty answers he bade him ask what he would and he would give it him The Philosopher desired him to grant him the smallest portiou of immortality Alexander said that is not in my power to give Then saith the Philosopher Why doth Alexander take such pains and make such sâ—ir to conquer the world when he cannot assure himself of one moment to enjoy it Ah! why should thou neglect thy God and Christ and soul and eternal good and tyre and weary thy self night and day for these unsatisfying comforts which may leave thee to morrow and of which thou canst not secure the enjoyment of one moment If God complain of wicked men and threatens them with fierce wrath and fiery indignation for selling the righteous for silver and the poor for a pair of shoes and would make them know that he valued his people at an higher price and would not suffer them to be sold at such a rate What will become of thee if thou shouldst sell thy soul thy salvation thy God thy Christ for silver for vain unsatisfying corruptible silver when their value is above millions of worlds O take heed that thou dost not cast away thy self for such transitory trifles Let not the Worlds venison cause thee to lose thy Fathers blessing T was a poor change of Glaucus to exchange gold for copper but O what a sad exchange wilt thou make to exchange heaven for earth the endless fruition of the blessed God for a moments enjoyment of creatures Thou wouldst condemn that Mariner of folly who seeing a Fish in the water should leap into the Sea to caâ—ch it which together with his life he loseth What a fool art thou for mortal comforts to lose an immortal crown The women of Corinth saith an ancient Father did set up Tapers at the birth of every child with proper names upon each of them and that Taper which lasted longest in burning had its proper name transferred to the Child God himself gives the highest and richest though conceited worldling his name Thou fool this night c. Nabal is his name and folly is with him The plain truth is the world is the ruine and destruction of men Its pleasures and honours make the sinner merry and jolly as the hearb Sardonia the eater who eating dyeth They that will be rich fall into temptations and snares and many hurtful lusts which drown men in perdition 1 Tim. 6. 9. The world serveth its darlings as that tyrannous Emperor did his servants let them through a sliding floor into a Chamber â—ull of Roses that being smothered in them they might meet the bitterness of death in sweetness O do not spend thy strength for that which is not bread but hearken to Christ and thou shalt eat that which is good and thy soul shall delight it self in fatness Isa. 55.3,4 Secondly Consider the brevity of thy life He who hath but a little time and a great task must work hard or his work will not be done The Birds know their time and improve it in some Countries the shorter the days are the faster they flye Heathen have been sensible of this Theophrastus cryed out on his dying bed Ars longa vita brevis Time was short and not sufficient for humane arts and sciences Seneca saith of himself Nullus mihi per otium exiit dies partem noctis studiis devovi I lose no day through idleness but even devote part of the night to my studies The very Devils follow their cursed trade with the greater diligence knowing that their time is short Rev. 12. 12. Now Reader Consider how few thy days are What is your life even a vapour a coming and a going a flood and an ebbe and then thou art in the Ocean of eternity I have read of one that being asked What life was was answered answerless for the party of whom the question was demanded onely turned his back and went away We come into the world and take a turn or two about in it and God saith Return ye Children of men A little child may number the days of the oldest man We project high things and lay foundations for an earthly eternity but the longest life is less then a drop to that Ocean Yet alas the most are blown off in the spring and few continue to fall off in Autumn Plutarch compareth Galba Otho and Vitellius in regard of their short reign to Kings in Tragedies which last no longer then the time in which they are represented on the Stage The River Hypanis in Scythia bringeth forth every day little bladders out of which come certain Flies which are bred in the morning fledg'd at noon and dye at night Man cometh up like a flower and is cut down he fleeth as a shadow and continueth not Job 14. 2. This short time posteth away with speed How soon do our days vanish Iob tells us that his little time made great haste to be gone My days are swifter then a Weavers shuttle Job 7. 6. The Weavers shuttle is an instrument of very swift motion and so swift that it is used for a Proverb for all things that are swift and speedy Radius Textoris dictum Proverbiale Radio velocius The Latines express it by a beam of the
they passed by the great Luminaries of Heaven without admiration So these beholding the poor mean treasures and fleeting honours of this world bow down the knees of their souls to them and worship them but pass by the beautiful Image of the blessed God the unsearchable riches in Christ and the glory to be revealed without any respect or regard So reasonable and righteous is mans devoting himself to the worship of the blessed and most high God that he cannot without manifest injustice as well as ingratitude and folly deny the exercising himself to godliness Unless man were his own Makerâ— he cannot have any title to become his own Master Psa. 119. 73. The Redeemers title to us is certain and clear and unquestionable whether we own it or no and all the while we keep any thing from him or deny subjection to him we rob him of his right Ye are not your own but â—ought with a price therefore glorifie God in your bodies and spirits which are Gods 1 Cor. 6. ult The Slave is not his own man but his who redeemed him though his proud and stubborn spirit may refuse to acknowledge it Man is not in the condition of those persons who are servants by compact and agreement for a year or so long as they think fit and upon their own terms but like those whom the Romans took in War over whose persons and estates they had an absolute dominion as well as a right to their works and service Though the Commands of Christ are all holy just and good as profitable for man as honourable for himself yet he hath absolute authority over man and all that he hath and may command him what he pleaseth As Laban said to Iacob These daughters are my daughters these sons are my sons these cattel are my cattel and all thou seest is mine So the Redeemer by vertue of the price he laid down his most precious blood may say to every man This soul is my soul this body is my body this estate is my estate these children and friends are my children and friends this name and credit and interest is mine and all thou haste is mine Yet alas men â—â—o will give their Relations their due strangers their due enemies their due nay according to their Proverb the very Devil his due and far more then his due will not give Iesus Christ his due but against all justice and righteousness rob and wrong him of that which is his own and dearly bought too Rom. 14.7 8. For whether we live we live unto the Lord and whether we dye we dye unto the Lord whether therefore we live or dye we are the Lords For to this end Christ both dyed and rose and revived that he might be Lord both of the dead and living So absolute is the necessity of mans making Religion his business that upon his diligence or negligence herein his eternal salvation or damnation doth depend If any man will be Christs Disciple he must deny himself disclaim all title and disown all right to himself have nothing more to do with himself as upon his own account and make an unfaigned unreserved dedication of himself and all that he hath to the honour and interest of his Redeemer Sanctification is a separation from all common to sacred uses and this must be done with all the heart and soul and strength in the whole course of the life by all that will escape the wrath to come God commandeth men to strive to enter in at the straight gate to work out their salvations with fear and trembling to be holy as he is holy in all manner of conversation and his word is like the Law of the Medes and Persians which cannot be altered He hath enjoyned nothing but what his infinite wisdom saw fit and he is resolved not to vary the least tittle not to abate the least farthing of the price he hath set Foolish men are so besotted by their deceitful hearts and befooled by the Devil that they complement with Religion and onely give it an outside formal salute instead of cordial embraces and real entertainment They deal with religion as Anacharsis saith the Athenians dealt with money using it for no other end but to number and cast up accounts with whereas it might have served them for excellent purposes So they use Religion onely for a shew for fashion for custom and are satisfied with an hypocritical way of Worshipping God and think to put God off therewith whereas it would serve them for high and honourable ends it would if entertained in the power and life of it elevate the Christian above this beggarly world enable him to combat with and conquer his sturdy stubborn lusts and the power and policy of Hell help him to a conversation in Heaven to converse and communion with the Father and Jesus Christ his Son and dress his soul for a blessed eternity Reader If thou art unacquainted with this high and honourable this worthy and noble Calling of Christianity I shall appeal to thy reason and conscience in the tender of some questions possibly one or other of them may prevail with thee to bind thy self Apprentice to it As a Fowler according to the different nature of his game contrives and appropriates his stratagems that some he catcheth with light as Larks with a glass and day nets some with baits as Pigeons with pease some with frights as Blackbirds with a low-bell some with company as Ducks with decoy fowl So I shall endeavour to suit my questions to thy temper whatever it be that if either the light of reason or the bait of unconceiveable and infinite profit or the frights of dreadful threatnings and comminations or the company of Christ the captain of our salvation and all his followers and Souldiers who marched to Heaven in this way will win upon thee I may perswade thee to make Religion thy business O that being crafty I might catch thee with holy guile To this end I beseech thee to weigh the questions again and again as thou readest them and to dart up thy prayers to Heaven for a blessing on them that thou mayst not reject the counsel of God against thy own soul but hearken to counsel receive instruction and be wise for thy latter end 1. Is not that worthy to be made thy business upon which the true comfort and joy of thy life during thy whole pilgrimage doth depend Comfort is the cream the top of life joy is the flower the honey the life of life Life without comfort without delight is a living death If the body be disquieted with diseases and aches and pains the soul as a tender Husband sympathizing with his bride though the patient be heir of a Kingdom and commander of large dominions yet all creatures to him are unsavoury morsels and as an aguish pallat he can taste can rellish nothing Iob in distress speaks in such a mans dilect Why is light given to him that is in misery
affections to them Who would esteem much of that flower which flourisheth and looks lovely in the morning but perisheth and is withered at night How little are those things worth which are to day mine and to morrow anothers which make themselves wings and as birds flye away are no sooner in sight but almost as soon out of sight Though all the works and creatures of God are excellent and admirable in their degrees and places yet some are of far more worth then others because of their nearer relation to our spiritual souls and their eternal duration When I look upon honours and applause and respect in the world methinks its worth is little for I can see through that air it is but a breath a blast that quickly passeth away When I look upon houses and lands and silver and gold I may well judge their price low for there is a worm that will eat out and consume the strongest timberd-dwelling and gold and silver are corruptable things Riches are not for ever When I look upon my Wife and Children in whom I have through mercy much comfort and contentment yet their value as natural relations is small for so they shall not be mine for ever and therefore they that have wives are commanded to be as though they had none But when I look upon grace upon godliness upon religion upon the Image of God O of what inâ—â—nite worth and price and value are they because they are lasting they are everlasting they are mine for ever When honours and crowns and robes and scepters are but for a few days when stately pallaces and costly mannors and treasures gold and pearl are but for a short time when the most lovely and loving wives and husbands and sons and daughters and friends are frail and fading The fear of the Lord is clean enduring for ever Godliness is the good part that when thy relations and possessions and all the good thing of this life shall be taken from thee shall never be taken from thee Reader what an argument is here to provoke thee to spend and be spent to imploy all thy time and strength and talents to sell all for this pearl when it is of so great price that when all other priviledges excellencies royal or noble births high breedings preferments favours with Great men riches pleasures will onely as brass of leathren money be currant in some Countries in this beggarly earth it will enrich thee and enliven thee refresh and rejoyce thee for ever 11. Is not that worthy to be made thy business which all men even the greatest enemies to it will sooner or later heartily and earnestly wish had been their business We have an usual saying that what one speaketh may be false and light and what two speak may be false and vain and what three speak may be so but what all speak and agree in must have something of truth and weight in it And again we say Vox populi est vox dei The voice of all the people is an oracle Though as Christ said of himself so I may say of Godliness God himself beareth witness of it and his witness is true and it needeth not testimony from man yet as he made use of the testimony of Iohn to convince the Jews of their desperate wickedness and inexcusableness in not submitting to his precepts and accepting him as a Saviour So may I improve the witness of the whole world on the behalf of Godliness to convince thee Reader of thy folly and sinfullness in neglecting it and to shew thee how inexcusable thou wilt be found at the day of Christ if thou dost not presently set upon it and make it thy business It s evident that many men whose hearts are full of opposition to the ways of God and whose lives are a flat contradiction to his Word and Will do yet in their extremity seek him early and cry to him earnestly and flie to Godliness as the only shelter in a storm and safest anchor in a tempest The most prophane and atheistical wretches who have in their works defied God himself and in their words blasphemously derided godly men and godliness when they have been brought low by sickness and entred within the borders of the King of terrours and have some apprehensions upon their spirits that they must go the way of all the earth then as Naturalists observe of the dying Cuckoe they change their note send for godly Ministers godly Christians desire them to pray with them to pray for them hearken diligently to their serious instructions wish with all their hearts and would give their highest honours and richest treasures and imperial diadems and kingdoms if they have any and all they are worth that they had made Godliness their business and promise if God will spare them and lengthen their lives but a few days upon earth that they will have no work no calling no employment no design but how to please God and obey his counsel and submit to his Spirit and follow after holiness and prepare their souls for heaven O then Godliness is godliness indeed and grace is grace indeed Then they call and cry as the foolish Virgins to the wise Give us of your oyl for our lamps are gone out O give us grace give us godliness in the power of it for all our formal out side lazy serving of God is come to nothing The Serpent that is crooked all her life time when dying stretcheth her self straight As Dionisius on his death when he heard Thales discoursing excellently about the nature and worth of Moral Philosophy Cursed his pastimes and sports and foolish pleasures that had taken him off and diverted him from the study of so worthy a subject So these lovers of pleasures more then lovers of God whose lives are little else then brutish delights in a circle or a diversion from one pleasure to another whose business now is to mock at piety and persecute the pious when they come to be thrown by a disease on their beds and their consciences begin to accuse them for their neglect of Godliness and to convince them of its absolute necessity and they have some fears to be overthroâ—n by death then they curse their hauks and hounds and games and cups and companions and sensual delights that hindered them from making religion their business Experience testifieth this frequently in many parts of the Nation where the consciences of dying sinners are not seared with a red hot iron Some wish this whilst they live either under some great affliction or on a dying bed nay I am perswaded that most wicked men that live under the Gospel in their prosperity even when they have the world at will in the midst of their sensual delights have inward conviction that the course they take will prove cursed in the end and have some velleities or weak desires though overruled by carnal head-strong affections that they could leave those vanities and make religion their business But
all wicked men after death when they come into the other world will wish in earnest with all their hearts and souls that they had minded nothing but the service of God and exercising themselves unto godliness There there it is that the whole world that now lyeth in wickedness and will not believe the word and wisdom of their Maker will all set their hands and seals to the truth of that which I am now endeavouring to evince When God sends his Officer death to arrest sinners for the vaste summs which they owe to his justice for their breach of his laws and this Serjeant according to command from the King of Kings executes his writ and delivers his prisoner to the Divels Gods Iaylors and they seize as so many roaring Lions on the poor trembling prey and hale them to their own den hell that dungeon of eternal darkness where sinners see and are assured that all their meat must be flakes of fire and brimstone and all their drink a cup of pure wrath without mixture and all their Musick howling and weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth and all their rest torments day and night for ever and ever and all their Companions frightful Devils and a cursed crew of damned wretches and all this to come upon them for not making religion their business whilst they were on earth Then O then they will wish with all their souls and strengths again and again that they had minded the Christian mans calling and made religion their business whilst they were in this world though they had been slaves or beggars or vagabonds and had lived in poverty and disgrace and prisons and fetters during their whole pilgrimage Now Reader if the witness of one enemy be a double testimony what is the witness of all the enemies of God and Godliness on the behalf of the Lord and his ways against themselves Shall it not prevail with thee to set speedily and diligently about the work of Christianity Ah how dumb wilt thou be struck another day if thou wilt not believe either God or good men or thy conscience or thy companions or all the world 12. and Lastly Is not that worthy to be made thy business upon which thine eternal life or death salvation or damnation doth depend Consider it friend here is salvation and damnation before thee eternal salvation and eternal damnation and they depend upon thy making religion thy business or neglect of it O what weight is there in these few words Make religion thy business and thou art eternally blessed be formal and careless about it and thou art cursed for ever upon the one and the other turneth thine eternal estate The Almighty God hath under his own hand set down this making religion thy business to be the onely terms upon which heaven shall be had and it is impossible to alter or abate his price Ioh. 6. 27. Mat. 6. 33. Philp. 2. 12. Canst thou be so foolish as to think that Christ and happiness and eternal life can be obtained upon easier conditions whea he must make God a liar and the Gospel a lie which the Divel himself is not so wicked as to think possible who arriveth at the port of bliss without exercising himself to Godliness The promises ever since the world was had the same conditions and ever will whilst the world shall endure The Gospel is therefore called the everlasting Gospel because it will continue without the least change or alteration the same for ever Thou mayst be confident that God doth not as some indiscret Citizens ask much more for his eternal glory and life men then he intendeth to take I say again ponder it for this argument hath more in it then thine understanding can possibly conceive or imagine Is not that worthy to become thy business and main work in this world upon which thine everlasting weal or wo thine endless estate in the other world doth depend Reader if that doth not deserve all thy time and pains and soul and heart and infinitely more upon which unchangable joy or eternal torments hang then I am sure nothing doth Alas all the things of this world whether about food or raiment or houses or lands or wives or children nay and life it self are but toys and trifles and shadows and nothings to an everlasting condition in the other world O that thou wert but able to conceive what it is to be eternally in fullness of pleasure or eternally in extremity of pain to be frying in flames for ever or bathing in rivers of delight for ever To enjoy God in his ordinances though it be but imperfectly and in a low degree one hour one day how sweet is it His tabernacles are highly amiable upon that account One day in thy Courts is better then a thousand elswhere But to enjoy God fully immediately and for ever too O how superlatively how infinitely pleasant and delightful will it be To be in Gods lower house though but a little time under some pious powerful Minister how reviving and refreshing is it But to dwell in his upper house for ever O blessed are they that dwell in that house they always praise thee The eternal presence of God will cause an eternal absence of all evil and an eternal confluence of all good O Reader who will not work hard labour much exercise himself to Godliness night and day do any thing that God commandeth suffer any thing that God inflicteth forbear any thing that God forbiddeth to be saved eternally to be infinitely blessed in the fruition of God for ever Surely its worth the while to obey the counsel of God in order to eteâ—nal salvation On the other side eternal damnatian how dreadful is it if it be but the scratch of a pin for ever or a little ach of the head for ever it woâ—ld be very doleful but a violent head-ach or tooth-ach or fits of the collick or stone for ever oh how intolerable would they be But ah how terrible is the wrath of God for ever darkness of darkness for ever the fire of hell for ever to which all the wracks and torments in this life are next to nothing Ah who can dwell in everlasting burnings I suppose thou woulst avoid thy wicked companions and forbear thy sinful courses do any thing thou couldst rather then to boyl in a furnace of scalding water for a thousand years nay one year and wilt thou not make religion thy business when otherwise God himself hath told thee thou shalt boil in a furnace of scalding wrath infinitely worse then scalding lead for ever ever ever Consider what thou hast read and the Lord give thee understanding that thou mayst be wise to eternal salvation Reader these twelve Questions being proposed I desire thee to answer them to him before whom thou shalt answer ere long for all the motions of thy heart and passages of thy whole life and I shall not detain thee longer in the passage though it be much
swell never so much by unlawful means yet t is but like the swelling of the dropsie a presage of death O my soul what will it avail thee to be rich here and to be a beggar hereafter and that for ever Thou pretendest to purity but thy God tells thee that holiness and righteousness are like Husband and Wife joyned by him together and none may part them asunder Thou art unsound in all thy sacred duties if thou art unrighteous in thy civil dealings When the unjust dealer is cast into the unquenchable fire what will become of the great Professour What is the hope of the Hypocrite though he hath gained when God shall take away his soul Iob 27. 8. When the Thief is taken and carried to the Goal all the money he hath stollen is taken from him When Death seiseth thee and sendeth thee to the Prison of Hell all thy ill gotten goods must be left behind When thou art lost eternally what will become of thy unjust gains Thy Children may be ranting with it on Earth and thou art roaring for it in Hell Ah! what dear contracts dost thou make to sell thy present peace and thy future endless joy for a little perishing pelfe The comfort of thy life now consisteth in communion with thy God but he that saith He hath fellowship with God and walketh in darkness is a lyar 1 Ioh. 1. 6. Thy God hates to taste of those Waters which run out of such musâ—y Vessels Muchless will he suffer any of such rotten hearts and stinking breaths to draw neer to him in Heaven Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God 1 Cor. 6. 9. No such Cattel shall ever come into the Celestial Court Unrighteous Heathens shall be shut out of Heaven and surely then unrighteous Christians shall be cast into the lowest Hell O let the fear of thy God ever possess thee that the love of this World may never pollute thee Manifest thy love to thy Saviour by loving thy Neighbour as thy self Blessed God who lovest righteousness and hatest iniquity the Scepter of whose Kingdom is a righteous Scepter who wilt render unto every man his righteousness and who hast appeared to me by that grace which teacheth me to deny all ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live righteously in this present evil world Let thy good Spirit fill me with all the fruits of righteousness Do thou so lead me in the paths of equity for thy names sake that I may follow after righteousness and inherit a â—ure reward I Wish that I may be righteous in every relation wherein I stand and towards all persons with whom I deal that I may give to Superiours the things that are theirs to Inferiours the things that are theirs lest by denying either I rob all My God is no respecter of persons but just in all his ways and righteous in all his works When shall I imitate his blessed Majesty He tells me Blessed are they that keep judgment and he that doth righteousness at all times If I expect the blessing propounded I must mind the righteousness enjoyned and that is to be righteous at all seasons O my soul what encouragement hast thou to do justly upon all occasions thy righteousness shall have a large recompence Thy Children may fare the better The just man walketh in his integrity and his Children are blessed after him Nay thy whole Family The voice of joy and Salvation is in the Tabernacle of the righteous Whereas thou mayst fear that thy plain dealing may bring thee and thine to poverty thou bast his promise that he will make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous Above all thou thy self wilt have the greatest solace Thy righteousness shall answer for thee in time to come and whereas the dishonest wealth of others is a corroding worm to gnaw their consciences thy justice will afford thee present comfort In the transgression of an evil man there is a snare but the righteous doth sing and rejoyce Prov. 29. 6. Ah! who would not sow righteousness when he shall certainly reap so much mercy Though others as if they had pitchy hands take to themselves whatsoever they touch to the defiling of their own souls and like whirlpools suck in all that comes neer them to their own destruction do thou mete out all thy dealings by that royal measure Whatsoever thou wouldst that men should do to thee do the same to them for this is the Law and the Prophets When thou art buying or selling or about any bargain with thy Neighbour reflect upon thy self Would I be glad to be thus dealt with Were I in this mans case would I be willing that he should serve me as I serve him Am I as plain-hearted as true as just in my carriage towards him as I would desire him to be in his trading with me Would I be contented to be defrauded should I take it well to be defamed Is this action of mine such as I could be contented to receive the like Do I in this business love my Neighbour as my self Lord who hast promised that the righteous shall be had in everlasting remembrance in this world and shall shine as the Sun in the other world and who hast put the unrighteous and lovers of themselves in the front of that black list which is for the unquenchable fire do thou deliver me out of the hands of mine enemies that I may serve thee in holiness and righteousness all the days of my life I Wish that I may mind righteousness in my words as well as in my works and not dare to hide deceitful and foul intentions under fair and fawning expressions To say what is true and to be true to what I say is the property of a true Christian My God is a God that cannot lye his people are a people that will not lye If I therefore be found a lyar how unlike am I both to God and his people Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord but they that deal truly are his delight Though lying lips may be perfumed with sweet words to men yet God smells the stench and loatheth the ill savour of those rotten inwards whence they proceed And though truth may beget hatred from men such sweet breath is his love and delight He is the God of truth His Law is the truth His Gospel is the word of truth His Son is the true and faithful Witness O that truth of heart truth of words and truth in deeds may be all in me which are so agreeable to the true God and so acceptable to the God of truth Can that tongue lye so loud to men which even now called so loud on God Shall those hands be filching in my Neighbours pocket which were so lately lifted up to Heaven in prayer Is my speech given me for my glory and shall it be the driveling of a Divel that father of lyes Lord let
is a Traytour to his supreme Lord and to his Viceroy within him Reason but a Saint and a wicked man are contrary consider them from head to foot they stand both in defiance against each other Their understandings are contrary the one is light the other is darkness the one judgeth sin to be the greatest and most abominable evil the other judgeth it to be a pleasant eligible good Their wills are contrary the one is a resolved Souldier under the Captain of his salvation fully set to lose his life before he will give up his cause or leave his colours the other is a sworn Officer under the Prince of the powers of the Air an implacable enemy to the former General and stoutly bent to dye nay be damned rather then desert him Their affections are contrary the affections of the onâ— as fire ascend upward are set on things above the affections of the other like earth tend downwards and are set on things below what the one loves above his life the other hates unto death what the one forsakes as worse then Poyson the other followeth after as his onely portion Are these two Reader like to agree and to be as friends should of one heart and of one soul Idem velle idem nolle est vera amicitia saith the Oratour T is true friendship to Will and Nill the same things what kind of friendship must that be then between those that always will and nill contrary things Let thy own reason be judge if likeness be the ground of love what love can there be amongst them that are wholly unlike O let noâ— any carnal interest sway thee to choofe Sodom for the place of thy habitation much less to accept of Gods Foe to be thy bosome friendâ— for what communion hath light with darkness or what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness and what concord hath Christ with Belial or what part hath he that beleiveth with an infidel 2 Cor. 6. 14 15. Like as the Elements according to Empedocles opinion are always at strife together but specially those that are neerest so godly and evil men are always at odds but those especially that are nearest The Horse hath a natural emnity against the Camel and the Camel against the Horse Therefore Cyrus being to fight with the Babylonians who excelled in Horses used as many Camels as he could get The sinner is like the Horse altogether unclean the Christian like the Camel that cheweth the cud though he divideth not the hoofe is parly clean partly unclean now there being an enmity betwixt these there can never be any society The Feathers of Eagles say Naturalists will not mingle with the feathers of any ohter Fowls Many complain of the treachery of their friends and say as Queen Elizabeth that in trust they have found treason but most of these men have greatest cause if all things be duly weighed to complain of themselves for making no better choice He is right served in all mens judgements who hath his liquor running out which he puts into a leaking Vessel or riven Dish SECT III. I Come now to shew wherein the power of godliness consisteth or how a man maketh Religion his business in the choice of his Companions First Be as careful as thou canst that the persons thou choosest for thy Companions be such as fear God The man in the Gospel was possessed with the Devil who dwelt amongst the Tombs and conversed with Graves and Carcasses Thou art far from walking after the good spirit if thou choosest to converse with open Sepulchres and such as are dead in sins and trespasses God will not shake the wicked by the hand as the vulgar read Iob 8. 20. neither must the godly man David proves the sincerity of his course by his care to avoid sucâ— society I have walked in thy truth I have not sat with vain persons Psa. 26. 5. 6. There is a twofold truth 1. Truth of Doctrine Thy Law is the truth free from all dross of corruption and falshood oâ— error 2. Truth of affection or of the inward parts this may be called thy truth or Gods truth though man be the subject of it partly because it proceedeth from him partly because it is so pleasant to him in which respect a broken heart is called the sacrifice of God Psa. 51. 6. As if he had said I could not have walked in the power of Religion and in integrity if I had associated with vile and vain company I could never have walked in thy precepts if I had sat with vain persons Observe the phrase I have not sat with vain persons 1. Sitting is a posture of choice it s at a mans liberty whether he will sit or stand 2. Sitting is a posture of pleasure men sit for their ease and with delight therefore the glorified are said to sit in heavenly places Eph. 2. 6. 3. Sitting is a posture of staying or abiding 2 King 5. 3. standing is a posture of going but sitting of staying The blessed who shall for ever be with the Lord and his chosen are mentioned to sit down with Abraham Isaac and Iacob in the Kingdom of Heaven Mat. 8. 11. David in neither of these senses durst sit with vain persons He might as his occasions required use their Company but durst not knowingly choose such Company They could not be the object of his election who were not the object of his affection I hate the congregation of evil doers saith he in verse 7. As sitting is a posture of pleasure he did not sit with vain persons He was sometimes amongst them to his sorrow but not to his solace They were to him as the Canaanites to the Israelites pricks in his eyes and thornes in his sides Wo is me for I dwell in Meshech and my habitation is in the Tents of Kedar Psa. 120. 5 6. It caused grief not gladness that he was forced to be amongst the prophane Again He might stand amongst them but durst not unless necessitated as a Prisoner kept by force in a Prison sit with them A godly man may go to such persons as we do sometimes to felons in a Gaol about business but he likes not to stay in such a nasty place It s said of the Lyzard an unclean Bird that she liveth in Graves and such places of corruption But the Dove a clean creature loves to build and lie clean Though â—he sinner like Satan delights in herds of Swine the Saint disesteemeth a vile person and honoureth them that fear the Lord Psa. 15. 4. The Burgess of the new Ierusalem saith one upon that Text reprobos reprobat probos probat he rejecteth the vicious and though they may be great and high counteth them but vile Elisha was so far from bestowing his love that he thought an evil King not to deserve a look As the Lord liveth were it not that I regard the presence of Iehosaphat the King of Iudah I would not look
will suffer then not to publish what thou art is a sin The light of Religion ought not to be carried in a Dark Lanthorn and to be shewn onely when thy own interest will permit and at other times to be hid Christ tells us Whoâ—oever shall deny me before men him will I deny before my Father which is in Heaven Mat. 10. 33. Not to confess Christ openly when thou art called to it is to deny him And expect the same measure from Christ in the other world which thou givest to him in this How justly will he be disowned for a servant hereafter that was ashamed to own so Noble a Master here And how dreadful will his condition be whom Christ shall deny before his Father All thy happiness depends upon his confessing thee If he disclaim thee Divels will lay claim to thee and theirs thou shalt be for ever It concerns thee therefore to confess Christ how dear soever it may cost and to own Religion in all companies for thou mayst truly say what an honest man did being occasionally in a Pyrates Ship when t was searcht and the Pyrates cryed out Wo be to us if we be known he said Wo be to me if I be not known There are a sort of men that like Mercury the Good-fellow Planet are according to their company good if with the good bad if in conjunction with bad but the true Christian hath not so learned Christ. He who like the Mariner changeth his course upon the change of the weather is but an unsound Professour We read of some that feared the Lord and served graven Images 2 King 17. 41. They divided themselves between the true God and Idols As the Jewish Children which spake half Hebrew and half in the language of Ashdod Nehem. 13. 24. and as some Gentlemen that speak Italian when they are amongst Italians French amongst French men and order their language answerable to their associates So some that would be called Christians change themselves both for words and deeds into the nature of their Companions Amongst the godly they own God but amongst the wicked they deny him They alter their colour as the Sole say Naturalists according to that which is nearest and expose the Name of God rather then their own to contempt Beza saith of Baldwinus that he had Religionem ephemeram A Religion for every day Some men have a deportment sutable to all with whom they converse resembling such as are sinful and dissembling with them that are holy These are either ashamed or afraid of Christ both which are unreasonable 1. Some will not own him out of shame though he be the glory of his people Israel The Paint of women in some Countries is the Dung of the Crocodile and their sweet powder the excrement of a Cat yet people can esteem these their honour The Drunkard can boast of his strength to drink The cunning Cheat of his deceitful doings And alas many Christians are ashamed of Christ. O how unworthy is it that wicked men should glory in their shame and good men be ashamed of their glory that the scum of Hell should be prided in and the Soveraign of Heaven be esteemed a disgrace that some should with brows of brass boast of the ugly Monster begotten of Satan and others not dare to own the fairest of ten thousands and the onely begotten of the Father It s reported of Aristotles Daughter that being asked what colour was best she should answer the blush colour Diogenes was wont to say that Blushing was the colour of vertue How ever this colour may be commendable on other occasions its abominable in the cause of Christ David saith I will speak of thy judgements before Kings and will not be ashamed Psa. 119. 46. Neither the greatness of their power nor the brightness of their splendour shall make me bashful and ashamed to own thee Shame doth excellently become sin but it s wholly unbecoming the blessed Saviour Rom. 6. 21. Mark 8. 38. 2. Some will not own Christ out of fear As an Owl peeps at the Sun out of a Bâ—rn but dares not come near it So some peep at the Sun of righteousness but stand aloof as if they were more afraid to be nigh God then the Devil This made Peter deny his Master How daunted have many been to look danger in the face He who had sometimes courage enough to take a Lion by the beard lost his colour and changed his behaviour before wicked Achish Slavish fear is a great foe to Godliness The Great Philosopher gives this reason why the Camelion changeth colour so frequently he being a fearful creature swelleth by drawing in the air hereby his skin is pent in and made smooth and more apt to receive the colour of those objects that are next him They who are fearful of suffering will easily if their company require it change their colour and disown their Saviour Timerous creatures will run into any unclean places for shelter when a magnanimous spirit in a good cause will defie death it self He who fears his skin is no friend to his soul but will defile the latter to defend the former Fear surprising the heart takes it away and makes the Christian weak and then 't is no wonder if the smallest blow conquer him and like a Reed he bend with the least blast of wind but how unreasonable is it that any should be afraid to own the blessed Saviour when in sticking close to him is their only safety Nothing can hurt thee but sin t is that alone which exposeth thee to injuries and miseries if thou fearest that thou needest fear nothing else What a foolish bargain dost thou make by denying Christ to make wicked and weak men thy seeming friends and the jealous God thy real enemy Is not he distracted who to avoid the scratch of a pin layeth himself open to the shatering of a Cannon And art thou not worse if to avoid the fury of poor Mortals thou incurrest the wrath of the Almighty Remember that the fearful are the first in the black list for the eternal fire Rev. 21. 8. and do not play the Coward as Furius Fulvius to sound a retreat when thou shouldst as a man of courage sound an Alarm The Mulberry tree is esteemed the wisest of all Trees because it onely bringeth forth its leaves after the cold frosts be past but in Christianity he is a fool who dares not profess himself a Christian till dangers be over St. Austin in his Confessions relates a story of one Victorinus who being converted because he had many great friends that were Heathens durst not own Christ publiquely but went to Simplicianus and whispered him in the ear I am a Christian but Simplicianus answered him Vix credo nec deputabo te inter Christianos c. I do not beleive it nor will count thee a Christian till I see thee profess it openly Victorinus at first derided this answer but afterwards considering the
be consumed Why may not my soul find some Pearl in the Heads of these Toads and get some spirital riches by trading with them for temporal Naturalists tell me its wholsom for a flock of Sheep to have some Goats amongst them their bad sent being Physical to preserve the Sheep from the Shakings Surely then the presence of ungodly men may sometimes be profitable for me and prevent that lightness and vanity which I am too apt to discover in every company Though I am loose amongst my friends and it be my sorrow I had need to be serious amongst mine enemies lest I become their scorn Frankincense put into the fire giveth the greater perfume Civet doth not lose its savour but is the sweeter in a sink O that my soul might draw the nearer to God because others depart farther from him and do him the more service and be the more diligent at his work because they are so unworthy and wicked Executioners and Hangmen are helpful to a Country to free them from those Felons and Murderers that would destroy the Inhabitants My sins may receive their deaths wounds through the hands of them who have no true love to me My Pride may well be abated because of their prophaness Free grace alone makes me to differ I had been as bad as the worst of them if infinite mercy had not preserved me I shall be as bad if boundless love do not prevent me to God alone therefore belongs the glory Possibly they may sometimes twit me with my faults and herein they may prove my friends Every man hath need of a Monitor My friends too often are cowardly and afraid to tell me my errors lest they should give offence my enâ—mies will speak their minds freely if they know any thing amiss by me and so do me a great kindness Myrrhe though bitter may heal wounds and preserve from putrefaction so may the taunts and gibes of ungodly men cure my inward sores and make me watchful against future wandring T was a worthy speech of the Macedonian King Philip when he was told that Nicanor spake evil of him I believe he is honest and I fear I have deserved it I may also be the better for wicked mens counsel as well as their carping if I have but the wit to follow it so far as it is good Evil Joab gave good counsel to David and had he desisted upon it from numbring the people it might have saved the lives of some thousands It is ordinary indeed to value the advice by the person and thereby it becomes unprofitable But is silk the less precious because it s spun by vile worms Are Roses the less sweet because they grow amongst briers and brambles Silver and Gold are not the worse by being taken out of the lowest element the Earth That Wine may strengthen and refresh my nature which is drawn out of a wooden or wormeaten caske O that I might take the counsel of the worst in that which is good and refuse the counsel of the best in that which is evil Lord thou canst command that these stones of wicked men be made bread to nourish my soul teach me by their falls to walk more humbly with thee and to cleave more fast to thy Son through whose strength alone I stand Blessed be thy justice which hath made them examples to me and blessed be thy mercy that hath not made me an example to them I Wish that whilst my God calleth me among them I may do good to them as well as receive good from them that I may as Musk cast a fragrancy amongst such course and foul linnen Though I hate their sins yet I am bound to love and pity their souls T is true they are vile and vicious they work iniquity they walk after the flesh they walk contrary to God and bid him depart from them But may I not say Father forgive them they know not what they do Did they know him they would not by their sins crucifie afresh the Lord of glory It s no wonder that blind men should wander out of the right way that those who have been kept in Dungeons all their days should be contented with the poor Rush-candles of creature comforts and never desire nor enquire after the Sun of Righteousness Alas the God of this World hath blinded their minds lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ who is the Image of God should shine unto them He knoweth that did they but see the grace they abuse the love they despise the excellency and certainty of that Salvation which they neglect and the extremity and endlesness of that misery which they are hastening to they would quickly turn about and mind the things which concern their everlasting peace therefore he holds his black hand over their eyes and so they are alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them O what pity should I have for such ignorant persons as are running hoodwinkt to Hell If to him that is afflicted pity should be shewn what pity doth he call for who is all over infected with sin and every moment in danger of everlasting death Can I be troubled to behold the blind or the lame or the sick and have I no bowels for those souls that lye weltring in their blood Besides the time was that I had as low thoughts of God and his ways and as high thoughts of the flesh and the world as they I was once in their condition a servant of sin an heir of wrath and therefore I owe them the more compassion Those that have been sensible of the Stone or Gout or Tooth-ach are the more pitiful towards them that are affected with the same pain My God bids me to be gentle shewing all meekness towards all men Tit. 3. 2 3. Because I my self was sometimes disobedient deceived and serving divers lusts and pleasures When I was wallowing in my uncleanness and priding my self in my pollutions the heart of my God was turned towards me and the hand of mercy open to me O my soul shall not that infinite perdition to which thou wast obnoxious and that infinite compassion of which thou hast tasted prevail with thee to pity others O that thou wert so affected with the misery thou hast deserved and that rich love and grace which thou hast received that thou mightest seriously and studiously endeavour by thy affectionate counsel pious carriage and prudent admonition that others may be partakers of the same mercy and grace if my carriage be unblameable my counsel and reproof will be the more acceptable wholsom meat often is distastful coming out of nasty hands A bad liver cannot be a good counsellor or bold reprover such a man must speak softly for fear of awaking his own guilty â—onscience If the Bell be crackt the sound must needs be jarring I desire that I may be as bold to reprove as others are to commit sin yet that I may be so prudent
and service Proud men disdain to take poor Saints advice as if wisdom had forsaken all commerce with inferiour persons and taken up her abode onely in stately Palaces Upon this score Darius instead of the thanks which he owed payed Charidemus with no less then death for his good counsel But it s the folly as well as the arrogancy of some rather to ascend to a dangerous height then descend at the call of one below them O how mad is he that will rather run on in hazardous paths to his ruine then turn back and retreat at the desire of one that is his inferiour And such proud Christians have this usually for their reward of God that when the humble that will stoop to take up jewels at the feet of the meanest are enriched they get nothing by godly conference We give no relief to them that go gorgeously attired and brag of their own large revenues There lieth a great deal of wealth and worth in some obscure and neglected Christians men do not more usually trample upon the golden veins of earth in America then conceited persons trample on the spiritual riches in poor Christians but a wise man will better himself by his enemies much more by his godly friends both in taking their counsel and receiving their admonition if occasion be 1. In Taking counsel It was said of Demosthenes that he was better at praising vertue then practising it We must write by that Copy which we set others It was the speech of a Philosopher That its the easiest thing in the world to give good counsel and the hardest thing to take it Iobs friends though falsly taxed him as guilty of this crime Iob 4. 3 4 5. Behold thou hast instructed many and strengthened the weak hands Thy words have up holden him that was falling and thou hast strengthned the feeble knees But now it is come upon thee and thou faintest it toucheth thee and thou art troubled Doctor Preston confessed on his death-bed that he found it difficult to take that Physick which he had often administred to others But all Christians must and will endeavour it Solomon makes it the mark of a prudent man The way of a fool is right in his own eyes but he that hearkeneth to counsel is wise Prov. 11. 15. When out of self-conceit we refuse others advice we bewray our own pride and folly Quintilian said of some They might have proved excellent Scholars if they had not thought themselves so already this is true of too many in our days They might have proved excellent Christians if they had not thought themselves too good to learn He that every day layeth up something though but little will in time have a good stock 2. In Receiving admonition The stomach of man naturally riseth against this bitter Physick though it conduceth so much to his health Faithful reproof is the awakening a man out of sleep and such are very apt to be angry The Hedg-hog brusleth up her prickles and will pierce if it be possible those that come to take hold of her There are two things that cause men to rage against reproof 1. Guilt of the sin objected Guilt makes men angry when they are searched and like Horses that are gâ—lled to kick if they be but touched They hate saith the Holy Ghost him that reproveth in the gate The easiest medicines and mildest waters are troublesome to sore eyes Praxaspes having reproved Cambyses for his drunkenness did so exasperate him that he shot the Son of the Reprover through the heart to confute the Father by shewing the steadiness of his hand Though you stir one that hath a boyl never so gently yet he will fret and fume Ahab conscious of his own filth and wickedness hates Michaiah for telling him the truth There is sâ—arce a more probable sign that the crime objected is true then wrath and bitterness against the person that chargeth us with it Children that have cankers will not suffer honey to come near their mouths as sweet as it is Though men are bold to sin even to the face of God yet they are so proud that they would not have it visible to the eye of a man therefore when by their admonitions they find that they are discovered they wrangle and quarreâ— 2. Love to sin makes men impatient under reproof T was Davids fondness of Absolon that made him so strict in his charge to his Captains concerning him Deal gently with the young man Absolon for my â—ake T is love of lust that makes us so desirous it should be spared and so passionate when it is pierced by a reproof A man may gather that sin to be his Dalilah which he will suffer none to hurt Eglebert King of West Saxons slew Earl Cambra for telling him of his faults but it was because his sin was dearer to him then his soul. When a persons sin is to him as the apple of his eye no wonder if he be offended at any that shall touch it Solomon calls reproofs ear-rings I am sure they are ill bestowed on such uncircumcised ears Prov. 25. 12. But Grace will teach a Christian contentedly to take those potions that are wholsom though they be not toothsom It is holy Davids expression Let the righteous smite me it shall be a kindness and let him reprove me it shall be an excellent Oyl it shall not break my head Psa. 141. 5. Faithful reproof is a token of love and therefore may well be esteemed a kindness Such wounding of a friend is healing and so David might well call it an excellent Oyl And he did not onely say so which is easie and ordinary but acted accordingly He did not as the Papists who highly commend holy water but turn away their faces when it comes to be sprinkled on them When he had by sin and continuance in it so gangrend his flesh and corrupted himself that he was in danger of death he suffered his sores to be throughly searched without regret Nathan was the Chirurgion whom God imployed to search that wound which had divers months been festring in his soul and truly he did not dally with his patient though he were a Prince but thrust his instrument to the bottom yet whatever pain it put him to he took it patiently and was so far from being angry with the Prophet that he made him one of his Privy Council T is a sign of a polluted nature for a man like a Serpent if he be but toucht to gather poison and vomit it up at the party Rebuke a scorner and he will hate thee Rebuke a wise man and he will love thee Pride scorns a corrector and thinks it a disgrace to amend upon anothers desire hence it hates him that endeavours it Amos for reproving the golden calves was accused by Amaziah the chief Priests of the Idols of Bethel and struck by Vriah the son of that Amaziah with a spear on the head whereof he died saith Buntingus
to them Faith is a Christians guide and good Works his garment As the Fish by the Fins are raised from the mud to the top of the water so faith lifteth the soul from earth to heaven It is the evidence of things not seen Good works are as Scales a shield to a Christian and are not unfitly called the Breast plate of righteousness Thus O my soul though thou couldst not read a line in any Printed book thou mightest read many good lessons in this natural book Even things without mouths can Preach and speak thy Makers praise and pleasure Their voices are heard in every language and their words go to the end of the world Psa. 19. 4. Wheresoever O my soul thou goest thou mayst by meditation get some steps nearer thine eternal weal Art thou walking Consider thou art but a sojourner and traveller in this world thy life is a continued moâ—ion thy way is the Son of God thy home is the Fathers House thy motion is painful thy way is perfect and thy home will be full of pleasure Why shouldst thou wander and come wide or loyter and come short of Heaven O be sure to walk in the right way and be content to travail hard that thy saâ—e way may find its end in solace and thy painful walk make thy home more welcome Art thou walking in thine Orchyard thou mayst from every tree as a Text gather many profitable doctrines and inferences Take a turn or two among the Trees and thou mayst find much wholsom fruit on them 1. Some Trees are profitable for one purpose some for another some to quench thirst some to comfort and refresh the inward parts c. so the Children of God are diversly serviceable according to the different gifts bestowed on them by the Holy Ghost 2. Every living fruit tree is in some measure fruitâ—ul though some bring forth more fruit some less yet all bring forth some All living Christians are thriving and bearing fruit though some are more eminent for growth and proficiency in grace yet all bring forth fruits worthy of repentance The Hypocrite like a dead stake in an Hedge continueth at a stay is without good fruit nay groweth more rotten every moneth then other but the true Saint like the living Tree the longer he continueth rooted in Christ the more abundant he is in the work of the Lord. 3. The best Trees have a winter wherein they seem to be dead and barren yet they have their life and sap at that time remaining in the root Christians under desertions and temptations may be judged by themselves and others to be dead and undone but even at such seasons their life is hid with Christ in God Though they may fall fouly they cannot fall finally 4. Fruit-trees are tossed and shaken by the wind but there is no danger of their overturning or death whilst their root remains firm in the earth Saints may be stirred and tossed by the high winds of Satans and the worlds temptations but can never be overthrown because they are rooted in Christ. Grace may be shaken in but never out of their souls 5. The winter which the Trees suffer in frosts and snow and the continuance of their sapunder ground is profitable for them and helpful to their greater growth in Spring So the various and severest providences of God towards his people are serviceable to their good and their seeming declensions in order to their greater growth As Children under a fit of an Ague they may at present be weakened and stand at a stay but afterward they shoot up the more 6. The fruits of trees are harsh and little worth till they are grafted so the fruits of all by nature are wild and unpleasant to God till they are grafted into Christ. 7. Those trees that stand most in the Sun bring forth the sweetest and the largest fruit So those believers that live nearest God by an holy communion do the more abound in the fruits of righteousness and their fruits are the more acceptable springing from a principle of love to God 8. The more the boughs are laden the more they bow down to the earth so the more abundant any are in holiness the more humble and lowly they will be 9. The Husbandman chuseth what plants he pleaseth to bring into his Orchyard and his grafting of them and care about them makes the difference between them and others So God chuseth whom he pleaseth out of the wilderness and waste of the world and his grafting them by regeneration and conduct of them by his Spirit distinguisheth them from all the rest of the earth 10. The Leaves drop from the Trees in the beginning of Autumn Such is the friendship of this world whilst the sap of wealth and honour lasteth with me and whilst I enjoy a summer of prosperity my friends swarm in abundance but in the winter of adversity they will leave me naked O how miserable is that person who hath no friends but of this world How happy is he that hath the sap of grace which will remain with him in the coldest winter Thus O my soul whilst thou art walking with regenerate creatures thou mayst better thy spiritual senses and walk with thy Creator O how may thy thoughts be raised to the trees that are planted in the house of the Lord and flourish in the Courts of thy God that are planted by the Rivers of waters and bring forth their fruit in due season Lord I confess thy goodness in giving me so many ushers yet alas my dull and blockish heart to this day hath not learnt those lessons which thou hast set me by them Vnless thou who art the chief Master of the Assemblies undertake the work all will be in vain Thy creatures are as burning glasses they cannot make the Sun to shine but when it doth vouchsafe its heavenly beams they help to increase both light and heat It s thine own promise that all Sions Children shall be taught of God Let it please thee to undertake the tuition and instruction of thine untoward Scholar O do thou spiritualize my heart and then I shall spiritualize all the works of thine hand do thou enlighten me so powerfully by thy blessed Spirit that I may turn every spark into a candle and every candle into a star and every star into a Sun and by the light of all be enabled to see more of thy beautiful face and blessed perfections I Wish that I may not onely taste by occasional but make a full meal by set and serious meditation of that food which may God provideth for my soul If a drop a little be reviving and strengthening surely a good draught will yeild me more comfort and profit If ever it be true it s here the best is at the bottom That rare object which upon a transient view gives me some delight upon a permanent vision will afford more pleasure If my meat abide in my body it will afford me the better
and serving his God and his soul as well as his family and body in those interjections The wheel of a chariot though it be in motion all the day and turning about on the ground yet it s but a small part of it that toucheth the earth at one time the greatest part of it is always above it so the true Christian though he be all the day busie about earthly affairs yet it s but his body his lesser part that is employed about them his soul his affections which are his greatest part are always about them SECT I. I Shall first offer thee two quickening Motives and then acquaint thee wherein thy daily exercise to Godliness consisteth First Consider Any day may be thy last day and therefore every day should be an holy day with thee I mean not an holy day for play or recreatâ—on but for the work of Religion He that knoweth not how soon his Master will come and reckon with him had need to be always employed about his Masters business Because there is no time of life in which thou art secure from death therefore every day of thy life thou oughtest to be about thy duty Prov. 27.1 Boast not thy self of to morrow thou knowest not what a day may bring forth Every day is big-bellied and hath more in the womb of it then any man knoweth he that salutes the morning with a smiling aspect may bid the world good night for ever before the evening The candle of thy life may be blown out on a sudden before its half burnt out The Poets fable that Death and Cupid lodging together at an Inn exchanged arrows whereby it hath since come to pass that old men â—â—ote and young men die Death cometh up to the young and strong old and weak men go down to Death Thou mayst be called forth to that war in which there is no discharge and not have an hours warning to prepare thy self for a march Sturdy trees are overturned by an unexpected wind lusty men by violent feavers or outward accidents our enemies are strong our earthly houses weak the coming of our Landlord is unknown the lease of our lives is uncertain we are every moment liable to be ejected and shall we not be so employed that our Lord when he comes may find us well-doing I remember I have in some Author read that the invention of clocks was not primarily to mind us of the Suns posting in the heavens but of our Lives passing on earth It was Calvins reason for his unweariedness in his studies when his friends urged against it the injury it did his body Would ye have my Lord when he cometh find me idle It will be woful for that servant whom his Lord when he cometh shall find doing evil or doing nothing But and if that servant say in his heart My Lord delayeth his coming and shall begin to beat the men-servants and maidens and to eat and drink and be drunken The Lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him and in an hour when he is not aware and will cut him asunder and will appoint him his portion with unbelievers Luk. 12. 45 46. In which words we may observe 1. The sin of the unfaithful servant 2. The severity of his Lord. In the sin we may take notice 1. Of the nature of He bâ—ats his fellow-servants and eats and drinks and is drunken He gives himself up to all manner of wickedness He is unrighteous to his fellow-servants he beats them and unfaithful to his Master he abuseth his goods he eats and drinks and is drunken Sin doth not lie skulking in the â—ecret trenches of his heart but appeareth boldly in the open field of his life T is a sign an enemy hath great power when he sheweth himself openly 2. The occasion of it His Plea for it His Lord delayeth his coming Because he hath not a speedy reward he layeth aside all good works because of Gods gracious forbearance he argueth a general acquittance for all his evil works He makes bold to riot because he is not called to a speedy reckoning We tremble not at the noise of those Cannons which we fancy to be a great way off That which is lookt upon at a distance seems small and so is despised though the same beheld near appears great and terrifieth us In the severity of the Lord we may read 1. How sore his judgement is He shall cut him asunder and give him his portion among unbeleivers These two expressions speak the dreadfulness of his doom though no words can speak fully how woful it is He shall cut him asunder An allusion to some tortures then in use amongst the Heathen to shew the exquisite pain which his body shall suffer And give him his portion among unbeleivers Because the hottest Hell is reserved for such The wrath of God abideth on them Joh. 3. ult to note the extream punishment which his soul shall undergo 2. How sudden it is unexpected evils are most dreadful The Lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him Sudden frights overwhelm the spirits Those miseries which seen at some distance have been entertained with patience surprising men on a sudden have â—triken them into despair Death comes sometimes like a Thief up into our windows coming in at the door is ordinary but coming in at the window is unlookt for Ier. 19. 21. As the snare secretly and unexpectedly seiseth the silly Bird so doth a day of death the simple Children of men Luk. 21. 35. Our Saviour speaks of his coming in the second or third watch of the night which the Jews called Intempestum Gallietnium not in the first and fourth because saith Theophilact they are the dead time of the night when men are in their soundest sleep to shew us how suddenly and unexpectedly he shall surprise most men Luk. 12. 38. Reader This present days work may be the last act of thy life it behoveth thee therefore to do it well When thou art in thy Closet thou mayst think with thy self I may possibly never pray more never read the word of God more how reverently uprightly graciously should I therefore pray and read When thou art eating or drinking or refreshing nature thou mayst consider for ought I know this may be the last time that I may use these creatures of God how fearful should I be of abusing them how should I eat my bread as before the Lord. When thou art in thy Shop or about thy calling thou mayst ponder this Possibly my last sand is running and I must this day bid adieu for ever to Wares and Shops and Flocks and Fields and all civil commerce O how heavenly should I be about these earthly affairs How spiritual about these temporal things Who would not do his last work well Ah how holy should he be at all times who hath cause every moment to expect the coming of an holy and
weep Our daily infirmities and imperfections must not be passed over Some have died of very slight wounds in their fingers or toes Small sands may sink a great ship Small drops of rain make the earth miâ—y and durty Vain thoughts spending time idly omission of doing good when a price hath been in our hands are counted by us small sinâ— but such small drops will pollute our consciences to purpose if not bewailed timely The mercies and good providences of the day deserve our acknowledgement at night If God command his loving kindness in the day time his loving kindness may well command our thanksgiving in the night season As David had his soliloquies in the day so he had his songs in the night Psa. 77. 6. All our success in our callings and undertakings is the fruit of Gods providence We may work but God onely can prosper Humane gains are from divine grace The Tables that are spread for us like Peters sheet wherein were all sorts of four footed Beasts and Fowls come down from Heaven How many perils are we protected in how many dangers are we delivered from How many evils are prevented good things bestowed every day and shall not our Sun and Shield be adorned We may well every night speak in the words of the Psalmist Blessed be the Lord who daily loadeth us with his benefits even the God of our salvation Selah Psa. 78. 19. The perils of the night call for our prayers at night If there were no fear of visible Thieves and Robbers yet there is of invisible Devils We cannot bolt our doors so fast but they will find the way in We never lye down to sleep but those roaring Lyons are waking and waiting by our bed side to devour us If God were not our guard we could not sleep a moment in quiet He that goeth to bed before he hath gone to God by humble and hearty supplication lieth down before his bed is made and may well expect to find it uneasie all night nay like a foolish Governour of a Fort beleagured with cruel and crafty enemies he takes his rest before he hath set his watch and is liable to be called up at midnight or to be kild in his bed every moment Cyril speaks of a certain people that chose to worship the Sun because he was a day God for believing that he was quenched every night in the Sea or that he had no influence on them that lighted up candles they were confident they might be Atheists all night I fear many who worship not the Sun are too much of the minds of that people in their night Atheism Though they know not but when they close their eyes they may sleep their last and never open them more yet they will rather die intestate then take the pains by fervent prayers to bequeath their souls into the hands of their dearest Redeemer Reader take heed of going prayerless to bed lest Satan take thee napping How unworthy art thou of Gods protection if thou dost not esteem it worthy a petition I have read of a Prince that would walk abroad every evening in a disguise and stand harkening and listening under his Subjects windows to understand what they said It s true enough that the great God looketh down from heaven every evening he is under thy window and in thy chamber to observe whether thou hast the manners or grace to bid him good night before thou goest to rest Believe it if thou forgettest him thou wilt find sooner or later that he will remember thee to thy cost A Good Wish about the Christians carriage on a Weekday from Morning to Night Wherein the former heads are applied THe Rock of Ages and everlasting Father to whom a thousand years are but as one day having out of his rich mercy afforded me a short time in this world not to play or toy with temporal things but to prepare my soul for my blessed eternity I Wish that I may never waste that pecious season which is given me for the working out my own salvation about needless affairs but mind the one thing necessary and pass the whole time of my sojourning here in the fear of my God Every day that I live and do not improve for my eternal good is lost If I live to eat and drink and sleep the beast liveth in me not the man I do but act a brutish part in an humane shape If I live to buy and sell and increase my heaps the Heathen liveth in me not the Christian What do I more then an Infidel Time is a silver stream gliding into the Ocean Eternity depends upon this poor pittance of time As I use time well or ill so eternity will use me The everlasting harvest will be sutable to the seed that is sown in time whether Wheat or Tares It s irrational to expect a crop of Barley if I sow Thistles or a crop of bliss for ever if I now sow to the flesh My life is given me to dress my soul in for the coming of my Bride-groom at death Whatsoever I do if it hath not relation and subserviency to my last end and chiefest good it is lost time and waste strength and though I may be so busie as to sweat about it yet Christ may sayâ—to me as to him that stood in the Market-place Why standest thou all the day idle Lord my time is not mine own but thine The day is thine the night also is thine It is thine by creation and why not thine by a religious observation It was thy favour that I was not turned out of the womb into the unquenchable fire I could Wish that as soon as ever the Sun of my life arose I had gone forth to my spiritual labour till the evening of my death that my childhood and youth had been employed in remembring my Creator but since its impossible to recal those days and years which I have spent in folly and vanity O teach me so to number my remaining days that I may apply my heart unto wisdom and live every day of my life in the fear of the Lord all the day long I Wish that the uncertainty of my life and certainty of my death may quicken me to be religious every hour of every day Every day may be my last therefore every day should be my best There is no part of my time in which I am priviledged from an arrest by the King of terrors Am I young yet I am old enough to die Death observeth no order Some drop out of the armes of their earthly Mothers into the embraces of their Mother Earth and do no sooner speak but they are sent to the place of silence My Sun may set in the morning of my age and death may tread upon the heels of life Some have experienced those words of the wise man There is a time to be born so little to live that it is not mentioned and a time to die Am I
strong This Sampson of death can fetch meat out of the eater and out of the strong sweetness Deaths harbinger sickness which prepareth its way before it will make me melt like Wax before the Sun though my strength were the strength of stones and my flesh as brass Fresh Flowers are cropt in their pride and greatest beauty The Autumn of death comes ordinarily before the winter of old age Besides I am liable every day to many sudden accidents and unexpected surprisals How many die in their Shops or Fields or in the Church or Streets as well as others in their beds All men do not go out of the world at the fore door of sickness many at the back-door of a violent death When my blood frisketh merrily in my veins and light sparkleth gloriously in mine eyes when my countenance is most fresh and lovely and my senses are most quick and lively even then aâ— my best estate I am altogether vanity I may draw a long line of life because nature may afford radical moysture enough for it when death lieth in ambush like a theif in the candle and wasteth all on a sudden Should I as the rich fool reckon falsly to a million when I cannot count truly to one and promise my self many days when my soul may be required of me this night how gross is my delusion Ah how sad how fatal is that error that can never be mended The time past is gone and never never to be called back All my prayers and tears all the revenues of the world cannot regain the last moment The time to come is Gods not mine own It is not in my hands therefore I have no reason to reckon upon it I am both foolish and dishonest if I dispose of anothers goods Reversions are uncertain and he may well be poor that hath no estate but what he hath in hope or rather presumption Lord thou reckonest my life not by ages no not by years but by days thou hast told me that my days are few my time is little though my work be great I acknowledge my proneness to put far from me my dying day whereby I gratifie my grand enemy in drawing nigh to the seat of iniquity O help thy servant to live every day as if it were his last day Grant that I may live well and much though my life be little and short because there is no day of my life in which I can promise my self security from the arrest of Death let me expect it every day and every hour of every day that when ever my Lord shall come I may be found well-doing I Wish that since the eye of my God is ever on me my eye may be ever on him and I may be so pious as to carry my self all the day long as in his presence What ever I do my God observeth whatever I speak my God heareth whatever I think he knoweth I may call every place I come into Mizpeh The Lord watcheth and observeth Ah how holy should he be who hath always to do with so pure and jealous a Majesty The Iews were to dig and cover the natural excrements of their bodies because the Lord their God walked in the midst of their camp Sin is the spiritual excrement of my soul and infinitely more odious and loathsom to my God O how watchful should I be against it who walk ever in his company The Sun is said by some to be all eye because it hath a thousand beams in every place it filleth the largest windows and peepeth in at the smallest key-hole it shineth on the Princes Pallace and the Poor mans Cottage the Heavens above the Earth beneath and Air between it looks on every person with so direct a countenance as if it beheld none beside The natural Sun is darkness to the Sun of righteousness the whole world to him is a sea of glass he seeth it thorough and thorough The Watch-maker knoweth all the wheels and pins and motions in the Watch He that made me cannot be ignorant of me nor of any thing in me or done by me Whether I be in my Shop or Closet Abroad or at Home in Company or Alone the Hand of my God is with me and the Eye of my God upon me O that I could set him ever before me and set my self ever before him that I could always see him who always seeth me and like a Sun-dyal so receive this Sun in the morning as to go along with him all the day Lord thou searchest and knowest me thou knowest my down-sitting and uprising thou understandest my thoughs afar off Thou compassest my paths and lying down and art acquainted with all my ways For there is not a word in my tongue but O Lord thou knowest it altogether Whither shall I go from thy Spirit and whither shall I flee from thy presence If I ascend up to Heaven thoâ— art there If I make my bed in Hell behold thou art there If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the utmost parts of the Sea even there shall thy hand lead me and thy right hand shall hold me If I say surely the darkness shall cover me even the night shall be light about me Yea the darkness hideth not from thee but the night shineth as the day The darkness and the light are both alike to thee O teach me to walk before thee and to be upright I Wish that the end of all my days may be the beginning of every day that my first thoughts in the morning may be of him by whom alone I think The Firstling under the Law was to be the Lords and why not the first fruits of every day under the Gospel Surely the worthiness of the person deserves precedency of dispatch It is no mean incivility to let an honourable man wait our leasure what impiety is it then to let the great God stay till the dreggy flesh or world be served Ah how unworthy as well as wicked is it to put that God off who deserves all I am and have with the leavings of his slaves Besides the soul usually walks up and down all day in the same habit in which it is dressed in the morning The day is usually spent well or ill according to the morning employment If Satan get possession in the morning t will be many to one but he keeps his hold all day What youth is to age that is the morning to the day if youth be not tainted with vice age is imployed in vertue He that loves chastity will not marry her that spent her youth in whordom A man may give a shrewd guess in the morning when second causes are in working what weather will be most part of the day If I set out early in my heavenly journey I am the more likely to persevere in it all the day As some sweet Oyls poured into a Vessel first will cause whatsoever is put into it afterwards to taste and
savour of it So if godliness and the immediate worship of God do first in the morning possess my soul my natural and civil affairs will probably rellish of it Again Mens hearts are generally upon that in the morning which they esteem their happiness and portion The covetous Muck-worm no sooner openeth his eyes but his â—eart is tumbling in his heaps The voluptuous beast no sooner wakes but he is sporting in sensual waters The ambitious Peacock no sooner is able to think but his gay Feathers and gaudy dress for that day come into his mind and why should not my heart send its first thoughts into Heaven Whom have I in Heaven but thee and there is none upon Earth that I desire in comparison of thee The Birds early in the morning salute the rising Sun with their sweet notes and shall not I the Sun of righteousness Further My wants my mercies call for morning duties I walk in the midst of deaths of dangers every day and shall I dare to travail without my defence Men cloath their bodies against the sharpness of the weather and why not their souls against the assaults of the flesh the world and the wicked one There is no safety without this breast-work If Satan take me out of my trenches and strong holds as Joshua did the men of Ai it will be no wonder if he roâ—t and ruine me If I do not bless God in the morning how can I expect that he should bless me in the day Is any earthly Prince so prodigal of his favours as to throw them away upon those that esteem them unworthy to be desired If I do not serve the Precepts of God I am presumptuous to look that his providence should serve meâ— Should I undertake my affairs on earth before I have dispatched my business with heaven I am a notorious Cheat and Theif I am a Theif to God by robbing him of his glory and that natural allegiance which I owe to my Maker I am a Theif to my self in robbing my self of that blessing which I might have on my callings and undertakings O that prayer might be the girdle to compass in the whole body of my natural and civil dealings and concernments And that I could every day of my life forestal the worlds market by setting early about closet and family duties Suitors find it fittest to wait upon and dispatch their business with great persons betimes in the morning Lord freedom of access to thy throne of grace is an unspeakable favour Access is hard to earthly Princes No worldly Court is so open as to admit all comers Those that with much difficulty present their Petitions are often against all reason denyed Thy gates are open night and day all that will may come and be welcome Thou invitest souls to come into thy presence and delightest to hear and grant their prayers Thine eares are more open and ready to hear then their mouths to ask Thou pressest upon many undesired blessings but denyest none who ask not stones instead of bread Importunity never angers thee the more fervent and frequent my soul is with thee the more prevalent Thou fillest the hungry with good things and dost not send any that desire thy grace empty away from thy gate What care I how little notice or knowledge the Nobles of the earth will take of me when I can speak so freely to their better their Soveraign and not fear a repulse O teach me the right art of begging and then I need not be afraid of poverty If I be but skilful to follow that trade my returns will be both â—â—re and large Thy mercies are renewed upon me every morning so are my necessities O let my prayses and prayers be as frequent and early I will bless the Lord at all times his praise â—hall be continually in my mouth O God my God early will I seek thee my soul thirsteth for thee in a dry and barren Wilderness where no water is My voice shalt thou hear in the morning O Lord in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee and will look up I Wiâ—h that having done with the more immediaâ—e service of my God in Praying and Reading both in my Closet and Family I may proceed to serve him in my Shop and Particular Calling When God saith Man is born to labour I must not sing with the fool Soul take thine ease An idle person is like Caterpillars and Mice that devour Gods creatures and do no good to others It s pity he ever lived the book of whose life is filled up with nothing but Cyphers Nature never intended men to be drones to feed on others labours nor bats to spend their lives in the company of sleep the brother of death My God my soul my family my country do all call upon me to be diligent in that calling whereto he hath called me My God is a pure act himself and hath capacitated all his creatures for action He created all men but never made a sluggard The idle person wholly degenerates from the end of his being and receiveth his faculties in vain The command for civil labour hath the same divine stamp as that for sacred rest I have also his pattern for my encouragement as well as his precept for my warrant Hitherto my father worketh and I work My soul also stands in as much need of exercise as my body Idleness is the door at which diseases enter into both Rust eats up vessels that are laid by and unused The mind is never more bright then when it is in imployment from doing nothing we proceed to do evil Idleness is not onely a vice it self but also hath this unhappiness to usher in all other This is the least advantage of industry that it gives the soul no leasure to play with sin or to entertain the wicked one Standing waters do not sooner putrifie then lazy souls T is action that preserves the â—oul in health As Gâ—ats dance up and down in the Sun and then sit down and sting the next hand they seize upon So they who have no time to work have much to imploy in slandering and backbiting others One sin never goeth alone Again my Family may well rouze me out of the bed of laziness If I expect supply of their wants it must come in with Gods blessing at the door of diligence I am stealing from my wife and children all the while I am loytering The Heavens may cause seed sown to ripen into a joyful Harvest but untilled land will afford no crop save of weeds or stones Once more My Country commands me to my calling I am but an ill member in the body Politique if as a diseased part I take of its nourishment but rather hinder its growth then contribute to its health A jarring string is not more prejudicial to the rarest Viol in the hands of a skilful artist then an idle person to the musick and composure of the universe The most venemous
creatures that nature produceth are some way serviceable to their fellow creatures O that I might never by filling up my life with laziness be a Wen in the face of nature serving no way to profit onely to disfigure it Yet I desire that my diligence in my particular may be regulated by my duty towards my General calling Oyl moderately poured in feeds the Lamp excessively drowns it Alexanders Souldier run so lightly upon the sand that he made no impression with his feet My duty is to give earthly things my hands but my heart onely to the things of heaven Lord It s as well thy pleasure that I should work here as thy promise that I shall rest hereafter Let tâ—y grace be so operative in me that I may never give Satan advantage against me by being negligent or over-diligent in my particular calling Suffer not the interposition of the earth ever to cause an eclipse of holiness in my soul But let thy word so limit me and thy spirit guide me that as one diligent in his business I may come at last to stand before the King of Kings to my eternal comfort I Wish that I may no part of the day be so overcharged with the cares of this life by my particular calling as to expose my self to wickedness by neglecting my spiritual watch If my heart be full of earthly vapours they will fume up into my head and make me drowsie A drunken man is no sooner set in his chair but he is fast asleep Sober and Vigilant are sisters in Scripture 1 Thes. 5. Let us watch and be sober 1 Pet. 5. 8. Be sober and vigilant The immoderate love of the world will incline me as effectually to spiritual slumbers as immoderate drinking of Wine to bodily If Satan can get me to take this Opium he doubts not but to lock me fast to my bed and to have me at what advantage be pleaseth O how easie is it to destroy a sleeping body to defile a sleepy soul Noah Lot David Solomon walked in their sleep and dreams in strange and sensual paths When the eye of the souls watchfulness is â—hut the soul is open to all dangers and assaults Whilst the Husbandmen sleep the enemy soweth Tares Sisera's head was nailed to the earth whilst he lâ—y snoring on the ground Epaminondas was not more severe then exemplary when he ran the Souldier through with his sword whom he found sleeping upon the Guard as if he intended to bring the two Brothers Sleep and Death to a meeting The Hare therefore say someâ— being liable to many enemies sleepeth with her eyes open to see danger before it surprise her I walk continually in the midst of powerful and politick adversaries The Canaanite is yet in the Land though not Master of the Field yet skulking in Holes and Ambushments watching an opportunity to set upon and destroy me There is not onely an Army of Temptations besieging me without but also many Traytours conspiring within to open the gate of my heart to them that they may enter and undo me My own heart is like Jacob a Supplanter and conspireth to rob me both of the birth-right and the blessing Let me go where I will I tread upon Lime-twigs which the Arch-fowler layeth to intangle and insnare me Saul sent messengers to Davids house to watch him and to slay him Satan sendeth messengers after me in all places where I â—ome to watch me and to sâ—ay me The whole world is as the valâ— of Siddimâ— full of slime-pits and without watchfulness the anointed of the Lord are taken in those pits Gen. 14. 10. Lam. 4. 10. Sin is a slie theif that steals upon the soul to rob it when t is asleep O what need have I of the greatest watchfulness and circumspection imaginable As the eye-lids guard the tender eyes from harm so doth watchfulness preserve the soul from wickedness O my soul canst thou not watch with thy Redeemer one hour when he ever liveth to make intercession for thee T is but the short night of this life that thou art commanded to stand â—entinel ere long thou shalt be called off the guard and freed from that trouble Lord thou art ever watchful over me for good thou never slumberest nor sleepest but thy seven eyes are ever upon me Thou mayst say to me as to thy Vineyard I the Lord do keep it I water it every moment lest any hurt it I keep it night and day O since thou watchest to preserve me let me watch to serve thee Set a watch O Lord before my lips Be thou the Governour of my heart Lighten mine eyes lest I sleep the sleep of death Let mine enemies never find me nodding lest they leave me dying Thou hast told me Behold I come as a Theif Blesâ—ed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments lest he walk naked and they see his shame Give me so to wake and watch now that death may bring me a Writ of ease and call me to my endless rest I Wish that I may all the day long be even covetous of my time as knowing it is allowed me not for the service of the flesh but for the service of my God and to dress my soul for Heaven If I be lavish of my time I am the greatest Prodigal in the World If he be a spendthrift that throweth away an hundred pound every day he is a far greater that wasteth half an hour in one day Time is more worth then the revenues of the whole world He that can command millions of treasure cannot command one moment of time The Father of eternity hath the sole disposition of time The value of this commodity is not known to this beggarly world in a day of life Now men study sports and pleasures and company and plays to waste time It lieth as a drug upon their hands and they think themselves beholden to any that will help them to put it off But when the King of terrors with his gastly countenance approacheth them and summons them to a speedy appearance bâ—fore the King of nations to receive their eternal dooms O then their judgements will be quite altered and time will be precious indeed Then they who play away their time and give all to the world or flesh will tell me that time was good for something else then to eat and drink and sleep and trade that it was good to feed an immortal soul in and provide for an eternal estate Then the Rich and Covetous as well as they loved their wealth though it be now dearer to them then their God and Christ and Souls and Heaven will part with all they have for a little time Then the Swaggerers and Gallants of the world who spend twenty hourâ— in Taverns to one hour in the Temple and if it were not for Play-houses and Ale-houses and Whore-houses and Hawks and Hounds and Cards and Dice could not tell what to do with their time who mark all the
days in the Kalender of their lives for Festivals and make them all Play-days as if there were never a working day among them that are as busie and tedious in dressing their worm-eaten bodies as Children in dressing Babies and are more troubled at the smallest disorder in their hairs then the greatest disorder in Church and State would give up all and much more if they had it for a little time Then the Nobles and Kings and Emperours of the world will disesteem their honours and height and trample upon their Robes and Scepters and â—rowns for a little time Then they who dally with their days of grace and delay the preparation of their souls for death and judgement as if time were at their command and they could force it to attend their leasure that live as if Death were their servant and must wait on them till they thought fit to come to their graves will find that time was time indeed O my soul of what worth will time be at that day and wilt thou waâ—te it at this day Alas how little is that time which thou hast to improve for thine unchangeable estate My life is but a shadow that is gone when the Sun hides his head A Bubble that vanisheth when a small breath of wind appeareth A day that is soon overtaken by a night a span nothing Thou hast made my days as an hand-breadth mine age is nothing unto thee Wert thou able to secure a long life though thou hâ—sâ— work enough of infinite weight to imploy it all yet thou mightest have more colour of reason for being lavish but when thy time is little and thy business of such consequence what unspeakable madness is it to be wasteful of it He that hath thousands of acres of Land will spare some for a Park some for a bowling-green some for a court-yard some for pleasure and pastimes but he that hath but a little land upon which himself and his family must live and by which they must be maintained can spare none at all for vain pleasures but must improve all to real profit Man that is born of a woman is but of few days He comes up as a Flower fleeth as a shadow and continueth not and wilt thou O my soul revel and riot away this poor pittance in which thou shouldst work out thy salvation O that I could value this jewel in some measure answerable to its worth and do the work of the day in the day allotted me for work Time rightly husbanded is acceptable time a day well imployed is a day of salvation Lord though my journey be great my time is little Nay how much of that little time have I lost A considerable part of it hath been taken up with my Infancy and Child-hood wherein I did little above a Beast My youth hath been squandred away in trifles and vanity and too much of it in lust and iniquity Much of what remains if thou shouldst add a few more days to my life must be spent in eating and drinking and sleeping and necessary natural actions and shall I not redeem it to my power for the service of my Saviour O affect my soul throughly how Eternity rides upon the back of time that I may prize time highly redeem it carefully and improve it so faithfully that eternity may be my friend and when time shall have an end I may enjoy that joy which hath no end I Wish that I may every day so cast up my accounts that I maybe always ready for the great Audit-day Wise Stewards do not write down great sums in gross which they have disbursed for their Lords at several times but set down the particulars whereby they are prepared for a general reckonning and enabled to justifie their accounts My trust is more weighty then of any Princes Steward on earth my Master will be more exact then the severest humane Lord and am I not then concerned so to number my days as to reckon every day what I receiâ—e from my Lord what I disburse for my Lord and at the foot of every day to write the total sum How foolish is he that rejects his books till his bookâ— reject him 〈◊〉 is it not better for me to look over the book of my conscience and observe what blots and errors are there whilst I have licence and liberty to correct them then to neglect them till those eyes which are purer then to behold iniquity come to look it over and leave be denyed of ever amending what he finds amiss O my soul this evening now I am writing this page I must send to thee Amaziah's challenge of Joash Come let us see one another in the face Why should we that are so near together be such strangers to each other I must ask thee as Elisha did Gehezi Whence comest thou Where hast thou been What hast thou done this day for God and thy self Hast thou lived or onely been in the world this day Doth thy soul work thine eternity work go forward or backward Hast thou lived as if thou wâ—rt going to die and walked in the fear of the Lord all the day long Hath the awe and dread of the divine Majesty all along possessed thee Dost thou consider that thou hast one day less to live and one day more to account for Suppose God should come to thee this night as he did to Belshazer with a Mene Mene It is numbred It is numbred Thy days are told God hath counted them up and finished them thou shalt not live to see a morrow Thy days are extinct the grave is ready for thee Art thou ready for thy grave If God should say to thee as that Lord to his Servant Give an account of thy Stewardship for thou shalt be no longer Steward Are thy accounts and Gods even Dost thou reckon as he doth What do all the actions of this day stand for in thine account Figures or Ciphers somthing or nothing What were thy first thoughts in the morning Was he who came first to thee with his morning mercies first served by thee How didst thou pray in thy Closet and Family What sorrow accompanied thy confessions Was thy heart broken that thou hast broken his holy laws What faith and fervency did accompany thy requests Was the heat of thy affections answerable to the weight of thy petitions Didst thou present thy petition to the Master of Requests the Lord Iesus Christ by him to be delivered to the Father What spiritual joy and delight didst thou find in Thankesgiving Didst thou wonder at that infinite cost which the glorious God is at with such an unworthy wretch How didst thou râ—ad the word this day Did it come with power and authority to thy conscience was it mingled with faith Didst thou hide it in thy heart Hadst thou any resolution to make it thy rule and Counseller and Comforter and to order thy conversation according to it How didst thou eat and drink this day Didst thou feed
with fear Didst thou receive thy meat as in Gods presence and hadst thou an eye therein at his praise How didst thou behave thy self in thy Particular calling Did it no way incroach upon thy general Was thy conversation in heaven whilst thy dealings were about earth Wast thou diligent in the exercise of it righteous in thy dealings in it depending on God for a blessing on it What was thy carriage in company was thy life holy spotless exemplary profitable to others Mightest thou not in such a place have done thy God more service and thy Brothers soul more good May I not say to thee as God to Jonah Didst thou well to be angry at such a time upon no cause what were thy thoughts in solitude how wast thou imployed Had God any true share in thy thoughts hast thou watched thy self this day and kept thy heart with all diligence Hath none of thy precious time been lavisht away on unnecessary things Answer me faithfully to all these particulars that I may be able to return an answer to him that sent me O that I could but imploy one half hour every day with seriousness and uprightness in such soliloquies Lord thou didst create the world in six days and thou wast pleased to loâ—k back on every days work and behold it was very good and then ensued thy Sabbath Cause thy â—ervant to be a follower of thee as a dear child in minding every day the work thou hast given me to do that I may every night review it with comfort finding it good in thy Christ at the end of all my days looking back upon all my works I may see them very good through the acceptation of thy grace and with joy enter into my eternal Sabbath I Wish that I may end every day with him who is the beginning and first born from the dead That I may every night go to bed as if I were going to my grave knowing that sleep is the shadow of death and when the shadow is so near the substance cannot be far off Though lovers cannot meet all day yet they will make hard shift but they will find an opportunity to meet at night Should my devotion set with the natural Sun I may fear a dreadful night of darkness to follow That bed may well be as uneasie as one stuft with thorns that is not made by prayer If the soul lye down under an heavy load of sin the body can have no true rest Jacob could sleep sweetly upon an hard stone having made his peace with God when Ahashuerus could not though on a bed of down I cannot sleep unless God wake for me and I cannot rationally expect his watchfulness over me unless I request it My corruptions in the day call for contrition in the night How many omissions commissions personal relative sins heart life wickedness am I daily guilty of and â—hould I lye down under their weight for ought I know they may sink me before morning into endless wo. Whilst blood is in my veins sin will be in my soul. The weed of sin may be cut broken pulled up yet it will spring again I shall as soon cease to live as cease to sin Though I should be free all the day long from presumptuous enormities and onely defiled with ordinary humane infirmities yet these if not bewailed are damning The smallest letters are most hurtful to the eyes and far worse then a large Character Those sins which are comparatively little if not lamented are far more dangerous then Davids Murther and Adultery which were repented of When the soul like Thamar hath notwithstanding its utmost endeavours to preserve its chastity been ravished and by force defiled it must with her lift up the voice and weep If the Sun may not go down upon my wrath against man much-less may I presume to lye down under the wrath of God Besides how can sin be mortified if it be not confessed and bewailed Arraignment and Conviction must go before Execution The favours of the day past are not to be forgotten but to be acknowledged with thankefulness I receive every day more considerable mercies then there are moments in the day and when I borrow such large sums the principal of which I am unable ever to satisfie shall I be so unworthy as to deny the payment of this small interest which is all my Creditour requireth Whatsoever gain I have got in my calling whatsoever strength I have received by my food whatsoever comfort I have had in my Relations or Friends whatsoever peace liberty protection I have enjoyed all the day long I must say of all 〈◊〉 Jacob of his Venison The Lord hath brought it to me Surely the hearer of my morning prayers may well be the object of my evening prayses Aâ— how unreasonable is it that I like a whirl-pool should suck in every good thing that comes near me and not so much as acknowledge it Should any one be the thousandth part so much indebted to me as I am to God how ill should I take it if he should not confess it If a Beggar at my door receive a small almes from God by my hands I look for his thanks How often have I complained of the baseness and unworthiness of some that are engaged to me O what tongue can express what heart can conceive how much I am indebted to my God every moment though I am less then the least of all his mercies and doth not all his goodness merit sincere thankefulness Lord I confess there is not a day of my life wherein I do not break thy Laws in thought word and deed Sin is too much the element in which I live and the trade that I drive I find continually a law in my members warring against the Law of my mind and captivating me to the Law of sin and death Ah wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death Since I am no day innocent make me every night penitent As my sins abound let my sorrow abound and thy grace much more abound Though I can never requite thy favours help me to admire and bless the fountain of them Suffer me never to go to bed till I have first asked thee my heavenly Father blessing Let the eyes of my soul be always open to thee in prayer and prayse before the eyes of my body be shut And O be thou always pleased so to accept my confessions petitions thanksgivings my person and performances in thy dear son that I may lay me down in peace and sleep because thou Lord makest me to dwell in safety Finally I Wish that every day of my life may be spent as if it were the day of my death and all my time employed in adorning my soul in trimming my lamp and in a serious preparation for eternity Whilst I am living I am dying every moment my sand is running and my Sun is declining I am as Stubble before the Wind and as
holiness Even Benhadad the King of Syria an enemy to the Prophets and People of God in his health will send a Prince to Elisha with a large present and most submissive expressions thy Son Benhadad in his sickness 2 King 7.9 Sickness gives men a double advantage for holiness 1. It takes off their hearts from creatures by teaching them experimentally what a poor weak cordial the whole creation is to sick or dying men When men are strong and lusty they can taste and savour earthly things carnal comforts hinder their endeavours after spiritual They take up with creatures as Esau and say they have enough but sickness makes them know the emptiness of all sublunary things When men are sick they cannot rellish the worlds dainties and delicates The preferments and riches and pleasures of the earth are all unsavoury and uncomfortable to them They now see the vanity of those things which heretofore they so much idolized how unable they are to revive their fainting spirits or to allay their pain or purchase them the least ease or procure them the least acceptance in the other world and hence the price of the worlds market falls abundantly in their judgements Bernard tells us of a Brother of his that when he gave him many good instructions and he being a Souldier regarded them not he put his finger to his side and told his Brother One day a Spear shall make way to this heart of thine for admonition and instruction to enter 2. In sickness conscience is usually allowed more liberty to speak its mind and men are then more at leasure to hear it In health their callings or friends or lusts or sports or some carnal comfort or other take up their hearts and time that conscience must be silenced as too bold a Preacher for offering to disturb them in their pleasures or if it will use its authority and continue to speak in Gods name and forbid their foolishness and Atheism and sensuality and prophaness they are deaf to its calls and commands and drown its voice with the noise of their brutish delights But in sickness they are taken off from their trades and pastimes and merry meetings and jovial companions when their bodies are weak their fleshly lusts are not so strong as formerly whereby conscience hath a greater opportunity to tell them of their miscarriages and wickedness and they themselves are more attentive to its words and warning Reader It s a special peice of wisdom to improve such a season for the good of thy Neighbours soul. When the Wax is softned then we clap the Seal upon it lest it harden again and be incapable of any impression When the hand of God hath by sickness made the heart of thy wicked friend or brother soft and tender then do thy utmost to stamp the Image of God upon it Paul would preach whilst a door was opened and there was likelyhood of doing good It s a great encouragement to work when the subject upon which we bestow our pains seems capable of what we prosecute and probable to answer our labour We have some heart to strike a nail into a bâ—ard because there is hope it will enter but no list to drive a nail into a flint because we despair of effecting it The Smith strikes when the Iron is hot he knoweth if he should stay till it is cold his labour would be in vain Friend take the advantage of others bodily sickness to further their spiritual health lest they either die in their sins or harden upon their recovery Opportunity is like a joynt in some part of a fowl which if we hit upon we may easily carve and divide the fowl but if the Knife fall on this side or that side of the joynt we do but mangle the meat and take pains to no purpose It is the speech of Master Richard Rogers in his seven Treatises I have visited some persons that have been condemned to die in whom through the blessing of God upon his endeavours I have found as good signs of saved persons as of any that died in their beds not having tasted of repentance before 2. It s a special opportunity of Receiving good We are taught more effectually by the eye then by the ear The sight of a sick or dying person hath often a strange and a strong operation upon the beholder When the Father heard of one that sinned notoriously he cried out I may be as bad as this man is When thou seest one dangerously sick thou mayst think with thy self I must â—e as this man is sick unto death when none of my Relations or Possessions can afford me the least comfort and O how much doth it concern me to prepare before-hand for such an hour If this mans work be now to do when his life is ending how sad is the condition of his precious soul O that I were wise to consider timely and to provide seasonably for my latter end The sight of a dead man was instrumental to the spiritual life of Waldus The sight of others sickness may well quicken me to the greater industry and diligence after spiritual health Do I behold my Neighbour whose Sail formerly sweld with a full gale of worldly enjoyments now wind-bound chained to his chamber or fettered to his bed unable to rellish his food or take any comfort in his friends Do I see him full of Aches and Pains Tossings and Tumblings crying out in the evening Would God it were morning and in the morning Would God it were evening because of the anguish of his Spirit Do I behold his cheeks pale his eyes sunk his lips quivering his loyns trembling his heart panting and nature striving and strugling with the disease to keep its ground and yet at last forced to quit the field and leave the victory to its adversary how many excellent observations may I draw from such a Text What a fool am I to trust the world which leaves this man in his greatest want How mad am I in loving sin which is the cause of all these crosses and miseries and which makes death so mortal to poor souls Of how much worth and value is the blessed Redeemer who will comfort a Christian in such a time of need and carry him through his last conflict with joy and conquest How careful should I be to get and keep a good conscience which in such a day of extremity will yeild me true courage and confidence The wise man doth not without cause tell us It is better to go into the house of mourning to the terming or charnel-house then to the house of feasting for that is is the end of all men and the living will lay it to heart Eccles. 7. 2. Men in a house of feasting are apt to be forgetful of their duty to God themselves and their Neighbours Isa. 22. 13 14. Amos 6. 3 6. Isa. 5. 11 12. When the body is filled the soul is often neglected Iob was afraid of this in
discern and discover the secret lusts which are hugd in their hearts Besides their consciences being defiled as well as other faculties are not so true to them as to convince them powerfully of that pride hypocrisie unbelief impenitency atheism and ungodliness which they are guilty of And Satan hath a strict watch over them to keep them asleep in sin not caring so men go to hell whether they go thither in the dirty road of scandalous and crying crimes or in the cleanly path and through the fair Meadows of Civility Whether the person be scandalous or civil it will be needful to let in light at some crevice and not to leave the sinner wholly in the darkness of despair The good Samaritan poured Oyl as well as Wine into the wounds of him that fell among Theives A little hope may melt that heart which despair would harden Sturdy Theives have wept at the news of a Reprieve that have stormed and raged at the sentence of Condemnation But this is wisely to be done lest the sinner be encouraged to presume Lenity is to be joyned with Severity Let there be love but not emboldening them to sloth let there be terror but not driving them into a fury saith Gregory If the sick person be one that is judged a true member of Christ then speak to the excellency of Grace and Christ and Heaven to the certainty and worth of those promises that are entailed on beleivers to make his passage into the other world as comfortable as thou canst It will be fit also to speak to those graces of Faith Patience Love Heavenly-mindedness and Ioy in God which should be minded and exercised in a time of sickness how the time of affliction is the spring the special time wherein those graces should shoot up and shew themselves that God expecteth some service from him under his fickness and that his last works should be better then his first If he be under doubts and fears for Satan will take the advantage of his sickness to assault him with his fiery darts and Saints are too apt to Question Gods love when they feel his hand the weakness of the body discomposing the mind and denying it the free exercise of spiritual judgement then advise him to review his former experiences of divine goodness and trials of divine grace within him to hold fast on Jesus Christ and to consider that sickness is common to men good as well as bad that though they differ vastly in the other world yet not at all in their passage thither Singular Saints have been afflicted with the sorest sickness Iob was a none-such for sanctity yet full of sores It s a question whether he were more eminent for corporal distempers or spiritual health Hezekiah David Asah Paul Epaphroditus were all thus chastened of the Lord but not condemned with the world Whatsoever the sick person be whether gracious or graceless it will not be amiss to mention the three great lessons which God would teach every one by affliction 1. The emptiness of the world appearing in its inability to afford the least ease to the body or comfort to the soul of the sick how little worth is that which fails a man in his greatest need 2. The preciousness of Christ and Grace and the Promises of the Gospel which can enliven and encourage a dying person that can cause light in darkness joy in sorrow and life in death that can enable a Christian to rejoyce in tribulation and to welcome pain and sickness nay and the very King of terrors and to look into the other world with comfort and confidence 3. The sinfulness of sin which is the original of all diseases and aches and greif and separation of friends and losses and miseries whatsoever The Rabbies say that when Adam tasted the forbidden fruit his head aked T is clear sin is the original of sickness The body is the instrument of unrighteousness therefore the subject of diseases For this cause many are weak and sick 1 Cor. 11. 30. All the evil in this and the other world are the issue and off-spring of sin Ah! what a root of bitterness is that which brings forth such bitter fruit Be sure to take the thoughts of the sick off from resting in Physitians or any means used for their cure Thâ—s was the fault of good Asah 2 Chron. 16. 12. Let them know that it is God that wounds and he onely that can heal and therefore he must not be tempted either by despiâ—ing those helps which his providence giveth or by relying on them Hippocrates gave this counsel to all Physitians that when they went upon any occâ—sion to visit their Patients they should consider first of all whether there was not divinum aliquod in morbo something of God in the disease if so he held the Patient to be desperate and his recovery impossible Cujus contrarium verum est If it were the hand of God that smote them the same hand can help them for with him nothing is impossible Let them understand that sickness hath a supernatural as well as a natural cause That all diseases are like the Centurions Servants at the command of God He saith to one Go and it goeth to another Come and it cometh to a third Do this and it doeth it God would have the Israelites know that not onely Sword and Famine and Captivity but also Pestilence Consumptions Feavers and Burning Agues are sent from Heaven Deut. 28. 21 22. He causeth those stormes and tempests and quarrels and contentions that are between the humours in our bodies to their disturbance and destruction therefore Moses beholding the whole body of the Jews except two renowned members corrupted for he lived to see all that came out of Egypt besides to die cryed out Thou turnest man to destruction and â—ayst Return ye children of men SECT V. 3. DEal closely and faithfully with him Let not fear of giving distaste or hope of some advantage to thy self make thee false to the soul of the sick Do not play the part of a Mountebank in using palliating medicines to allay the distemper or Anodynes to stupifie the patient and neglect the root of the malady Alas carnal wretches are prone enough of themselves to deceive and flatter their own souls till it be too late for second thoughts and the wicked one will be at their beds side to hinder if it be possible all means from awakening and undeceiving them be careful therefore lest thou shouldst be any way accessary to Satans design Sin is like the little Serpent Aspis which stings men whereby they fall into a pleasant sleep and in that sleep die sinners need all the rouzing and affrighting considerations that may be He that gives a potion which instead of furthering health procureth death is a Murderer The Flatterer is like the worm Terendo mentioned by Pliny in Nat. Hist. as soft as Silk in the feeling of the hand but it biteth so hard with the
teeth that it eateth out the heart of the strongest timber Flattery is to sin what Oyl to Fire it makes it flame the more O t is dangerous to speak peace where God speaks war shouldst thou do so the blood of such a soul would be required at thy hands Ezek. 33.8 Jer. 23. Faithful dealing will bring thee in most comfort at present and most credit hereafter as also be most advantagious to the sick person When the great day comes the man that hated flattery and scorned for a little profit or favour to disown his duty or prove false to the soul of his Neighbour will hold up his head with courage but the cowardly and fearful wil hang down their heads with shame Rev. 21. 8. 4. Pray with him and for him Sick persons are often full of pain and grief and are more then usually assaulted by Satan whereby they are the less able to pray for themselves and have the more need of the prayers of others It s observable that though the Holy Ghost commandeth men in other afflictions to pray themselves Is any afflicted let him Pray yet when he mentioneth sickness he saith not Is any sick let him Pray But Is any sick let him send for the Elders of the Church and let them pray over him Jam. 5. 13 14. i. e. A sick man is not so fit to pray himself he wanteth others to pray for him and with him The soul sympathizeth in the sufferings of the body and the inner man is seldom at rest if the outward man be distempered and disquieted The mind is unfitted for duties by the diseases of the flesh Paul calls his bodily weaknesses a temptation Gal. 4. 13 14. Afflictions on the flesh are temptations to the spirit and sickness is a piercing Arrow in Satans Quiver of temptations If the person be carnal what Motives hast thou from his misery to quicken thee to the duty The poor creature is going to Hell and knoweth it not His destruction is near and he is not aware How should the thoughts of that extremity and eternity of torments which he is every moment liable to stir thee up to be earnest and instant with God on his behalf It may be thou wouldst sit up a whole night to watch with him for the comfort of his body Dost thou not know that the soul is infinitely more worth O watch and pray that he enter not into eternal condemnation Thou art not ignorant that God hath made promises of grace as well as promises to grace and canst not tell but that grace waiteth in heaven for the â—ick person onely thy prayer must be the messenger to fetch it thence God hath shewn mercy at the last he can do it to this man therefore thou mayst have the more hopes Besides it may be his sickness shall not be unto death but onely to heal his diseased soul and so to give him a new life both natural and spiritual The Question before thee is whether that poor sick creatures soul shall be Christs or the Devils for ever and wilt thou not plead hard with God that it may be thrown in to Christ whose title is unquestionable and that the Grand and Arch-enemy of Christ and Men may be frustrated and disappointed in his expectation Zeal to the advancement of thy Redeemers interest and love to the soul of thy Neighbour should actuate and animate thy requests and put life and fervency into thy Petitions If the sick man be godly thou hast the more encouragement to pray God hath promised as much to him as thou canst rationally desire for him He hath hopes to speed that goeth to an honest able man and sheweth him his Bond for what he demands God is infinite both in righteousness and power so that there is no fear of a repulse if you can shew his hand for your request He delights to hear his promises pleaded in prayer and to see his Children so full of affection as to be fervent in their petitions for each other Thou mayst send the same message by prayer to Jesus that the Sister of Lazarus did Lord behold he whom thou lovest is sick and mayst be confident of the like gracious answer This sickness is not unto death eternal but for the glory of God that the Son of God might be glorified thereby Next to thy endeavours for the good of thy sick Neighbours spiritual estate it will be fit to advise him about his temporal estate that he may dispose of his worldly affairs and his wealth if God have given him any with wisdom and settle things so firmly that his Relations may not be wrangling for his goods when his body is at rest in his grave Secondly The exercising our selves to Godliness in visiting the sick consisteth in getting good to our own souls by it Though it be forbidden us to enquire of the dead and ask their counsel yet it s commanded us to enquire of the dying and to learn of them Sick men may teach them that are in health many excellent lessons Some say that ground covered with Ashes is made thereby the more fruitful The Dust of the dead falling upon a right soil an honest heart will make it the more abundant in holiness A Christian findeth walking in Hospitals or Church-yards among the sick or dying much conducing to the health and life of his soul. He that was cast dead into his Grave by touching the bones of dead Elisha he was ravished to life That which Elias said to Elisha when he begged a double portion of his spirit If thou seest me when I am taken from thee it shall be so unto thee may fitly be alluded to in this place The sight of others sickness and death and their departures from us is a great means to increase the spirit in us and to double our care and diligence in preparing for such an hour 1. In laying to heart thine own frailty He is but a cold clod of clay and dead already who doth not see his own death in the death of others Sickness is but one remove from death the sick bed is the way to the coffin therefore when thou visitest the sick or dying reflect upon thy self and consider This will be my case or a worse a violent stroak The same enemy that encountred my Neighbour is upon his march towards me and will certainly overtake me The feet of them that carry my friend to his grave are ready to carry me also what need have I to be always in a dying frame and ready for death The very next arrow that death shoots may be levelled at me and shall not I stand always upon my guard in expectation of it and armed for it O how deep will the head of that Arrow pierce me if it find me naked 2. In considering Gods mercy to thee and blessing him for the health thou enjoyest The pain of others will tell thee that ease is a mercy the racking sickness and restless nights
over and commodities be sold. The Adulterer makes use of the dark night for his deeds of darkness Satan watcheth every opportunity to insnare and destroy me if I give him the least advantage by idleness or carnal security or running into occasions of sin he doth presently lay hold on it to pollute me All men indeed may shameâ—me The Mariner doth spread his Sails when the Winds blow The Merchant observes his Exchange hours when he may meet with many friends and dispatch much business in a little time The Lawyer minds his Terms There is a time when Kings go out to Battel 2 Sam. 11. 1. which Souldiers will not neglect The Husbandman makes Hay whilst the Sun shines Yet Ah how foolish am I to let slip those golden seasons which my God giveth me for working out my own salvation Lord thou hast made every thing beautiful in its season But poor silly man knoweth not his time Grant me so much prudence that is the men of Issacar I may have understanding of the times and so much piety as to serve the times not as Worldlings in altering my course according to the fashions and customes of men but in embracing what is tendered in due time for my own and others good always adhering to the Commands of thee my God I Wish that the uncertainty of my sick Neighbours outward recovery may make me the more careful and solicitous about his spiritual health If he die he is stated and fixed for ever and ever and I am for ever deprived of all opportunities of profiting or advantaging his soul. Now he is sick he is nigh death but one step from it The sick stand upon the borders of the grave upon the brink of the pit nay of eternity Those that are in most perfect health are inclining towards death but they that are sick are approaching the Chambers of darkness Such a man may speak in the language of Haman My life draweth nigh unto the grave Psa. 88. 3. Should he depart this life in a natural estate he falleth into the jaws of eternal death All prayers for him will then be fruitless and there is no giving counsel to him after death I must now advise exhort perswade beseech him to mind faith and repentance or never do it I must now put up hearty cries and groans to God on his behalf or never do it The loving kindness of God cannot be declared in the grave nor his faithfulness in destruction When he is wailing in Hell for the ungodliness of his heart and life I may be weeping on earth for my neglect of him or unfaithfulness to him but both our tears will be ineffectual and our cries comfortless O that the love of my Saviour the command of my God the worth of a soul the weight of an eternal estate the fear of losing such a season and the impossibility of recalling or recovering it may all provoke me to be instant with the sick to turn to God and abhor and bewail their sins and to be fervent with God that he would crown my endeavours with success Lord I may speak thy Mind and Will to Men but thou alone who didst make the ear canst enable them to hear let it please thy Majesty so to affect my heart with a due sense of others misery so to direct my tongue what to speak in order to their recovery and so to prosper the undertakings of thy servant that as often as I visit any unconverted person in his sickness I may turn a sinner from the error of his ways save a soul alive and hide a multitude of sins I Wish that I may be solicitous to understand the spiritual conditions of the sick that my prescriptions may be profitable being sutable to their several sores The knowledge of the disease must necessarily precede directions for its cure It s folly to undertake their recovery whose estates I am ignorant of He works at the labour-in-vain who goeth about to heal a wounded Patient when he knoweth not the place or nature of his pain The mistake of the Physitian may be as mortal and dangerous as the disease it self It will be no wonder if a blind man shoot awry and miss the mark This was the cause that Jobs friends though holy men and designing a good end wandred exceedingly and instead of administring comfort by their visitation wounded him to the quick and proved his greatest cross The Sabeans and Chaldeans robbed him of his Cattel Satan wronged him in his body but his three friends vexed his soul and did break him in peices with words Their ignorance was the ground of the hurt they offered instead of the help they intended Job 19. 2. A Friend may do that mischief upon a false supposition which an Enemy doth out of malice Though the Doctrine be true and right if the Application of it be wrong I may kill sooner then cure the person to whom I apply it The Husbandman must know the nature of his ground before he casteth in his seed or otherwise he will miss of his expected crop Lord thou knowest the conditions and dispositions of all men by immediate intuition and needest not that any should testifie of man thou knowest how needful it is for me to understand by rational discourse who and what those sick persons are how things stand betwixt thy Majesty and their souls whose recovery I go about O help me to find out their sickness and to give such advice out of thy word that thou mayst work their cure I Wish that when the condition of the sick person is found out neither fear nor flattery may make me unfaithful to his soul. Those prescriptions cannot be profitable that are not answerable to his estate I am unfaithful to God my Neighbour and my self if my Application be not sutable to his condition My God commandeth me to proclaim War against the presumptuous to preach Peace to the penitent and if I act otherwise out of fear or affection I act contrary to my commission I am false to my trust if I keep not close to the will of my Lord. He that takes not his Masters Precepts for his rule will at last be counted and punished as an unfaithful servant I hinder also my Neighbours good whilst I give him counsel unsutable to his case I may pretend love and respect but its real hatred to flatter him who is hastening to the unquenchable fire How dreadful will his fall be from the high Turret of presumption into the infernal pit of perdition and how little thanks will he give me in the other world for cozening his soul by telling him all was well till he came to see his own and my mistake in hell Again the guilt of such a crime would make a deep gash in my own conscience It s ill slighting or tampering with inestimable souls His blood will be required at my hands and if the blood of a slain body cry so loud
for vengeance what will the blood of a murdered soul do Why should I to humour any mans lust injure his soul hinder my own peace and incur the anger of the Lord. O that no foolish pretences whatsoever may keep me off from acquainting sinners with thâ—â—â—â—il and end the nature and danger of their sins It s Gods order first to cast the soul down and then to lift it up The ground must feel the Plow before it receive the Seed Sorrow must precede comfort and they must sow in tears who would reap in joy God must shake all Nations before the desired of all Nations will come to him We come to Sinai the Mount that burneth with fire and to blackness and darkness and a tempest which makes even a Moses to fear and quake exceedingly before we come to Mount Sion the City of the living God the Heavenly Ierusalem and to Jesus the Mediatour of the new Covenant and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things then the blood of Abel The Law is a School-Master to drive us to Christ. Austere Iohn with his Ax laid to the root of the Tree threatning the fire to those that bring not forth fruit prepareth the way for the sweet alluring Iesus Mourning and Grief is the Midwife of true mirth Penitential tears are the streams that lead to the Rivers of Pleasures Even the doleful sound of the Trumpet attendeth the Iudge when he is going to acquit a Prisoner by publique Proclamation Violence must be offered to corruption or there will be no acceptance of the Lord Christ. The building of holiness is the more strong for having its foundation of humiliation laid deep The safety of the soul doth depend like Jonahs upon his being cast over-boord and utterly lost in his own apprehension The blessed Iesus himself is brought into a desolate Wilderness before Angels are sent from Heaven to comfort him O that I might follow my God in his usual way and never prophesie smooth things to rugged and â—â—â—â—ed men but endeavour to break their hearts on â—â—th who have persisted in the breach of his holy Laws that their backs may not be broken in Hell Yet I would not instead of beating down the rotten Paper walls of presumption drive any into the Dungeon of desperation but as the good Nurse have the breast of consolation as well as the rod of correction in readiness for such Children Moses and Christ met together upon Mount Tabor The Gospel must be Preached to heal those wounds which are opened and discovered by the Law The Lord sendeth me to proclaim liberty to the Captives and the opening of the Prison to them that are bound Lord thou killest and makest alive bringest down to the grave and bringest up It s easie and ordinary with thee to break those bones which thou intendest to rejoyce and to perplex those Rams in Briars and Thorns which thou intendest to accept of as a sacrifice Teach thy Servant to know how to speak a word in season both to the wicked and to the godly how to divide thy word aright both in its minatory and consolatory parts that as occasion shall â—e I may awaken the wicked out of their deadly slumbers and quicken the godly to their spiritual watchfulness and help to sweeten that bitter cup which thou hast put into their hands O that thy blessing might water my labours for both their welfares Alas poor sick unregenerate ones are dropping into boundless and endless sorrows and yet are without sense Though they are dying they know not what they are doing nor whither they are going Their eyes are shut by the god of this World that they see not that unspeakable misery to which they are liable every moment their hearts are hardened through custom in sin that neithâ—â—â—â—reatnings nor promises prevail with them to feel their wounds and sores O thou great Physitian thou Lord of life thou God of health open their eyes send some Ananias to them that they may receive their sight and be filled with the Holy Ghost enable them so to mourn now that they may be comforted when the time of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord and help thy servant to deal so faithfully with those whom thou callest me to visit that I may never give thy Majesty cause to say of me as once of the Prophets of Israel They have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly saying Peace Peace when there is no peace I Wish that I may be close and home in my Applications to sick persons and speak what is proper to their estates with ardency and affection to their very hearts It s ill dallying with edged tools O how sad is it to toy and trifle to be formal or customary in counsel or reproof or comfort to immortal souls that are launching into the Ocean of eternity Death is a serious thing and that which they never did before nor shall ever do again Sin is a serious thing as the damned find in Hell by woful experience Though there they are in blackness of darkness yet they have light enough to see sin to be the evil of evils and altogether sinful Christ was serious when he took upon him my nature and therein did offer up himselfâ— a sacrifice for sin God is serious in commanding faith and repentance and in promising Heaven to the faithful and holy and Hell to unbeleivers and atheists And shall not I be serious and in earnest when I am dealing about matters of eternal life and death and about the concernments of God and Christ and souls and eternity O with what earnestness should I perswade the wicked to turn from their wickedness and live If ever their souls would draw near to the Lord of life it concerns them to do it when their bodies are drawing nigh to the Chambers of death It is but a very few hours and their condition will be past all amendment all alteration In this poor pittance of time all must be done upon which the Scales must turn for their salvation or damnation They are going to make that change which will admit them into endless joy or torment and render their estates unchangeable Their time is hastening that they must struggle with dreadful pains and strong distempers and death the King of terrors and must review that life which is ending and look back upon all that they have done and judge their persons and actions impartially whether they will or no that they must take their leave of all their friends and food and sleep and lands and houses and honours and pleasures and riches and step into eternity and appear before God without their Relations or Possessions or any worldly comforts to help or encourage them that they must be tried by an holy Law and an holy Judge for their everlasting lives or deaths and can my expressions be too full of weight and reason or my affections too full of bowels and pity
in my dealing and discourse with such men Lord thou knowest the poor silly children of men are unable to judge of eternal affairs according to their weight they are quickly lost when in their thoughts they begin to launch into that boundless Sea The ponderousness of the subject is ready to affright and press them down being so much beyond and above their shallow understandings But wouldst thou please to enable them though it were but to peep into the other world and to behold through some Crevice what is doing and enjoyed there both by thy friends and thine enemies they would soon have other thoughts of thee and thy service and other carriages when they are about thy work the greatest seriousness would then be too little the greatest ardour would not be thought enough for thy worship they would then indeed be fervent in spirit when they are serving the Lord. O teach thy servant though he cannot see into the other world with the eye of sense yet so to look into it with an eye of faith that he may transact the concerns thereof with that diligence faithfulness and fervency which thou acceptest and whilst he liveth be zealous of good works I Wish that my heart may be so affected with pity towards sick and afflicted persons that I may often and earnestly remember them in my prayers A little Captive considering the Leprosie of her Master was instrumental for his cure by crying out Would God my Lord were with the Prophet that is in Samaria for he would recover him of his Leprosie I have more reason when I behold a Leprous soul near its last gasp to look up to Heaven with Would to God that poor creature were with Jesus Christ that great prophet of his Church who is able and willing to enliven and pardon and sanctifie and save Would to God he would be perswaded to come to Christ to cling to Christ to close with Christ for he would recover him And what do I know but my prayers may be prevalent on his behalf Christ when dying prayed for his enemies for them that imbrued their hands in his blood and shall not I pray for my friends when they are dying and possibly ignorant whether they are going My Prayers are a cheap courtesie and diminish nothing of my estate either spiritual or temporal Their misery is an awakening motive to the duty Never did they stand in such need of help from others and wrastling with God on their behalves as now that they are taking their journey into a far Country and entring upon an unchangeable condition They may say to me as Nehemiah to Geshem I am doing a great work c. I am going to die to bid adieu to all the folly and vanity and comforts of this world to take possession of my long home of the place wherein I must abide for ever O pray for us that we may be pardoned and saved that we may repent and believe that we may die in the faith and obtain the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto life eternal They have many distractions upon their own spirits by reason of pains and bodily distempers and the loss and lamentation of their Kindred and Relations that they cannot poure out their hearts to God with that freeness and seriousness and earnestness which probably they desire Their enemies and assaults and temptations at such a time are more quick and strong and violent and full of rage having but a short time I must now pray for them or never pray for them Now beg mercy for them or never beg mercy for them When their life is gone all tears and cries and groans for them are in vain Davids greatest passions for dead Absolon were to no purpose They are then gone the way they shall not return and fixed in that place whence they shall never remove Lord I confess that my narrow heart hath not pity enough for afflicted and sick and dying souls and my weak hands have not power enough to supply or support them in their sad estates but thou hast both O be pleased to look down from Heaven the habitation where thine holiness dwelleth Behold their miseries hide thy face from all their iniquities out of thine infinite fulness releive their necessities Let the eyes of their souls be opened to see their sins and their Saviour before the eyes of their bodies be closed Give them patience and strength answerable to the burden thou layest on their backs Enable them to do their last works well and let them be better then their first Open thou their lips and let their mouths shew forth thy praise before they go to the place of silence Stand by them in their last conflict with their enemies Death and Devils that they may over come both be more then conquerours through him that loves them and pass through the jaws of death to the joys of a blessed eternal life I Wish that my soul may be the more sound for every visit I bestow on sick bodies There is not so much danger of catching their outward diseases as there is hope of increasing my spiritual health if I am not wanting to my self The sick and dying bed is a Pulpit out of which I may be instructed more fully in many serious truths though the sick or dying man be speechless King Joash obtained three famous victories over the Syrians by visiting sick Elisha and might have gotten a compleat conquest over them if it had not been his own fault The sight of sick and dying men may assist me in my conflicts with the three great enemies of my present purity and future comfort and bliss It teacheth â—e how vain it is to make provision for that flesh which will it self ere long be provision for wormes Ah how foolish am I to pamper and please that which instead of releiving or refreshing will in my extremity pierce and pain me It teacheth me that the world it self is the greatest Cheat and Impostour in the world That though it laughs and smiles on men dandling them on her knees and hugging them in her armes whilst they are in health and promising all sorts of comforts and pleasures yet in their sickness and misery she turns them off and leaves them as Absolons Mule did him to be â—hot through with the heart-cutting arrows of eternal death By discovering the emptiness and falseness of these two seeming ends the flesh and the world it helpeth me to overcome my third enemy and to repel the fiery darts of the Devil The cup of temptation which hath so often bewitched me to drink down his deadly poison had its prevalency from the worldly profit with which the out-side was guilded or the fleshly pleasure with which the in-side was sweetned Ah! could I but bid an hearty defiance to the World and the Flesh and conquer them I need not fear the wicked one They are the powerful Advocates by which Satan pleads and too often prevails with
aspire heaven-ward when its returning 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to its original divinity according to Plotinus his phrase of death As his Saviour he brings out his best wine at last and his last works are more then his first Rev. 2. 19. The blessed Prince and Lord of life should be our pattern at death He got his Father most glory he did his Church most good by his death though he was eminently serviceable to both all his life time It s said of him He was obedient Phil. 2. 7. to the death Which may import 1. His continuance in well-doing His obedience lasted to the last moment of his life so should ours Elisha would not leave his Master till taken from him into Heaven and we should not leave our Lord till taken to him into Heaven Polycarp in his old age being urged by the Proconsul to deny Christ answered I have served him eighty six years and he never once hurt me and shall I now deny him 2. His obedience in his death His death was a Free-will offering in obedience to his Fathers command Not onely his birth and life was an answer to his Fathers call A body hast thou prepared c. Then said I Lo I come to put on that body to take upo◠〈◊〉 that nature and thereby and therein to do thy Will O God but also his death was in pursuance of his duty This commandment received I of my Father Thus the Christians death must be offered up as a sacrifice to God in obedience to his command The Sinners soul is Prest to this War in which there is no discharge This night thy soul shall be required of thee The Saint understanding the orders from the Lord of Hosts is a Voluntier He gives up the Ghost Into thy hands Lord I commend my Spirit 3. The gracious manner of his dying The Sun of righteousness when setting did shine most gloriously Though at his death he had such infinite disadvantage being to wrestle with the frowns of an incensed God the fury of earth and Hell and met with clouds black and thick enough to have obscured the graces and hindered the holiness of any but himself from shining at all yet how brightly did they break forth in the midst of all those Fogs and Mists and Darkness What holy counsel and comfort did he give his Disciples to prepare them for his departure in his last and one of his longest Sermon Ioh. 14 15 16. What an heavenly prayer doth he put up to his Father for them and all his elect to give them both a taste and a pledge of that intercession which he was going to Heaven to make for them When he was hanging on the Cross under such an heavy weight as the sins of the whole World Grace was not depressed His love to his Mother is observeable Woman behold thy Son And from that hour that Disciple took her to his own house John 19. 26. But his love to his membrenâ— though enemies was wonderful Father forgiâ—â— them they know not what they do His Faith in his Father Father into thy hands I commend my spirit His pity to one of the Theives His Patience in bearing the scoffing words and taunts more bitter then Worm-wood of them that passed by reviling him as well as in suffering the wracking of his bones and whole body and the anger of an infinite God in his soul without any murmuring may well call for our admiration Reader he hath set thee a pattern that thou shouldst follow his steps Some tell us the Phoenix of Saba in Arabia Faelix so called from Phoenicea or the Purple colour of her wings liveth six hundred and sixty years at the end of which time she buildeth her a nest of Cassia Calamus Cinnamon and other precious spices and gums which the Sun by the extremity of his heat and the wavering of her wings fires and she taking delight in the sweetness of the savour hovers so long over it that she burns her self in her own Nest. Thus did the blessed Jesus and thus ought his followers to expire in a Nest of sweet Spices the exercise of the graces of the holy Spirit It was a poor farewel to the world which even Octavius Augustus gave when at the point of death he called for his Looking-glass commanded to have his Head and beard combed and his shriveled Cheeks smoothed up then asking his friends if he had acted his part well Cum ita responderint vos omnes igitur inquit Plaudite It is a dreadful conclusion which Pliny relates the Hyberboreans to make who when they have lived to one hundred years or more make a great feast to which they invite all their friends and after their jollity and mirth throw themselves down a steep rock and so perish Ungodly men are always worst at last when they come to the bottom they are flat and dead and nothing but grounds and dregs How often in the eyes of the world do wicked persons go out like a Lamp leaving a stench behind them The scandalous sinner usually like the Goats beard or star of Jerusalem closeth up the flower of his presumptuous hope at high noon he is cast in his own conscience long before his death The Hypocrite ordinarily as the Daysie and Dandelion declares the approach of the evening by shutting up before its approach If he be gold in the morning and silver at noon yet as we say of Butter he is lead at night What is the hope of the Hypocrite when God shall take away his soul As its storied of the Pardora a people in India that in their youth they have silver hairs but in their age their hairs are quite black Or as the She Wolf hath a yearly defect in generation the first time she hath five the second time four then three then two then one then barren ever after So the Hypocrite dâ—clines and decreaseth in goodness faster then the Moon in its last quarter and is commonly worst at last But the sincere Christian hath his best at the bottom and hath his daintiest dish reserved to be served in at the last courseâ— Naturalists tell us of Honey that that is the thickest and best Honey which is squeezed last out of the Comb. O what excellent periods and endings both in regard of the exercise of grace and comfort have many of the Children of God made The Death-bed to some Saints hath been like Tharah to the Israelites in the Wilderness where after many journeys growing near to the Land of Canaan they rested themselves and it was called Tharah from Roah and Tarah which signifieth a breathing time The Sun when it declines into the West hath even then much more light then any of the Stars The meanest upright Christian when he is near setting hath more joy and comfort then a specious Hypocrite any day of his life When some asked Oecolampadius lying on his death-bed whether the light did not offend him he answered pointing
guns of the losâ— of his Cattel and Estate and Servants would have done some execution in making some breach upon his faith and patience and this great gun playing when he was before tired in defending must needs shatter him in peices He may fitly be called the Wolf of the Evening Jer. 5. 6. that devoureth This roaring Lyon walketh in the night to seek his prey There have been few eminent Saints but have found their Death-bed a Bed of Thorns in regard of temptations Mr. Knox said when he came to dye In my life time the Devil tempted me to despair casting my sins in my teeth but now in my sickness he tells me I have been faithful in the Ministery and so have merited Heaven but blessed be God who brought those Texts into my mind Not I but the grace of God in me What hast thou that thou hast not received The Israelites never met with so much opposition as when they were to take possession of the Land of Canaan then all the Kings of Canaan combined together and came out and fought them When Satan was to be cast out of the possessed person and never to enter into him more he rent him and tore him that the people thought he was dead Now Reader What need hast thou to be serious and holy on a dying Bed to the utmost of thine ability and to fetch in all the strength thou canst from Heaven when thou hast such cruel powerful enemies to encounter with It s was one of the most quickening prevalent arguments that Alexander used to the Macedonians before their third and last fatal Battel with Darius That tâ—ey were to fight with all the strength of Persia at once What an awakening argument should it be to thee that thou art to fight with all the Powers of Hell at once Secondly Consider It s a special season wherein thou mayst glorifie God A Saint by his death may bring God more honour then by all his life The Actions and Speeches of dying men make a deep impression on the hearts of those that are about them The wicked themselves who have mocked at the purity and strictness of the Saints lives have admired their patience and chearfulness in their deaths Though they look on the beleivers words in health as savouring of self and sinister ends and humour and so neglect them yet when they hear a dying Saint commend the love and faithfulness of God the pleasantness and excellency of his ways and worship and to bless the time and pains and strength that ever they spent in his service they esteem his language and begin to have other thoughts of Holiness and Heaven for they consider that surely now the man is entering upon the borders of eternity he is serious and in earnest Hence the Patriarchs knowing the prevalency of such words urge Ioseph with Iacobs dying charge Thy Father when dying said Forgive I pray thee the iniquity of thy servants Gen. 50. 16. That Ruâ—â—ian that would live with his fellow Riotors beholding the holy behaviour of Ambrose on his Death-bed would chuse to dye with Ambrose The enemies of Christ beholding at the death of Christ how the Rocks were rent darkness covered the face of the earth how the vail of the Temple was torn in sunder the graves were opened the dead raised were forced to cry out Doubtless this man was the Son of God So when the adversaries of Gods people see them on their Death-beds and behold their patience in bearing their sickness their Faith in relying on their Saviour their charity in forgiving their enemies their zeal for the honour and interest of their Master their constancy in defending the Gospel they did before profess they are compelled in their consciences to acknowledge Doubtless these are the Servants the Sons and Daughters of God Much more will a holy behaviour on a Dying-bed benefit such as fear God It convinceth sinners that they whether they will or no must have other thoughts of holiness and holy men then formerly and it confirmeth Saints in their gracious practices and makes them more diligent in their preparation Mr. Bilny the day before he suffered death being told that though the fire was hot Gods Spirit would cool it to his everlasting refreshing answered putting his hand in the flame of the Candle I feel by experience and have known by Philosophy that Fire by Gods Ordinance is very hot but yet I am perswaded by Gods holy Word and by the experience of some spoken of therein That in the flame they felt no heat and in the fire no consumption and I constantly beleive howsoever the stubble of this my body shall be wasted by it yet my soul and spirit shall be purged thereby a pain for the time whereon followeth joy unspeakable And then he most comfortably treated on Isaiah 43. 1 2. But now Thus said the Lord that created thee O Jacob and that formed thee O Israel Fear not for I have redeemed thee When thou passest through the waters I will be with thee and through the rivers they they shall not overflow thee when thou walkest through the fire thou shalt not be burnt neither shall the flame kindle upon thee Which words he applied both to himself and his friends then present Of which some reaped such fruit that they caused the words to be fair written on Tables The comfort whereof in several that were with him was never taken from them to their dying day O t is very profitable to others when a Saint so behaveth himself on his Death-bed that he may say to his Friends and Relations as Sir Robert Harleigh did to his Children I have formerly taught you how to live and now I teach you how to die Thirdly Consider It s the last opportunity that thou shalt ever have to do any work for thy God and Saviour and thy own soul When thou diest thou goest to the place where thou shalt receive thy reward and shalt never never more have any season to sow to the Spirit in to serve thy Redeemer in and to manifest thy thankfulness to him for his love to thee I must work the work of him that sent me whilst it is day saith Christ for the night cometh wherein no man can work Ioh. 9. 4. Thou mayst when dying say to thy friends as the Crier of the Ludi seculares which happened but once in a hundred years did at Rome Come see that which ye never saw before nor shall ever see again He that hath but one Arrow to shoot but one throw to cast but one opportunity left him to work out his salvation in may well improve it to the utmost A certain Martyr going to suffer expressed his sorrow that he was going thither Where he should do his God no more service Our God is so good that his work is desireable and were it possible for any grief in Heaven saith Dr. Sibs it would arise from a Christians consideration that he did no more
militant Calvin was heard before his death often to sigh out How long Lord How long will it be ere thou avenge the blood of thy Servantsâ— The people of God are the purchase of Christ and of the same family and body with the dying Christian and therefore must needs be dear to him 4. For his Benefactours and those that have done good to him and his Paul had received some kindness from Onesimus he refreshed him in his bonds and in the 2 Tim. 1. 8. which was the last of his Epistles and thought to be written but a little before his death for he tells us in it I am ready to be offered and the time of my departure is at hand how pathetically doth he pray for him The Lord grant that he may finde mercy at that day 5. For our enemies This is to follow Gods pattern who doth good for evil and to obey his Precept who commandeth us to pray for them that despitefully use us Stephen when departing out of the World intreats mercy for them who were cruel to him Lord lay not this sin to their charge Act. 7. 60. Our blessed Saviour dying begs hard for their eternal lives who were the instruments and authors of his bloody death Father forgive them they know not what they do Luk. 23. 34. Thirdly In an holy exercise of Faith Courage Repentance Charity and Patience 1. Faith It s the Character of Gods Children that they live by Faith and they dye in the Faith Hab. 2. 6. Heb. 11. 31. The waters say some of the Pool of Bethesda wherein the Priest washed the sacrifices before he offered them was of a reddish colour to note that men must be washed by faith in the blood of Christ before they are ready to be offered a Peace-offering to God by death The dying Christian must expect strong assaults against the bulwark of his faith but what-ever he let go he must keep his hold on Christ. I know no grace that the Devil is such a sworn enemy to as Faith and I know no season that he is more diligent in to overthrow their faith then when they are under some dangerous sickness therefore it s the observation of a good man that he seldom seeth a sick Saint followed close with temptations to recover of that sickness for Satan knowing he hath but a little time useth all his craft and strength to separate the soul from the Rock of his salvation Upon a dying bed reflect upon former experienes of Gods love to thy soul and recollect the former evidences of of thy title to Christ and thereby to Heaven I must tell thee though the certainty of thy salvation depend upon the truth of thy Faith the comfort of thy dissolution will depend on the strength of thy Faith Faith is the shield of the soul and therefore above all in thy encounter with thy great enemy Satan and thy last enemy death take the Shield of Faith Eph. 6. 14. Epaminondas after his victory at Loâ—ctrum wherein he was mortally wounded understanding that his Buckler was safe bid his Chirurgion boldly to pluck out the Dart that stuck in his side and died cheerfully The Saint the Souldier of Christ who is wounded even to death and keepeth his Shield of Faith safe may leave the world with courage The Apostle Paul who knew whom he had beleived 2 Tim. 1. 12. rings a challenge in the ears of death O death where is thy sting and sings a triumphant ditty at the approach of death The time of my departure is at hand I have fought a good fight I have finished my course I have kept the Faith Henceforth is laid up for me a crown of righteousness 2 Tim. 4. 7 8. When Iacob had beleived the report of Iosephs life his heart was revived Is Joseph yet alive saith he I will go down and see him before I dye When the true Israelite can firmely credit the testimony which God hath given of Iesus the Son of Ioseph how he being an enemy was reconciled to God by the death of his Son and shall much more being reconciled be saved by his life and by faith can cling on him his heart though dying is then enlivened O with what comfort can he take his journey into the other world When Philip viewed his young Son Alexander Now saith he I am content to dye Old Simeon springs young again at a sight of Christ and having embraced his Saviour in the armes of faith as well as in the armes of his body he begs a dismission out of this valley of tears being assured thereby of an admission into fulness of joy Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace according to thy word for mine eyes have seen thy salvation Having with an eye of faith beheld Christ he counts his life but a bondage and desires to depart or be loosed from fetters as the word signifieth and is taken Mat. 27. 17. We read of the Lords worthies that by faith they stopped the mouths of Lions Death is a fierce and cruel Lion but faith will pull out its teeth that it cannot hurt us or stop its mouth that it shall not devour us This grace like the Angel sent from Heaven when Daniel was cast into the Lions Den will save the Christian from being torn in peices O Friend The Robes of Christs righteousness is the onely Coat of Male which can defend thy soul against the shot of death If thou canst with Moses go up to Pisgah and take a view by faith of the Land of promise thou wilt comfortably with him lay down thine earthly Tabernacle Iob desired death as eagerly as the Labourer in an hot summers day desires the shadow Paul longed for it as vehemently as the Apprentice for the expiration of his Indentures and all because they had first beheld Christ by faith It s no wonder that many of Gods Children have called earnestly to be laid to bed knowing that it would prove their everlasting happy rest and when their bodies are carried by mortal men to their Mother Earth their souls should be conveyed by glorious Angels to their Father in Heaven 2. Courage A Christian should be a Voluntier in death Many of the Martyrs were as willing to dye as to dine went to the sire as chearfully as to a Feast and courted its pale and gastly countenance as if it had bee a beautiful Bride When King Lysimachus threatned Cyrenaeus Theodorus with Hanging Istis quaeso inquit ista horribilia minitare purpuratis tuis Thedori quidem nihil interest humine an sublime putrescat Threaten these terrible things to thy brave Courtiers Theodorus cares not whether he rot in the Air or on the Earth Cyprian said Amen to his own Sentence of Martyrdom Hierom reports of Nepotianus that he gave up his life so chearfully that one would have thought he rather walked forth then died When Ignatius was led from Syria to Rome to be torn in peices of wild
lay a dying he lift up his head from his Pillow to hear the discourses of his friends that sat by him saying I shall dye with the more comfort if I can dye learning something The Christian both by his painful sickness and approaching death may learn something of the evil of sin and certainly he may dye with the more comfort for godly sorrow and joy may be contemporaries as the Heavens shine and showr at the same time if he dye in a flood of tears for his unkindness to Christ. 4. Charity in a double respect 1. In forgiving them that have wronged thee If the natural Sun should not go down upon our wrath muchless should the Sun of our Lives It s bad to bear anger or malice one hour in our hearts against any but it s worst of all to carry it with us into the other world How can he expect to dye in peace with God who dyeth in war with men when God himself hath said Except ye forgive others their trespasses against you neither will your heavenly Father forgive you your trespasses Amilcar the Father of Hannibal when he was dying made his Son take a solemn Oath to maintain a perpetual War with the Romans Edward the first adjured his Son and Nobles that if he dyed in his expedition against Bruce King of Scotland they should not inter his Corps but carry it about with them till they had avenged him on that Usurper But certainly its a desperate thing to leave Children Heirs to the Parents wrath and rage as well as to his riches O how dreadful is his estate who takes his enemy by the throat when God by death is taking him by the throat and ready to thrattle him for ever If thou hast wronged others either in name or goods or body seek reconciliation and make satisfaction for this is righteous and just If thy brother hath ought against thee thou hast never more need of reconciling thy self to him then when thou art approaching the Altar of death there to offer up the last sacrifice to God in this world If thy Brother have wronged thee in any sort remit it this is charity to do otherwise is to give place to the Devil Eph. 4. 16 17. and thou hast least cause to give him ground when his rage is greatest and his barteries strongest in thy last conflict with him O! imitate that blessed Martyr Stephen and the incomparable Saviour in begging Gods love for them who hate thee Act. 7. 60. Luke 23. 34. 2. In remembring the poor and afflicted if God hath made thee able its best to be merciful in our life-time to make our own hand our Executors and our own eyes our Overseers for the payment of our Gifts and Legacies to our spiritual Kindred for such have a particular promise that God will make all their bed in their sickness but its good to be charitable when we are dying True friends show most love at parting Though justice must be blind not to see persons yet charity must be quick-sighted to pick out the fittest objects viz. the poor and the pious poor in the first place Our Goods will not extend to God therefore they must to the Saints When Ionathan was beyond the reach of Davids charity he doth for his sake manifest it to his Son God is beyond all our gifts therefore for his sake we must bestow them on the Godly that are his Children Make you friends of the Mammon of unrighteousness that when that faileth ye may be received into the everlasting habitations Hereby men lay up a good foundation against the time of need Godly Parents are ignorant how their Children may imploy the estate they leave whether as fuel for corruption or as oyl to keep the Lamps in Gods sanctuary burning its good therefore for themselves with prudence to dispose of what they may to Gods Servants and Service Some men have estates dropping on them out of the clouds as it were large inheritances fair patrimonies like Canaan both in regard of their fruitfulness and abounding with all sorts of comforts and in regard of their easiness of obtaining them without sweat or labour they inherit aâ— the Israelites Houses which they built not Wells which they digged not and Vineyards which they planted not upon both these accounts such persons are engaged to do good and distribute and to be rich in good works God expects a return of his Talents with advantage How liberal nay lavish have many Papists been upon their death-beds to Friars and Monks even to the wronging their Wives and Children that some States as Venice have been forced to make Laws to restrain men lest the Church should in time swallow up all the revenues of the Common-wealth and all this upon a foolish vain conceit that they should the sooner pass through Purgatory It is certainly a great disgrace to the Disciples of Christ and no mean dishonour to Christ himself that so many and such large gifts have proceeded from the false faith of Merit-mongers when the faith of his most glorious Gospel doth not work the like in true beleivers How will Christians answer it that an idle Dream and fancied Fear of an imaginary Purgaâ—ory should do more them the sure perswasion of the love of God and the certain hope of eternal life 4. Patience and Submission to the will of God both as to our death or life and also as to our pain or ease in sickness As to our life and death we must know God is wise and will never gather his fruit but in the best season None ununless a fool but will be willing God should chuse for him It s excellent for a sickâ—person to be wholly at Gods disposal as knowing that whilst he is here God will refresh him with the first fruits and when he goeth hence receive him into that place where he shall enjoy the whole harvest It was the speech of dying Iulian he that would not dye when he must and â—e that would dye when he must not are both of them Cowards alike To desire to live when one is called to dye is a sign of Cowardise for such a one is afraid to enter the list with the King of terrors To desire to dye when one is called to live speaks a faint-hearted creature for such a man dares not look an affliction or disaster in the face therefore would take shelter in deathâ— Cato Cleombrotus Lucretia shewed more cowardise then courage in being their own Executioners The Romans commended Terentius for his resolution to live after his Army was routed by Hannibal He is the most valiant person that can dye willingly when God would have him dye and live as willingly when God would have him live He that is weary of his work before the evening is an unprofitable servant and is either infected with idleness or with diseases When Dr. Whitaker was told death was approaching he answered Life or Death is welcom to me which God pleaseth Mr.
mind to make their Wills have not had a tongue to do it with Others who have had a tongue have lost the use of their understandings partly because in sickness we should have as little as may be to do with the World All occasions of disturbance or distraction to our souls should be prevented The disposition of what God hath given thee must be with prudence for the maintenance of love among Relations with plainness that thy meaning may not be mistaken and with judgement and ability for the preventing of all Quarrels and Law-suits amongst such as are interested in it Reader If thou art careful and faithful in the discharge of these particulars thy Funeral will prove a Festival and the Sun of thy life will set as the natural Sun in a clear evening not in a cloud but in such a red skie as to prognosticate the ensuing day to be fair thy certain and comfortable resurrection to bliss and honour Thy name will live when thou art dead and thy memory be blessed amongst all that fear the Lord. Tacitus makes one of the Sempronii not wholly to degenerate from the honour of his house onely for dying well Constantia mortis hand indigna Sempronio nomine Nero did tacitly wipe Claudius the Emperour though himself were the worst of the two when in an ambiguous phrase he mentions his death Desinit Morari inter homines Every sinner goeth out like a snuff but the just shall be had in everlasting remembrance By practicing these duties thou shalt come to die in the Lord to rest from thy labours and to have thy works following thee to thine endless blessed reward A Good Wish about the Christians exercising himself to Godliness on a Dying Bed wherein the former heads are applied THe righteous God having appointed death to be the end of all the Children of men as the common road through which they pass into the other world to receive according to what they have done in this life whether it be good or whether it be evil I Wish that I may be wise to consider of my latter end and so live that I may rather desire then be afraid to dye that my last days may be my best days and I may imitate my Redeemer in bringing my God much honour and doing his Church much service when I am entring into my Masters joy The evening praiseth the day the last scene commends the Act. The rivers the nearer they draw to the Sea the sooner they are met by the tide Though to guide a vessel safely along in the Ocean argueth much skill and such a Pilot is worthy of praise yet at the very entrance into theâ— Haven then to avoid the Rocks and to cast Anchor in a safe Road argueth most skill and deserveth most praise Musitians reserve the sweetest strain for the close of their lesson Orators though in every part of their speech they use great care yet in the close of their speech they use the utmost of their Rhetorick and put forth all their art and skill to stir up all the affections of their hearers that they may leave at last the deepest impressions upon their hearts of those things which they would perswade to My whole life ought to be noâ—thing else but a pleading with my God for mercy and a walking according to his word but when I come to the period of my days how powerful should my prayers how pious my practices be how lively my graces how holy my whole conversation that my God may say of me as once of Thyatira I know thy works and charity and service and faith and thy patience and thy works and the last to be more then the first Though violent Motions are slowest at last as being farthest from that strength which forced them contrary to their own inclinations yet natural motions proceeding from an inward principle the nearer the centre the swifter the motion Though Hypocrites and such as have onely a form of godliness grow worse and worse and fill up the measure of their lusts with the measure of their lives yet gracious persons and such as have the power of godliness grow better and better and compleat their task with their time O that the longings the desires the faith the hope the delight of my soul like the approaches of a Needle may be so much the more quick by how much they draw nearer to their Load-stone Iesus Christ. Lord thou hast an absolute dominion over me both living and dying It s thy word None of thine liveth to himself or dyeth to himself But whether they live they live unto the Lord and whether they dye they dye unto the Lord and whether they live or dye they are the Lords O help me to glorifie thee both by my life and by my death Let thy spirit be strong within me when my flesh is weak When the Keepers of the house shall tremble shew thy self the Keeper and strength of my heart When the Grinders shall cease because they are few or weak give me to feed on the Manna of thy promises and that bread which came down from Heaven When the Daughters of Musick shall be brought low let me hear by faith the song of Moses and the Lamb sung by the celestial quire When they that look out at the Window are darkened let the eyes of my soul be opened to behold with thy dying Martyr Stephen Iesus sitting at the right hand of God Let my hope and desire look out at the Windows and say Why is his Chariot sent to fetch me to himself so long a comming Why tarry the wheels of his Chariot Make hast my beloved be thou like the Heart and Roe upon the Mountains of spices Whether I perish in the field with Abel or in the Prison with the Baptist or in my bed with Jacob grant me thy gracious comforting presence and then though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death I shall fear none ill O do thou undertake my conduct in my passage over the rough waters of this Jordan into Canaan and then there will be no danger of drowning Assist me so to live by faith that I may dye in the faith and when my friends take my earthly body to their disposal O do thou receive my Heaven-born soul into the armes of thine infinite mercy for thou hast redeemed it Lord God of truth I Wish that I may frequently ponder what a serious solemn thing it is to dye How ever light or vain or jesting my life hath been my death will be in earnest I cannot dally or trifle with it It will not dally or trifle with me It can be done but once and upon it my everlasting making or marring depends It â—s so certain that all must willing or unwilling ready or unready undergo it Neither the policy of Achithophel nor the strength of Sampson nor the wisdom of Solomon nor the beauty of Absolom nor the piety of Abraham nor the wealth
I love them how can I manifest it better then by commending them to God in prayer Should I leave them thousands of silver and gold if I were able it would not all amount to the price of one fervent prayer My riches might wrong them through the deceitfulness of their hearts and cause them to be contented short of Heaven but my prayers cannot prejudice them but may much further their eternal welfares Men whose natures are crabbed and cruel have granted the requests of their dying children when they have been contrary to their own humours How much more will God the Father of mercies whose nature is Love whose bowels are infinite satisfie the desire of his dying children when they fall in with his own design and desire If Joab had hopes to speed in his supplication for Absolom because he knew the Kings heart was more for it then his own may not I be confident to speed when I beg that he would pay my debts in spirituals with interest to those who have bestowed carnals on me for his sake when I ask that my Children and Relations may love and fear and worship his Majesty and be his workmanship created in Christ Iesus unto good works and when I intreat that he would accomplish all the great and good things which he hath promised to his Church the purchase of his Christ knowing that his heart is infinitely more for these things then mine can be Lord when I dye I shall no more put up prayers for my self or other particular persons My natural obligations to my Kindred and Relations my civil ingagements to my Friends and Benefactours besides my spiritual bonds to them and thy whole Israel may well provoke me to be fervent and instant with thy Majesty at such an hour on their behalves My Redeemer before his death wrought hard at this duty He offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears Ah how should I pray for my self and others when I am taking my leave of prayer O let thy spirit of supplication be so poured down on me that I may poure out my spirit in supplication unto theeâ— for my own and others souls through thy Son with the greatest success I Wish that the night of my death may shine gloriously with the sparkling stars of divine and heavenly graces In particular I desire that when the time of my combat with my last enemy and my last combat with any enemy shall come I may above all take the shield of Faith whereby I shall be sheltered against the sting of death and quench the fiery darts of the wicked one The wise Mariner perceiving a storm approaching makes hast to fasten his Vessel with Anchors that it may be steady and not altogether at the mercy of the winds I must expect the greatest tempest when I am entering into my eternal Haven then all the powers of darkness will conjure up their strongest winds if possible to shipwrack the vessel of my soul Ah how much doth it concern me to put forth this grace the anchor of my soul both sure and stedfast and which entereth into that within the vail and thereby to fasten on the rock of Ages If I fail in this I fall I miscarry for ever God is a severe judge to condemn all guilty Malefactours Without his Son I am cloathed with guilt and so under his boundless wrath When Adam had disrobed himself of original righteousness by disobeying the law he fled from God and dreaded the summons of offended justice There is no appearing in the Fathers sight with acceptance but in the garments of his Son None can have boldness to enter into the holy of holies but by the blood of Iesus It s Faith onely that interesteth in this blood I know that through the red Sea of this blood I pass may safely though enemies pursue me hard into the Land of promise Lord I confess through an evil heart of unbeleif I have many a time departed away from the living God yet Lord I believe help mine unbeleif O Lord of life be not far from me when Devils and death are near me Help me with thy servant Stephen to see Heaven open by faith and the Son of man at thy right hand Enable me to disclaim whatsoever duties I have performed or graces I have exercised and to rely alone on a crucified Christ for pardon and life Though thou killest me let me dye trusting and clinging on and cleaving to Iesus Christ Let this Pilgrims staff of faith be never out of my hand till I come to my joâ—rneys end Thou art the Lord of Hosts and the Captain of my salvation O help me to put on the whole armour of God grant me such skill to use it that I may be able to stand in the evil day Teach thou my hands to war and my fingers to fight that through thee I may do valiantly and through thee may tread down mine enemies Grant me so to finish my course to fight the good fight of faith that at death I may receive the crown of righteousness which the righteous judge shall give to all that love his appearing I Wish that my faith may ripen into full assurance that thereby I may depart with joy and an abundant entrance may be ministred unto me into the Kingdom of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Moses and Simeon could sing at their own funerals The great Apostle could call to be put to Bed expecting thereby his sweetest eternal rest How many Martyrs have gone more joyfully to dye then ever Epicure did to dine and leaped when they drew near the Stake believing that they drew near their home their happiness their heaven What is it O my soul that makes thee start and flinch back at the sight of this bug-bear What is there in death that is so dreadful to thee Is it the sweetness of life or the pain of death or thy future estate after death Consider them all seriously and then judge rationally whether any of these should make the sigh so loath to depart First The love of life need not make thee so backward to obey the call of death If all thy time were made up of Holy-days death would bring thee greater advantage The Garlick and Onions of Egypt are nothing comparable to the Clusters of Canaan But alas its far otherwise thy whole life is a civil death Thou art born to sorrow as the sparks flye upward Thy days are few but full of trouble The earth to thee is a valley of tears the cross is thy daily companion which accompanieth thee where-ever thou goest The sufferings of thy flesh are neither few nor small How many diseases in thy body losses in thy estate how much disgrace ignominy slander oppression art thou liable to The sufferings of thy spirit are more and greater Thine own sins the provocations of others the dishonour of thy God the wants and weaknesses and oppression and persecution of the Church
of Christ do all give thee daily occasion to mingle thy bread with ashes and thy drink with weeping What is this world that thou art so fond of it Thy God calls it a Sea of glass mingled with fire Rev. 15. 2. A Sea for its turbulency it s never at rest but ebbs and flows continually though sometimes more sometimes less Its work is to bubble up mire and dirt especially on them who are chosen out of the world A Sea of glass for its fragility All its pomp and pride on a sudden vanisheth Glass is both easily and irrecoverably broken in peices A Sea of glass mingled with fire for the fiery and dreadful miseries that befal men in it All its apparent comforts are mingled with real crosses In Heaven there is solace without the least grain of sorrow In Hell there is mourning without the smallest dram of mirth but on Earth there is no estate without mixture The Saints have joy in God but if need be they are in heaviness through manifold tribulations 1 Pet. 1. 6. The merry sinners in the midst of their pleasures have their hearts heavy Some of the wiser Heathen were so sensible of humane miseries that one of them when Ancient told his Scholar that if it were offered him to be young again he would not accept if Saints of all men must expect a large draught of sufferings The world is their enemy and raiseth all its forces against them If I be a Disciple I must look to follow my Master in bearing his Cross O my soul why shouldst thou hug that which hates thee and doat on this world which is neither a fit match for thee as being unsutable to thy nature nor if she were can be faithful to thee being made up of wavering and inconstancy Or secondly Is it the pain of death that thou art so frighted at Surely the fear of it is the greatest torment How many have felt greater pain in divers diseases as in the Stone or Strangury or Collick then in a dying hour Some of Gods Children have felt very little pain in the judgement of those that have seen them dying The waters of Jordan though rough to others have stood still when the Ark was to pass over But though I were sure my pain should be sharp yet I am as sure it shall be short In a moment in the twinckling of an eye I shall be transported over the gulp of misery into endless glory My pangs will be almost as soon gone as come Sorrow will endure but for a short night joy will come in the morning If I were assured of a great purchase made for me in Spain or Turky which upon my first comming over I should enjoy would I not adventure a passage through the boistrous Ocean to take possession My Saviour hath made a larger a better purchase for me in Heaven He is gone before to prepare a place for me My passage thither though it may be more painful is less perillous It s impossible for me to miscarry in it O why am I so slothful to go in and possess the good Land Surely the pleasures of the end may well sweeten the ways to it were they never so bitter With what chearfulness do some women undergo their sharp throws and hard labours supported with this cordial that a child shall thereby be born to them O how infinitely inferiour is the joy of a man child brought forth into this world to the joy of a sanctified soul brought out of this world into Heaven Again I have a tender Father who knoweth my frame and will lay no more upon me living or dying then he will enable me to bear He hath said it I will never leave thee nor forsake thee O my soul thou hast little reason to dread a contest with this enemy for this cause Thou mayst contentedly undergo a little pain to go to thy dearest Lord when many a sinner hath suffered greater to satisfie his hellish lust Thirdly Is it thy future condition that makes thee unwilling to dye Dost thou not know that death is thy portal through which thou shalt pass into the true Paradise It s the straight gate through which thou shalt enter into life Though its the wicked mans shipwrack which swalloweth him up in an Ocean of wrath and torment yet it s the Saints putting into harbour where he is received with the greatest acclamation and richest welcom imaginable Travellers who have met with many dangers and troubles in their journeys rejoyce when they come near their own Country I am a Pilgrim here and used or rather abused as a stranger shall I not be glad when I come near my blessed home my eternal happy habitation Children in some parts when they first behold the Stork the messenger of the Spring testifie their joy with pleasant and loud shoutings O why shouldst not thou lift up thy head with joy when sickness the fore-runner of death is come to bring thee tidings that the Winter of thy misery and cold and hardships is past and the Summer of thine eternal light and joy and pleasure is at hand Thy death may well be a Free-will-offering considering that though the ashes of the sacrifice thy body fall to the earth yet that divine flame thy immortal spirit shall ascend to Heaven In death nothing dyeth of thee but what thou mayst well spare thy sin and sorrows When the house is pulled to peices all those Ivy roots in the wall shall be destroyed The Egg-shell must be broken that the little chick may slip out Thy body must be dissolved that thy â—oul may be delivered Yet thy body doth not dye but sleep in the bed of the grave till the morning of the resurrection That outward apparel shall not be utterly consumed by the moth of time but lockt up safe as in a chest to be new trimmed and gloriously adorned above the Sun in his greatest lustre and put on again when thou shalt awake in the morning never never to put off more O that I could so live that I might not only be always ready but also when God calls me desirous to dye If I borrow any thing of my Neighbour I pay it back with thanks My life is Gods he lends it me for a time Why should I not when he calls for it restore it with thanks that he hath been pleased to lend it me so long Lord thy Children love thee dearly and believe that when they come home to thee thou wilt entertain them kindly yet their flesh like Lots Wife is still â—ankering after the Sodom of this World and loath they are to leave it though it be for their exceeding gain Give thy servant such true faith in thy Son that I may neither love life nor fear death immoderately but as the heart of Jacob revived when he saw the Wagons which Joseph sent to fetch him to Egypt so my heart may leap for joy to behold the heavenly Chariot which the Son of
not another though my reins be consumed within me Though thou art sown in dishonour thou shalt be raiâ—ed in glory though thou art sown in weakness thou shalt be raised in power though thou art sown a natural body thou shalt be raised a spiritual body and fashioned like unto the glorious body of Christ himself Thy dust shall live and thou shalt arise and be joyned to this soul and both joyn with the great assembly of the sirst-born in singing the praises of thy Master and Husband The Souldier is glad when he is called to receive his pay though the ways be deep and dirty through which he travelleth to the the place of Muster The Husbandman rejoyceth when his Fields are white to Harvest and with piping and shouting accompanieth his last load 〈◊〉 the barn O that my life might be so sanctified 〈◊〉 devoted to my God that at my death he may be my solace Ah Lord it matters not who be failing to visit me on my sick bed so thou be present with me Nay though mine enemies come and say When shall he dye and his name perish An evil disease cleaveth to him now that he lyeth down he shall rise up no more If thou pleasest to visit me with thy saving health I shall not be afraid when I walk in the valley of the â—hadow of death O when the Sun of my life shall be setting let the Sun of righteousness so arise upon me that I may be delivered from the power curse and sting of death and may find it through his merits to be my haven of rest after all my foul weather a bed of ease after my sore labour a release out of prison and my Iubilee to give me possession of an inheritance undefiled incorruptible that fadeth not away which is reserved in heaven for me Amen CHAP. IX Means whereby Christians may exercise themselves to Godliness A good Foundation Lâ—ving by Faith Setting God always before our eyes I Come now to the second thing promised namely to lay down the Means whereby Christians may come to make Religion their business First If thou wouldst exercise thy self to Godliness be sure that thou layest a good foundation in a renewed heart and nature I begin with this because it is the chiefest requisite and the baâ—is of all Godliness must first spring up in the heart before it can overflow in the life Other means are like those parts of the body the want of which may be supplied by others but this is like the heart which if wanting nothing can make up its want A dead man will as soon arise and walk as an unsanctified person make Religion his business Every thing will act according to that principle which is predominant in it Though for a time it may by violence work contrary to its natural inclination yet it will endeavour the removal of that force and return to its old course Fire moveth upwards and earth downwards both strâ—ving to overturn what standeth in their way because the place of fire is above of earth beneath A river may be stopped and hindred in its current but it will never cease till it hath overborn the dam and attained its former passage Water that is naturally sweet may be made brackish by the over-flowing of salt water but it will not leave till it hath workt out that saltness and returneth to his natural sweetness so every man whether good or bad will act according to his nature whether gracious or vicious A good man may be hindred in his holy course by temptations and the violence of the flesh but because his nature is gracious he will never be at rest till he hath forcibly broke through those impediments and got into his former way of Godliness An evil man may step into the path of piety through the example of others or good education or some slender convictions of a natural conscience but he will quickly be weary he will not hold out in it he will break through those obstacles because his nature the stream of his heart runs another way The Heart of man is like the Spring of the Clock which causeth the wheels to move right or wrong well or ill Hence it is that Gods precept is to this Make you a new heart and a new spirit and his promise of this I will put my fear into their hearts and they shall never depart away from me The fear of God in the heart will bind thee fast to God in thy life If the heart be throughly drawn to him the tongue and hand will not depart from him If the heart once set forward for God all the members will follow after the mouth will praise the ears will attend to him the eye will watch him the seet will go after him all the parts like dutiful handmaids in their places will wait on their Mistris There was a great Master among the Jews which bid his Schollars to consider and tell him What was the best thing or the best way in which a man should always keep One said A good Companion was the best thing in the world another said A good Neighbour was the best thing he could wish A third said A wise man or one that could for esee future things A fourth said A good eye that is a liberal disposition At last came one Eleazer and he said A good heart is better then them all True said the Master thou hast comprehended in two words all that the rest have said For a good heart will make a man both contented and a good companion and a good neighbour and help him to foresee things that are to come that he may know what is on his part to be done Indeed without this there can be no godliness all professions and performances are but a shew a shadow and where there is this there is all godliness in all manner of conversation As the King of France said of Dover that it was the key of England and if his son who then invaded the Britains had not that he had nothing So it may be said of the heart It is the key of the whole man it opens and shuts the door to Godliness and Wickedness and if grace hath not this it hath nothing The Philosopher when he would perswade the King to settle his residence in the midst of his Dominions and thereby keep all his people the better in subjection took a Bulls hide ready tanned upon which when he stood on any side of it still it rose up on the other but when he stood on the middle he kept down all alike The onely way to subdue sin is to do it in the heart that commands all otherwise though one unruly passion may be kept down another will rise up The Heart is the great Work-house where all sin is wrought before it s exposed to open view It s the Mint where evil thoughts are coyned before they are currant in our words or actions Out of the heart proceed
God much more eligible then the pleasures of sin Symphorianus a Christian young man after he was almost scourged to death being draged to Execution at Augustodunum met his Mother not crying or tearing her hair but like an Holy Lady thus comforting him Son my Son I say Remember life eternal look up to Heaven Life is not taken from thee but exchanged for a better At which words of his Mother he went on willingly to the Block and exposed his Throat to the fatal Ax One of the Dutch Martyrs feeling the flame coming to him said O what a small pain is this to Heaven Our blessed Saviour had an eye to the joy set before him and thereby was encouraged to endure the Cross and despise the shame Indeed if Faith spring a leak then the waters break in and the Christian sinks apace as we see in Peters denial of his Master As Faith in the Promises so also Faith in the Threatnings makes the Christian a Conquerour over the worlds affrightments where the World threatens Bonds and Whips and Dungeoâ—s and Death if the Christian will not sin against God and begins to stagger the soul. Take heed what thou dost saith Faith for God threateneth Fire and Brimstone and Chains and Blackness of Darkness for ever as the wages of all sin Is the Wrath of an Infinite God not more to be feared then of weak dying Men Is the pains of a violent death which will quickly be over and the most the World can do against thee comparable to the pains of eternal death And thus Faith by the terror of this great Ordinance drowns the noise of those small peices that the soul is deaf to their report 2. Faith enableth the soul to overcome the allurements of the world If the world cannot terrifie the Saint with its fiery Furnace to disown and deny his Saviour it will seek to inchant him with its Musick and thereby to make him deaf to the Call and Commands of Christ. Thus it served Ioseph When it could not prevail on the left hand by selling him for a slave it tryeth him on the right hand by setting a Dalilah to tickle him with pleasure but by Faith he saw the Hook under the Bait and durst not nibble at it much less swallow it Though the world like Iezabel painteth her face and tireth her hair to render her amiable and lovely and as a Srumpet sheweth her naked Breasts of pleasure and profit to entice the beleiver to go a Whoring after her yet he vieweth by Faith the deformity of her person under all her dawbery and the dregginess and deceitfulness of her pleasures notwithstanding their shew of clearness and so rejects them with scorn and disdain Pliny saith of Cato that he took as much pleasure in the Honours he denied as in those that he enjoyed The beleiver can glory more in his refusal of glory for Christ then unbeleivers in all their preferments Indeed if the Christian did consult with sense or carnal reason he would take the worlds present money but the beleiver doth not consult with flesh and blood like wise Abigal knowing how much it will conduce to his advantage he can part with his estaâ—e for God and never make those Nabals privy to the design lest they should hinder it Besides Faith discovers pure Rivers of pleasures more noble and excellent delights to be the portion of those that refuse to grate their teeth with such kennel water As man is a rational creature he would sell his wares to them that will give most Now Faith sheweth how infinitely God out-bids the world Sense saith The world offereth fair it offereth comforts sutable to thy flesh such as they desire and it offereth ready money present possession But saith Faith God offereth thee better The comforts he offereth are more excellent being sutable not as the Worlds to a carnal brutish nature but to an heavenly divine soul and more durable being eternal when the pleasures of sin are but for a season He that hopes for no better market will take the present money offered him But he that is assured of greater gains will refuse the lesser An unbeleiver who expects no better bargain then what this life affords him may well take up with present pay what ever it be but the Beleiver who seeth the glory to be revealed and fulness of joy in Heaven and is assured that if he be faithful unto death he shall receive that eternal crown of life turns his eyes off the honours and comforts of this beggarly world Those stars of creature joys do all disappear in the presence of this Sun Gold bears little sway with the soul that knoweth his title to the new Ierusalem that is paved with Gold in which gold is trampled under foot Those birds that flie aloft in the Firmament are not so easily snared by the Fowlers Gins Though the things of this world were glorious in his eyes during his estate of unbeleif yet now he hath discerned a world beyond the Moon and sent Faith as a spie to search and coast that Country which hath brought word back that its a good land flowing with Milk and Honey and in it there is want of nothing they have no glory by reason of that glory that doth so infinitely exceed When a man is below things above seem small the great Stars that are bigger then the Earth seem not so big as a bushel and things below seem great but when a man is above as upon the top of a Steeple then things below seem little he beholdeth men like Grashoppers Were he conveyed to the highest hill in the World men would not be discerned great Kingdoms would be but small Cottages Unbeleif sets a man below here on earth and so the things of Heaven are little in his eye but Faith soars aloft it carrieth the Christian up to Heaven and then the whole earth is but a small spot in his eye Ioseph bids the Patriarchs Regard not your stuff for the good of all the Land of Egypt is yours So saith Faith to the Christian Regard not the lumber and rubbish of this world for all the great and good things of the other world are thine Faith gives the soul a taste the first fruits of Heaven And as no man having drunk old wine desireth new for he saith the old is better So no man having tasted the wine of Heavens pleasures desires carnal delights A Pilgrim travelling to Ierusalem saith one came to a City where he saw a goodly Training and Mustering there he had a mind to stay but that he remembred that was not Ierusalem He came to another City where he saw gallant sports and pastimes there he had some good will to abide but that he remembred it was not Ierusalem He came to a third where were goodly buildings Fair Ladies curious Musick c. where also he had some thoughts of setling but still he remembred it was not Ierusalem So the beleiver when the
were desirous to reclaim from their vicious course of life One of the men told one of the women that he was desirous to enjoy her company so it might be with secrecy and when she had brought him into a close room that none could pry into he told her All the bars and bolts here cannot keep God out The other desired the other woman to company with him openly in the streets which when she rejected as a mad request he told her It was better to do it in the eyes of a multitude then of God How doth the Adulterer or Drunkard or Theif when they come abroad at midnight for the satisfaction of their lusts sneak and steal away when they spye the watch or any persons who would be witness of their vices and shall not the presence of that God who hates sin who is resolved to punish it with hell-flames make us ashamed or afraid to sin and dare him to his face 2. The thoughts of this Omnipresence of God will quicken thee to holiness The Souldiers of Israel and Iudah were prodigal of their blood in the presence of their two Generals 2 Sam. 2. 14. Servants will generally work hard whilst their Master stands by and looks on It s said of Alexander that his presence caused such courage in his Souldiers Vt illo presente nullius hostium arma vel iner mes timuerunt That when he was with them though they were unarmed they feared not the weapons of any of their enemies Our blessed Redeemer exhorteth to prayer in secret upon this consideration that God seeth and heareth it Mat. 6. and to charity in secret because though the left hand knoweth not what the right hand doth God knoweth what the right hand doth Your Father which seeth in secret will reward you openly There is a story of Bishop Latimer that he having in a Sermon at Court much displeased the King Henry 8. was commanded to Preach again the next Lords day and to recant his former sermon according to appointment he cometh up and prefaceth to his Sermon in this manner Hugh Latimer dost thou know this day to whom thou art to speak even to the High and mighty Monarch the Kings most excellent Majesty who can take away thy life if thou offendest therefore take heed how thou speakest a word which may displease but as if recalling himself he proceeded Hugh Hugh dost thou know from whom thou comest upon whose message thou art sent and who it is that is present with thee and beholdeth all thy ways even that Almighty God who can cast body and soul into Hell for ever therefore look about thee and be sure thou deliverest thy message faithfully and so he went to his Text and confirmed what he had spoken the day before and urged it with the more vehemency then ordinary The eye of God as of the Sun will call the Christian to his work Those Countries that are governed by Viceroys seldom flourish or thrive so well as those Kingdoms where the Prince is present in person Conscience Gods Viceroy may much quicken a Christian to holiness but God the Prince himself much more I have kept thy precepts saith David for all my ways are before thee CHAP. X. Means whereby Christians may exercise themselves to Godliness A constant watâ—hfulness Frequent Meditation of Death Daily performance of â—aored Duties FOurthly If thou wouldst exercise thy self to Godliness Watch over thy self continually This spiritual watchfulness is the Main-guard of the soul which if once called off we lye open to the shot of every enemy This like one of the Nethinim must stand continually Porter at the door of our hearts Gods Temple to keep out whatsoever iâ— uncleanâ— Watchfulness is a diligent observation of our selves in all things and at all times that we may please God always He that watcheth hath his eyes in his head according to the wise mans phrase and seeth as the Chineses say of themselves with both eyes David expresseth it fitly I said I will take heed to my ways Psa. 39.1 i. e. I will ponder my paths and consider where I set my feet lest I should tread awry Without this wariness there is no safe walking Secure Laish is made a prey to their enemies and the secure soul is made a prey to his spiritual adversaries Iudges 19.9,10 Soul-Lethargies are most dangerous most deadly Those that slept in the sweating sickness generally died He who watcheth not is led about like one in his natural sleep by any temptation he knoweth not how nor whether When the Wolves in the Fable once prevailed with the Sheep to part with the Dogs they soon devoured them If Satan can but get men to forgo this means of their safety he will soon make them his prey The old World was drowned in sleep before they were drowned in water Sodom and Gomorah were secure when they were destroyed by fire It s reported of the Dragon that whilst he sleepeth a jewel is taken out of his head Noah lost the jewel of Temperance David the jewel of Chastity whilst they were fallen asleep If this eye of watchfulness be once shut the soul is open to all wickedness When Argus notwithstanding his hundred eyes was by Mercury piped into a sleep he was transformed into a Cow Reader hearken to Gods Watch-word Ye are all children of light and children of the day we are not of the night nor of darkness Therefore let us not sleep as do others but let us watch and be sober 1 Thess. 5. 5,6,7 Sleep is not seasonable in the day of grace nor sutable to a childe of light They that sleep sleep in the night Rom. 13.11 The night is for sleep therefore in it God draweth a curtain of darkness about us as the Nurse when she would lay her babe to sleep throweth a cloth over the head of the cradle But the day is for watching for working He hath little reason to give himself to sleep who is every moment surrounded with mortal enemies which are neither few nor weak Naturalists tell us that the bird Onocratulus and the Pellican take their rest with their Beaks upright expecting the Hawk and that the Whale and Dolphin sleep with their heads erected above water for fear of hurt Though there were but that one text of Scripture 1 Pet. 5.8 relating to this duty t were enough to alarm any wise man and to call him to his arms Be sober be vigilant for your adversary the Devil walketh about as a roaring Lion seeking whom he may devour If that voyce among the antient Romans Hannibal ad portas Hannibal is at the gates were sufficient to make them leave whatsoever they were about and run to their weapons and stand upon their guard what watchfulness should this voyce of the holy Ghost The Devil is at the door call thee too Reader Take that verse a little in pieces and see what a foe thou hast to fight with and then tell me whether it doth not
so often to remember his latter end because the meditation of it is so gainful to him The first day man was made he was called to think of his last day God minded him of death in the Tree of Knowledge and the threatning annexed to the Prohibition that he might thereby keep him from sin Satan could not prevail with Eve to taste of that killing fruit till he had prevailed with her to distrust that threatning of death ye shall not surely dye Gen. 3. 4. After the fall God reneweth this meditation by turning the conditional into an absolute commination Dust thou art and to Dust thou shalt return and though the Holy Ghost omitteth many particulars about Gods carriage with the long-lived Patriarchs and their holy conversation before him yet he is exact in registring their deaths And he died and he died of every one Gen. 5. to quicken us to fear God because we are but dying frail men There is hardly any thing about which we deal but God gives us by it a Memento of Death Our Cloaths are all fetcht out of Deaths wardrobe our food out of deaths shambles The Sun is an emblem of lifes posting the night of the chambers of darkness the year hath its autumn the day its night Our candles should mind us of the wasting of our days the evening of the shadow of death our undressing of our putting off our earthly tabernacles and our lying down in our beds of our lying down in our graves If thou wouldst make Religion thy business and main work think often and seriously of thy death and departure of this world He that guides and steers the ship aright sits in the stern or hinderâ— most part of it He that would order his works his way according to God must be frequent in the meditation of his end The end of his days must be at the end of all his thoughts Zeno Cittiaeus consulted with the Oracle how he might live well and received this answer If he would be of the same colour with the dead Reader if thou wouldst live much and well get thy heart as much affected with godliness in health as it will be in sickness Have the same thoughts of it the same seriousness about it the very same carriage towards it whilst the world salutes thee with its smiling face and bewitching features which thou wilt wish thou hadst had when thou shalt come to take thy leave of it and lye upon thy dying bed Be of the same colour with the dead O what thoughts have the dead of godliness and of making it ones business The dead in Christ and the dead out of Christ have both other manner of thoughts of Religion and making it ones occupation then thou canst possibly imagine Those who while they live delay repentance and dally about Religion minding it as if they minded it not who neither in their dealings with men nor duties towards God nor in their relations nor vocations make it their business but mispend their precious time misimploy their weighty talents neglect God and their eternal welfares as if they had not been made to mind either when they come to dye and perceive in good earnest that that surly Serjeant Death will not be denyed but away they must go into the other world and fare well or ill for ever according as their hearts and lives have been godly or ungodly good or bad here good Lord what thoughts have they then of godliness How hearty are their wishes that they had made it their business What Worlds would they give that Religion had been their principal work What prayers and tears do they poure out for a few days to mind it in What sighs and sobs and groans that they have neglected it so long What purposes do they take up what promises do they make if God spare them to follow hard after holiness and make it their onely business A Philosopher asking Euchrites which of the two he had rather be Craesus one of the richest and most vicious in the world or Socrates one of the poorest and most vertuous Eucrites answered Craesus vivens Socrates moriens Craesus while he lived and Socrates when he dyed The Cuckoe when wearing away changeth her noat The worst men when they come to dye alter and change exceedingly It is worthy our observation that those who are greatest strangers to death are most familiar with the works of darkness No place abounds more in Wolves no person in wickedness then where this Mastiff is wanting Jerusalem hath greivously sinned her filthiness is in her skirts she remembreth not her last end therefore she came down wonderfully 1 Lamen 8. 9. Jerusalem hath greivously sinned hath sinned sin Heb. Hath committed a great or greivous sin so the Chaldee Behold here the colour of her sin is was not of an ordinary dye but of a black a bloody an heinous nature Her filthiness is in her skirts Lo here her carriage after her sinning she made of it an open shew so far was she from shame It is a term taken from prostituted Strumpets or monstrous women saith Diodat The outward looks of the former bewray her inward lusts and the marks of the latters defilement are visible on her garment thus the shew of Ierusalems countenance did publiquely evidence her crime She did as clearly by her skirts proclaim her filth as if it had been written on her face and engraven on her forehead Here was impiety in her practice Ierusalem hath greivously sinned and impudency to purpose Her filthiness is in her skirts But what dust was that which bred such vermine what polluted seed was that which begat such a poisonous serpent Reader if thou wouldst know the Mother which brought forth and bred up this ugly Monster She remembreth not her last end therefore she came down mightily It was her forgetfulness of death which nourished and cherished her wicked deeds They who mind not their reckoning care not how much they riot and revel They who put far away the evil day cause the seat of violence to come near Amos 6. 3. The further we drive death from our thoughts the nearer we draw to sin They who fancy their foe to be very far off will not prepare and make ready to fight Men that are young do not consider that the old Ass often carrieth the skin of the young to the Market that death comes like a Thunderbolt and Lightning and blasteth the green corn and consumeth the strongest buildings if they did they would flee youthful lusts He who seeth death at his door will be most diligent about his duty A serious consideration of the death of the body will be a soveraign though a sharp medicine to kill the body of death The Naturalists tell us that the ashes of a Viper applied to the part which is stung draweth the venome out of it They who look on themselves as Pilgrims and strangers will abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the
soul 1 Pet. 1. 17. Who would make his Belly his Gut his God who confidereth that every meal may be his last or that thinketh his dainty diet his fine fare doth but provide a greater feast for wormes Who would give way to sinful wantons who beleiveth that whilst he is unloading his lust God may put a period to his life He that is high in conceit of himself little dreameth how low he must shortly be laid Who would be proud of that body which shall ere long see corruption become such a noysom loathsom carcass that the nearest and dearest relations will not endure the sight or sent of it He who loveth the world inordinately forgetteth that he may leave it suddenly and must leave it certainly Would Haman have bragged so much of Hesters banquet if he had known that his own corps should be served in for the last course Would the Israelites have tempted God for meat if they had thought that death should have been their sauce Would Achan have coveted the golden wedge if he had mused of his so sudden departure into the other world Without question he would have forborn the Babylonish garment if he had seen death at his back so ready to strip him naked Had the rich fool thought that his bed should that night have proved his grave he would never in the day have prided himself in his goods Who would not at Gods call vilifie that flesh which will be ere long a lump of filth and be choice of that soul which lives for a more high and heavenly flight It is reported of the Brachmans that they use no cloaths but Bear-skins no houses but Caves no food but such as nature dresseth When Alexander came to them in his travails he asked them the reason of this severe kind of living They answered him We know we shall dye whether to day or to morrow we know not and therefore why should we take care either for power to govern others or for riches to live in pleasures or for honour to be esteemed of None are so loose to the world that great hinderance of holiness as they who ponder they must leave it Travellers who look on themselves near their journeys end care not to burden themselves with much baggage Their moderation will be known to all men who believe The Lord is at hand Those who are most mindful of their deaths are most faithful in their lives Iob was eminent in grace because Iob was daily conversing with his grave All the days of his appointed time he waited till his change came Job 14. 14. That servant will follow his work most and best who expecteth his Masters coming every moment It is said of the Kite that by the turning of his tail he directs and winds about his whole body The same is reported of the Glede or Puttock Fish also say Naturalists turn and wind about by the fins in their Tails Reader could I but prevail with thee to mind the end of thy life it would help thee very much to order thy conversation aright O said God that my people were wise then would they consider their latter end Deut. 32. 29. The Thebans made a Law that no man should build an house for himself to dwell in before he had made his grave Several of the Philosophers had their graves made before their doors that when ever they went abroad they might remember their deaths If thou wouldst but in thy out-goings and in-comings behold the place of thy burial I doubt not but thou wilt be watchful over all thy ways When thou art in the midst of thy delights as Ioseph of Aritmathea have thy tomb in thy garden and it may prevent thy surfeiting by those dainties When thou sittest at Table let the first dish set before thee be according to Prester Iohns custom a deaths-head and then with what fear wilt thou feed how thankfully wilt thou receive the creatures even as through the beloved Son how soberly wilt thou use them even as in Gods sight If God raise thee to the height of prosperity and some friend do but as Moses and Elias to Christ when his Face did shine as the Sun and his Raiment was as white as Snow Luk. 9. 30 31. talk to thee of thy decease which thou must shortly accomplish it will abate thy love to the worlds withering vanities and quicken thine endeavours after the eternal weight of glory If God cast thee into great adversity and thou dost but consider thy time here is but short and therefore thy troubles cannot be long this will make thee contented in the saddest condition When thou beholdest thy relations and fore-thinkest that thine eternal separation from them is at hand and that within a few days thou shalt never have another opportunity to help them heaven-ward how will it stir thee up to do them all the good thou canst now both by thy Precepts Pattern and Prayers If when thou attendest on publique Ordinances thou wilt but cast thine eye on the Graves in the Church-yard as thou passest along and meditate thus Within a little time I must be laid in the dust when I shall hear no more pray no more enjoy a Sabbath no more when I shall never never more have a tender of a Saviour never more have a season to beg mercy in for my poor soul. After such awakening thoughts with what attention wouldst thou hear with what affections wouldst thou pray with what intention and devotion with what seriousness and uprightness wouldst thou perform every duty Some say that nothing in this world is so strong as death because it subdueth the mighty it conquereth the greatest conquerours it overcometh all Sure I am that death hath great force and power over mens souls as well as over their bodies The thought of it hath raised some to a spiritual life The consideration of death hath also caused others to live much in a little space when they have sâ—en the â—un of their lives near setting and the night of their deaths approaching they have in the day followed their work with the greater diligence None will work so hard as they who think themselves near their everlasting homes There were two Emperors Adrian and Charles the fifth that in their life time caused their Coffins to be carried before them and their exequies to be solemnly celebrated to this end possibly that considering they were but men dying men they might thence be righteous in their government and virtuous in their actions It is reported of Turannius that after he was ninety years old he got leave of Caesar to retire himself from Court and the old man would needs be laid in his bed as one that had breathed out his last and all his Family must bewail his death Friend do thou in earnest what he did in jest Suppose thou wert this day to bid adiew to thy Friends Relations Honours and Possessions and to travail into the unknown other world to
take thy leave of hours and days and months and years and time and to sail into the boundless Ocean of Eternity Suppose thou sawest death creep in at thy Chamber window come up to thy Bed-side draw the Curtain take thee by the hand and tell thee that he is come from the Infinite Almighty jealous most holy God to fetch thee immediately into his presence there to answer for all thy thoughts words and deeds and to receive either matchless and endless pain or unchangeable and unconceiveable pleasures according as thy practices have been What wouldst thou think at such a time of godliness Good Lord what a price wouldst thou set upon it what wouldst thou not do or give for it Then godliness will be godliness indeed as little and as lightly as thou settest by it now And why is it not worth as much now Dost thou not see death like a Mole digging thy grave under thee Dost thou not feel that worm within thee which will ere long consume thee Beleive it thy death may be nearer then thou dreamest the glass of thy life may be almost out though thou thinkest it s but new turned The Murdering-peice which kills thee parting thy soul and body may be discharged with white powder give thee no warning at all The next Arrow which is shot may hit thee The next time the Bell goes may be to tell others that thou art dead The next time the Earth is opened may be to receive thy body in Thou seest some fall on thy right hand some on thy left hand some of thy very age and of greater strength and health and canst thou esteem thy self shot-free Is not every carcass a cryer and every Tomb a teacher calling upon thee to number thy days and apply thine heart unto wisdom Silly man is like the foolish Chicken though the Kite comes and takes away many of their fellows yet the rest continue pecking the ground never heeding their owner nor minding their shelter Death comes and snatcheth away one man here a second there one before them another behind them and they are killed with death undone for ever Rev. 2. 23. yet they who survive take no warning but persist in their wicked and ungodly ways They are destroyed from morning to evening they perish for ever without any regarding it Doth not their excellency which is in them go away they dye even without wisdom Job 4.20 21. It is the saying of an Heathen That it is impossible for a man to live the present day well who doth not purpose to live it as his last I may say to thee Friend It is impossible for thee to live the present day ill if thou wilt but live it as thy last day If thou dost but consider Well this place may be the last place I shall come into shall I pollute it with sin or shall I not rather perfume it with sanctity This expression may be the last that ever I shall speak shall it â—e tainted with vice or shall it not rather be seasoned with grace This action may be the last that ever I shall do and shall it be a deed of darkness or shall it not rather be a work of the day of the light This Sermon may be the last that ever I shall hear and shall I now be heedless After this I shall never more have a call from Christ and â—hall I now be careless This Prayer may be the last Prayer that ever I shall poure out to God if God deny me now I am damned and undone for ever and shall not my head and heart and will and mind and all be working that it may be a prosperous a prevalent prayer This Sabbath may be the last Sabbath that ever I shall sanctifie I may from henceforth and for ever be deprived of all such opportunities of getting and increasing grace of serving and honouring my Saviour and of working out my own salvation If I sow not now good seed I must never expect an happy harvest If I buy not now the market will be quickly over Shall I lose any precious minute of this holy day Is it time now to trifle about the affairs of my soul and eternity Well I will through Christ take heed how I hear I will hear in hearing I will pray in praying I will hear and hearken cry and call with all my heart and strength and soul and mind that if it be possible the Lord may not leave me without a blessing When the Oratour thinketh he is at the close of his Oration then he useth his chiefest Art and Rhetorick to move his Auditors affections he would have his last part his best part O Reader if thou wilt but often wind up this weight of thine approaching death it would keep thy soul in a quick spiritual and regular motion at all times As ashes preserve fire and keep coals from going out so the thought that we shall ere long be turned into ashes will preserve the fire of grace alive and in action Sixthly If thou wouldst exercise thy self to godliness Mind a daily performance of sacred duties He that hath nothing of his own whereupon to live must be frequently fetching in provision from the Shops or Market where it is to be had The Christians life is maintained not by himself but by what he receiveth from God Not that we are sufficient of our selves our sufficiency of God therefore there is a necessity of daily converse with God by holy Ordinances and of waiting at his gate as the beggar who hath neither a bit of bread nor a penny to buy any at the rich mans door for supply Our spiritual strength is like Israels Manna rained down daily we are kept by a divine power and allowed but from hand to mouth that we might continually depend on and resort to the Lord Jesus for our allowance Paul speaks in some places of his great disbursements how much he laid out for God and his people that he laboured more then all the Apostles but you must think Whence had Paul such a spiritual stock that he was able to outvy all others in his expences he tells you that the Son of God kept house for him and that he was the Steward to spend of his treasure and thence his disbursements were so large I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the life that I live in the flesh is by the faith of the Son of God Gal. 2. 20. As the Plant Mistel having no root of its own both grows and lives in the stock or body of the Oak So the Apostle having no root of his own did live and grow in Christ. As if he had said I live I keep a noble house am given to Hospitality above many in labours more abundant in watchings in fastings more frequent in perils and dangers and deaths often but the truth is I do all this at anothers cost and charge not at mine own I am beholden to Christ for
that fear thee which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men Clemens Alexandrinus makes mention of a place in Persia where there were three Hills when people came to the first they heard a clashing of armour when they came to the second they heard a confused noise when to the third nothing but songs of triumph At the day of the Saints Conversion he comes to the first hill then he heareth a clashing of armour listing himself under the Captain of his salvation and proclaiming open war against the world flesh and wicked one At the day of death he comes to the second hill a confused noise his friends are weeping and grieving his wife and children are mourning and bemoaning their loss though his soul be rejoycing to think of the rest to which it's going yet the flesh sweateth panteth is pierced and pained At the day of judgement he comes to the third hill where he heareth nothing but songs of triumph Victoria Victoria Hallelujahs Salvation Honour Glory Praise to the Lord and to the Lamb for ever At that day of judgement the whole world shall see and say Verily there is a reward for the righteous Then shall the wicked return and discern a difference between them that fear God and them that fear him not Then Grace will appear in all its embroydery and glory on that day of its coronation when the worst in Hell shall admire and adore it Now holiness hath a wonderful disadvantage partly by the persecutions afflictions bonds and imprisonments that attend it and chiefly from the darkness of mens understanding and the weakness of their eyes they are not able to view the thousandth part of its comeliness but then Holiness shall be freed from that black Guard of Hell that dogs her to destroy her and then the eyes of all the world shall be strengthned so much as to behold her amiableness then she shall be owned honoured acknowledged by God Angels and all the Children of Adam then she shall be attended not with Mulcts and Penalties and Bonds and Fetters but Crowns and Scepters and Palms and Kingdoms and then O then how lovely how beautiful will she be indeed 5. To affrighten thee from sin Consider the misery of sinners at that day It s called the day of perdition of ungodly men Sin will be sin indeed at that day When sin shall be stripped naked of the favour and countenance of great men of the preferments and advantages and riches and honours and offices with which it is cloathed here below and instead thereof be invested with fire and flames and brimstone and blackness of darkness and whips and serpents and unconceivable and eternal torments what an ugly loathsom strumpet will she be even in the eyes of them that now dote on her commit whordome with her and sacrifice their strength and time and estates and souls and God and Christ and Heaven and all to her Then the Drunkard will find his liquor more bitter then wormwood when he shall have a cup of pure wrath without the least mixture of mercy brought to him and he forced to take it down though there be eternity to the bottom Then the Persecutor of Gods people shall find that it had been better to have been rotting in a ditch or boyling in a furnace of lead then to have spent his time in wronging the poorest meanest member of Christ when God shall recompence tribulation to them that persecute his people and to them that are persecuted rest and peace Then every sinner will believe and feel what now though God himself tell him he will be an infidel in that it is an evil and bitter thing to depart away from the living God The wicked is reserved as the Beast for the slaughter-day to the day of destruction he shall be brought forth as the condemned Malefactour on execution-day at the day of slaughter Ah how dreadful will the sinners doom be then The tribunal of the Judge will be a tribunal of fire He shall come in flaming fire to render vengeance c. The Law by which he will try them shall be a Law of fire or a fire of Law Deut. 33.2 The Judge himself to them will be a consuming fire Heb. 12. 28. And the judgement which he will denounce against them will be Go ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels for ever Ah who can dwell in everlasting burnings who can abide devouring flames Who can imagine the shame that will cover their faces the horror that will fill their hearts the terrors and tortures and torments that must seize them for ever If Iudas was so ashamed when he saw Thamars signet and staff the remembrances of his sin how will they be confounded when all their revellings and roarings their chambering and wantonness their cursing and swearing and all their sins shall be opened before all the world If Herod was so afrighted when he supposed that John was risen from the dead that the Baptists ghost by walking in his conscience robbed him of all comfort what afrightment will possess them to see the Saints whom they have nick-named disgraced imprisoned and it may be murdered risen from the dead owned and honoured by the Judge and the chief Favourites in the Heavenly Court If Saul was so troubled when he did hear Christ call to him out of Heaven that he fell to the ground what trouble what tribulation will possess them whom he shall curse with a bitter curse and call to Devils to seize on and associate with and prey upon for ever and ever The Saint shall find mercy the sweetest mercy in that day of judgement but the Sinner shall have judgement the sorest the most cutting killing judgement without the least drop of mercy If the day when God gave the Law was so dreadful full of thundrings and lightnings and fearful noises that the people cryed out Let not God speak to us lest we die and Moses himself did exceedingly quake and fear and if the day were so dreadful when the Son of Gods infinite love bare the curse of the Law that the rocks were rent the earth trembled the Sun was darkned how dreadful will that day be when God shall make inquisition into and deal with the vessels of wrath for the breath of the Law Who can abide that day of his coming Who shall stand when he appeareth Well may it be called the great and terrible day of the Lord Iesus Well might the wise man when he had seemingly laid the reins on the young mans back and given him leave to run on in the way of his own heart and eyes pull him in with this Curb Remember that for all these things God will bring thee to judgement When Sapores King of Persia had raised a violent persecution againstâ— the Christians Vsthazanes an antient Nobleman and a Christian who in the Kings minority had the Governmenâ— of the People was so terrified that
his duty and leaves all to his father who knoweth what he hath need of But the Covâ—tous who like the barren womb hath never enongh pines with fear of want can neither eat nor drink nor sleep quietly lest he should lose what he hath or not have sufficient to hold out nay he will not allow himself convenient food or raiment though he have never so much but like a beast feeds on thistles when he hath all sorts of provision upon his back Temperance hath health and strength with it and thereby renders the other comforts of this life savoury and comfortable so also Chastity But â—luttony and Drunkenness and Whoredom bring weakness and sickness on mens bodies and imbitter all other blessings besides the fear of being discovered to the shame and disgrace of the Authors which tormenteth not a little There is comfort in dealing honestly and righteously but if a man will cheat and cozen and filtch and steal no wonder if he tire his head with plots and projects â—o carry it on cunningly and secretly and terrifie his heart with apprehention that it will be known and then he shall be branded for a knave or suffer the penalty of law in a more severe degree The sinner is hurried hither and thither by his opposite Lords and contrary lusts and torn piecemeal by them as a man by beasts which draw the parts of his body contrary ways The Commands of sin are harsh and heavy No Tyrant ever put his subjects upon more crabbed painful work But the Commandments of God are not grievous 1 Joh. 4. 3. Sin is sâ—avery and its servants worse then those that row in Turkish Gallies but Gods law is a law of liberty and they walk at liberty who seek his precepts The ways of sinners are called crooked ways rugged ways which are unpleasant to travail in but the ways of God are called strait ways plain paths which are delightful to passengers I am confident the true Christian hath more true pleasure in suffering for Christ or one act of mortification or victory over one lust then the highest earthly Potentate hath in his largest dominions in the multitude of his subjects in the richness of his kingdoms and in all the honour that is done him or good things enjoyed by him all his days 3. It is the most profitable Calling Reader this argument is Achilleum or instar omnium the strongest argument and instead of all with most men gain is the great God of this world that commandeth all their heads and hearts and hands to whom they bow down the knees both of their bodies and souls The theif murderer are quickened by this to their hellish trade Come let us lay wait for blood let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause We shall find all precious substance we shall fill our houses with spoil Prov. 1. 9 10. The Sechemites upon this ground will endure the pain of Circumcision and throw up their former religion Shall not their beasts and their cattel and their substance be ours The Soul for this will scale the Walls and leap upon the Pikes and run upon the Mouth of the Cannon The Husband-man for this will rise early go to bed late eat the bread of carefullness toyl and moyl all day and make a drudge a slave a pack-horse of himself all the year The Merchant for this will plough the Ocean dance upon the surging billows suffer many dangers and deaths through his whole voyage The Shop-keeper for this will croud into any hole of the City break his sleep waste his health run about hither and thither early and late Gehezi Achan Iudas Balaam for this will venture their bodies their souls any things all things Profit is such a bait that all will bite at The Devil that Arch Politician who hath had so many thousand years experience besides his extraordinary natural knowledge could not judge any Topicks more likely then this to take with our blessed Saviour All these things will I give thee if thou wilt fall down and worship me The gods themselves were said by the Athenians to be corrupted with Philips gold that their Oracles still were in favour of him Money is the absolute Monarch which can put men upon the most dangerous defignes Therefore Cassius surnamed the Severe one of the wisest of the Roman Judges in all doubtful Causes that came before him would demand Cui bono Who gained or had the profit well knowing that that is the bias which turneth men aside to wrong others and the heady wanton horse which breaks through the fence to trespass upon neighbours Now Reader If profit will prevail with thee Godliness with contentment is great gain All the gold of the world is dross all the diamonds of the world are dirt all the gaines of the world are loss to this gain of Godliness Egypt watered by Nilus hath four rich harvests say some in less then four months Solinus saith the Egyptian fig tree beareth fruit seven times in a year Godliness brings forth 30 60. 100. fold increase It giveth an hundreth fold in this world and in the world to come life everlasting After ye had your fruits unto holiness in the end everlasting life Mat. 19. 29. Rom. 6. 22. Did the sinner but believe Scripture that speaks the infinite reward of holiness he would quickly set up this trade Pinder the Poet saith in regard of the fertility of Rhodia and the wealth of the inhabitants that it rained gold in that country The fruit of wisdom is better then silver and the gain thereof then fine gold She is more precious then Rubies and all thou canst desire is not to be compared to her Prov. 3. 14 15. Lucian fancieth all the Heathen gods and goddesses sitting in Parliament and each making choice of that tree which best pleased them Iupiter chose the Oak for its strength Apollo the Baytree for its greeness Neptune chose the Poplar for its length Iuno chose the Eglantine for its sweetness Venus chose the Myrtle-tree for its beauty Minerva sitting by demanded of her Father Iupiter why since there were so many fruitful trees they all had chosen barren ones He answered Ne videanâ—ur fructu honorem vendere Lest they should seem to sell honour for fruit Minerva replied Well Do what you please I for my part make choice of the Olive for its fatness and fruitfulness They all commended her choice and were ashamed of their own Folly This fiction doth fitly represent the foolishness of men at this day in chusing the honours and preferments and glory of the world which are barren and unfruitful things of no wâ—rth in the other world before that honour which is from God and the eternal weight of glory and also the convictions of their consciences another day which will force them to be ashamed of their own folly and to commend the choice of a Christian for preferring grace and godliness which will stand him in stead in an hour of
defence Though others like the old world are drowned are destroyed in these waters yet thou shouldst ride safely in a well pitcht Ark and to free thee from any fear of miscarrying the Lord himself would shut thee in When others are in the open air on whom storms and tempests have their full force thou shouldst be housed in Gods presence-chamber and kept secret by his side As Gideons fleece thou shouldst be dry when all about thee are wet The whale of destruction may digest thousands of Mariners but one godly Ionah is too hard for him The torrent of fire that ran from AEtna and consumed the Country yet parted it self to safeguard them that releived their aged parents When the Grecians had taken Troy and given every man liberty to carry out his burden they were so taken with the devotion of AEneas in carrying out first his houshold gods and upon a second licence his old Father Anchises and his Son Ascanius instead of treasures which others carried out that they permitted him to carry what he would without any disturbance Ieremiah in the Babylonish captivity was tendered and regarded highly by the King of Babylon When Sodom was destroyed Lot was preserved It was storied of Troy that so long as the Image of Pallas stood safe in it that City should never be won It is true of godliness so long as the fear and love of thy God are within thee so long as thou makest religion thy business nothing shall hurt thee every thing shall help thee godliness will bring in all gain and at all times No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly A Child of God by adoption is in some sense like the Son of God by eternal generation heir of all things 1 Cor. 3.30 31. Whether Paul or Apollo or Cephas or Life or Death or things present or things to come all is yours and ye are Christ's and Christ is God's Nay the Christians riches are not onely unsearchable Ephes. 3. 8. but also durable Prov. 8. 15. When a wicked man dieth all his riches dye with him His treasue is laid up on earth therefore when he leaves the earth he leaves his treasure Psa. 49. 17. When a godly man dyeth his riches follow him Rev. 14. 13. His treasure is in heaven and so when he dyeth he goeth to his gains O Reader what an argument is here to provoke thee to piety godliness is profitable in all conditions in all relations in both worlds In prosperity t will be a sun to direct thee in adversity a shield to protect thee in life t will be thy comfort and which is infinitely more in death that hour of need 't will be thy enlivening cordial The smell of Trefoil is stronger in a cloudy dark season then in fair weather The refreshing savour of the sweet spices of grace is strongest in the Saints greatest necessities When Death the King of terrors comes to enter the list and fight with thee for thy soul and eternal salvation for thy God and Christ and Heaven and happiness when all thy Riches and Honours and Friends and Relations would leave thee in the lurch to shift for thy self as Dogs leave their Master when he comes to the water Godliness would be thy shield to secure thee against its shot and make thee more then a conquerour over it Thou mightest call thy dying bed as Iacob the place through which he travailed Mahanaim a Camp for there Angels would meet thee to convey thee safe through the Air the enemies country of which Satan is Lord and Prince to thy Fathers houses where thou shouldst be infinitely blessed in the vision and fruition of thy God and Saviour for ever Godliness would be the Pilot to steer the vessel of thy soul aright through those boysterous waters to an happy port The Arabick Fable mentions one that carried an Hog a Goat and a Sheep to the City the Hog roared hideously when the other two were still and quiet and being asked the reason gave this account of her crying The Sheep and Goat have no such cause to complain for they are carried to the City for their Milk but I am carried thither to be killed being good for nothing else The Ungodly person may well cry out sadly when sickness comes for then guilt flyeth in his face and conscience tells him death will kill him he is good for nothing but to be killed with death Rev. 2.25 he never honoured God in this world and God will force honour out of him in the other world He may well screech out dreadfully at the approach of death whose body death sends to the grave and his souls to intolerable and unquenchable flames but the godly man may bid death welcom knowing it will be his exceeding gain and advantage Reader When others like the Israelites are afraid and start back at the sight of this Goliah thou mightest like little David encounter him in the name of the Lord and overcome him Thou mightest triumphantly sing in the ears of death O death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victory The Lord of life would sweeten death to thee and subdue it for thee nay make it at peace with thee that thou mightest say to death as Iacob to Esau I have seen thy face as if it had been the face of God who hath made thee to meet me with smiles instead of frowns Death would help thee to that sight to that knowledge to that state and degree of holiness for which thou hast prayed and wept and fasted and watched and laboured and waited many a day as it s said of Iob there was none like him in the earth so I may say of this calling there is none like it upon the face of the earth the very enemies of it in their hours of extremity being judges Ah who would not work for God with the greatest diligence and walk with God in the exactest obedience and wait upon God with the greatest patience when he is assured that in the doing of his commands there is such great reward and those that sow to the spirit shall of the spirit reap life everlasting The Conclusion Reader I have now ended this Treatise but whether thou if a stranger to this calling wilt put an end to thy carnal fleshly ways and begin this high and heavenly work or no I know not If thou art ambitious thou hast here encouragement sufficient godliness will ennoble thee and render thy blood not only honourable but royal If thou art voluptuous here is a bait which may take thee godliness will bring thee to a river of pleasures to such dainties and delights as take the hearts of perfect and glorious Angels If thou art covetous here is a golden weight to turn the scales of thy desires and endeavours godliness is profitable unto all things it hath the promise of this life and of that which is to come when thy house and lands and honours and neighbours and
Treatise A CHristians should Admonish one another 285 How ibid. Afflictions tend to a Christians advantage 814,815 Anger resteth in the bosome of fools 44,45 B Backbiting to be avoided 271 The great danger and evil of it 272 to 275 A Backbiter wounds three wiâ—h one arrow 274 Christians must bear with one another 288 A threefold burthen Christians must bear for each other 289 Their Civil Spiritual and Natural burthens ibid. The Beasts of the field may teach men 453 Beasts teach man six lessons Thankefulness to God Dependance on God The dread of God Diligence in our callings Innocency Wisdom 453 454 Birds of the Air teach man eight Lessonsâ— 454 to 457 Christians must use a conscience in buying 17 C CHristians should be diligent in their particular Callings 511 Christians must avoid censuring 266 The great evil of censuring 267 How to apply our selves to civil men in sickness 577 Saints must be careful in the choice of their Companions 90 133 The benefit of Company 86 87 to 90 138 139 The great danger of evil Company to draw men to sin 9â— to 95. 133 to 135 to draw men to suffering 95 to 99 136 The Great advantage of good Company 98 to 101. 241 to 247 A mans Company will discover him 101 102 139 Christians should Company with them that are godly 109,110,140,141 because they are godly 116,117 Whether a Christian may not be more intimate with some godly Companions then others 119 Two Cautions about it 120,121 Christians should endeavour the spiritual good of their Companions 121 to 125,182 Saints may sometimes use but should not chuse the Company of sinners 109,110 Objections against it answered 124 to 128 Evil Company infectioâ—sâ— 156 157 Saints may be the better for evil Company when they are called to it 158 159 177 Wherein 179 to 182 Christians must guard their souls in evil Company 160,161 not needlesly expose themselves to sufferings 167 Saints must not disown Christ in any Company 172 to 175 Saints should endeavour the Conversion of sinners 182 183 How 183 to 189 By good Company pious souls have been confirmed 245 Erring Saints recovered ibid. Dull Christians quickened 246 Much sin prevented 248 Christians must watch themselves in good Company â—62 What sins Saints are most prone to in good Company 263 The Communion of Saints the most excellent Communion 236 250 257 Wherein the Communion of Saints consisteth 275 In a mutual communication of their gifts and graces ibid. In joyning in the Ordinances of God ibid. In serviceableness each to other 276 Wherein 280 to 287 A Contented spirit a great help to godlinessâ— 809 Nine Arguments to Contentedness in the most afflicted condition 813 Christians should receive Counsel 301 Penitent Christians should be comforted 283 It s a duty to be courteous 39 Courtesie is an ornament to Christianity 40,41 D EVery day to be begun with duty 496 Arguments to it ib. to 499 Christians should exercise themselves to godliness in their dealings with all men 5 It s a sign of hypocrisie to be careless in dealings with men 7 to 10 The credit of Religion is much engaged in our Dealings with others 11 to 14 In our dealings with others we must be righteous 15 Courteous 39 Meek 42 The Principle of a Christian in his dealings must be gracious 51 52 The end of a Christian in his dealings must be minded 53 54 A daily performance of holy duties to be minded 756 The necessity and benefit of daily duties 757 to 760 Christians should exercise themselves to Godliness on a dying bed 611,612 What it is to dye in the Lord. 612 Three things in it ib. In what respects Christ was obedient to the death 6â—5 Death is a serious thing 619 Death will try men 620 At death man is stated for eternity 622 Satan is busie to assault at death ib. 623 A death bed is a special season to honour God 624 It s the last opportunity 627 How Christians should honour God on a dying bed 628 In commending God and godliness to others 629 In commending our selves to God 633 In praying for our Relations the Church our Benefactours and our Enemies 634 to 637 In exercising grace on a dying bed 637 What graces Saints should especially exercise on a dying bed Faith Courage Repentance Charity Patience 637 to 647 Our whole life should be a preparation for Death 633 634 In what respects or how a Saint may dye with comfort 658 to 662 Meditation of death a special help to holiness 745 to 753 The great mischif of discontent 811 812 E CHristians must spiritualize earthly things 372,373 Several examples hereof 374 to 380 The earth teacheth man four lessons 457 Earthly things unsutable unsatisfying vexatious deceitful and uncertain 828 to 840 Ejaculations profitable 435 Christians must look to their ends in their actions 53 54 Frequent Examination of our selves and our ways a duty 523 786 The great advantage thereof 524 to 727.781 to 786 Examples helpful to encourage us heaven-ward 841 F FAith necessary if we would exercise our selves unto godliness 706 The excellency of Faith 707 Faith destroyeth sin 708 Overcometh the world 712 Faith overcometh the affrightments of the World 713 714 Faith overcometh the allurements of the world 716 717 Faith enableth to overcome Satan 720 the flesh 722 Faith deriveth grace from Christ. 724 Faith sets all other graces at work 725 Faith makes Ordinances profitable 727 Nine Questions to them that neglect Family duties 508 to 511 Fear sinful when 179 There can be no true Friendship betwixt a godly and a wicked man 105 to 108 Who is thy best friend 303 345 G SEtting God always before our eyes a great help to godliness 729 to 737 The knowledge of God a great help to holiness 801 to 809 Gods Omniscience 493 494 Gods Patience Vide Patience Gods word Vide word Means whereby Christians may exercise themselves to Godliness 695. Vide Means Godliness the most excellent Calling 844 The most honourable ib. The most comfortable 849 The most profitable Calling 858 Twelve serious thoughts to quicken all to Exercise themselves to Godliness Vide Epistle to the Reader H THe heart the great work-house of thoughts words and actions 698 The necessity of a new heart in all that would make religion their business 699 700 The heart of man backward to good 255 prone to evil 364 must be watched 369 Holiness is honourable 844 Humility an help to holiness 792 The Excellency of humility 793 794 Vnrighteousness a sign of Hypocrisie 7 8 I THe evil of Idleness 820 The great mischief of Ignorance 806 The Ignorant should be instructed 280 281 A serious consideration of the day of judgement a special help to godliness 765 Dreadfulness of the day of judgement to wicked men 767 776 The day of judgement will be comfortable to Saints 772 Their godliness will be mentioned ibid. Their names vindicated 773 Persons publiquely acquitted ib. Their happiness will be perfected 774 Justice to what resembled 39
Sons to peace lest they should lose the Kingdom he left his heir The Saint must conjure his Children to purity in the first place lest they lose their souls and the Kingdom of Heaven Mr. Robert Bolton on his Death-bed called his Children together Wisht them to remember the counsel he had formerly given them and he verily beleived none of them durst meet him at the great Tribunal in an unregenerate estate Mr. Sanders a little before his death in a Letter to his Wife writeth thus Dear Wife riches I have none to leave behind me wherewith to endow thee after this worlds manner but the treasure of tasting how sweet Christ is unto hungry consciences ' whereof I thank my Christ I feel part and would feel more I bequeath to thee and to the rest of my beloved in Christ to retain the same in sense of heart always O how pathetically how earnestly should dying Christians who know somewhat of the worth of grace and holiness and of the evil and end of sin and sinners perswade their Children and Relations to love and fear and serve the Lord when it s the last time that ever they shall advise or counsel them How hard should they woo that the souls of their Kindred may be married to Christ Secondly In commending thy self and others to God by prayer When the body breaths shortest it breaths quickest Though the Christian on his death-bed may want strength for long solemn devotion his short ejaculations should be both fervent and frequent The first thing a Child of God doth when new born is to breath to pray Act. 9. 27. And its one of the last things he doth Act. 7. ult He entereth praying into the place of praise Paul the Hermit was found dead saithe Ierom with his hands and eyes lifted up to Heaven that the dead corps seemed to pray Demus operam ut moriamur in precatione Let us endeavour to dye at prayer saith Austin 1. The sick man should pray especially for himself Lord Iesus receive my Spirit saith Stephen Father into thy hands I commend my Spirit saith Christ Lord saith dying Beza Perfect that which thou hast begun that I suffer not Ship-wrack in the Haven Children desire to dye in their Fathers bosome or on their Mothers lap Mr. Perkins died begging remission of sin and intreating mercy at Gods hands Bishop Vsher was often heard to desire the like end that Mr. Perkins had which he obtained for the last words which he was heard to utter were But Lord in special forgive my sins of omission not long after which he expired Luthers prayer a little before his death or rather thanksgiving was Pater mi caelestis Deus Pater domini nostri Iesu Christi ago tibi gratias quod filium tuum Iesum Christum mihi revelasti cui credidi quem sum professus quem amare c. My Heavenly Father the God and Father of my Lord Iesus Christ I thank thee for revealing thy Son Iesus Christ to me whom I have beleived whom I have professed whom I have loved Others must not be forgotten by us but our own souls must in a special manner be remembred Bellarmin tells us of a desperate Advocate in the Court of Rome who being exhorted on his death-bed to pray to God for mercy made this speech Lord I have a word to say to thee not for my self Ego enim propero ad inferos neque enim est ut aliquid pro me agas For I am hastening to Hell neither is there any thing that I would beg on my own behalf but for my Wife and Children This he spake saith Bellarmin who was then present as boldly as if he had been taking his journey onely to some neighbouring Village 2. For his Relations The more hot our affection is to any the more fervent our petitions should be for them Praying Parents are the most loving Parents When dying chiefly they should bless their Children in the Name of the Lord. So Isaac did Gen. 28. 1. Thus Iacob Gen. 48. 15 16. Godly Parents may plead the Covenant made to them and theirs unto God on their Dying Beds with comfort They are best acquainted with their Childrens conditions conversations wants weaknesses and so fittest to open their cases to God and to beseech grace on their behalves that they may be an holy seed a generation arising to shew forth his praise Christ when nigh death committed his spiritual Children to his Father and earnestly begged his care of them and favour for them Holy Father I come to thee I am no more in the World but these are in the world Keep them thrâ—ugh thy name keep them from the evil sanctifie them through thy truth So should a godly Father or Mother when dying Lord I am leaving my poor Children in the midst of snares and temptations and miseries I am coming out of the world to thy Majesty where I shall be above all frights and fears and beyond all malice and mischief but my children are in the world and will dayly be environd with allurements and affrightments with assaults and batteries from their spiritual enemies thou knowest the power and policy of the world and the wicked one the treachery and deceitfulness of the flesh within them and their weakness and inability to wrestle with and overcome the flatteries of the World and the suggestions of the Devil O keep them through thy name that they may look beyond the World live above the World and expect and eye their portion and happiness in a better World Though they live in the World let them not live as the World but walk all their days as heirs of another World Keep them from the evil of â—in however it please thy Majesty to deal with them about the evil of Suffering Give them the Shield of Faith whereby they may quench the fiery Darts of the Devil Let thy Covenant of grace be their portion thy love their cordial and thy Mansion-house their eternal possession Be thou their Father to direct protect govern and provide for them and give them a name in thy house better then of Sons and Daughters O sanctifie them through thy truth that they may be saved and may meet me with joy at the great day Luther when dying made this Will for his Wife great with Child and his little Sons O Lord God I thank thee that thou wouldst have me to be poor in this world I have no House Land or money that I should leave them Thou hast given me Wife and Children I restore them to thee Do thou O Father of Orphans and judge of Widows nourish teach keep them as thou hast hitherto me 3. For the whole Church of God It s good to pray by our selves but its ill to pray onely for our selves When we are dying and going to the Church triumphant we should be sure to put up some requests for the poor members of Christ and the Church